Buck

Buck in Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Buck (full name Buckminster) is one of the main characters of the Ice Age franchise.

He's a crazy one-eyed weasel that lives in the Lost World, an underground world populated mostly by dinosaurs. He made his first appearance in Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs as the tretagonist, then he made a cameo in Ice Age: Continental Drift, a return in Ice Age: Collision Course as the tritagonist and the titular main protagonist of his own Disney+ show. He is voiced by Simon Pegg.

Background Story

Buck had fallen into the underground realm of dinosaurs in his past, and had run into trouble quickly, as a giant Baryonyx, who he named "Rudy" attacked him, taking Buck's eye. To bandage his socket, Buck tied a leaf around his head and attempted to escape Rudy, but was swallowed up by the dinosaur. Before Buck was truly eaten, however, he managed to grab onto Rudy's uvula and launch himself out of the dinosaur's jaws, breaking his way through Rudy's teeth as he did. Buck then took Rudy's tooth as a weapon for himself and went on to survive and thrive in the dinosaur world.

He is cleverly named after the ice company Buck Ice located in Columbus, GA.

Personality

Buck is obviously insane, but in a brave, good, and hilarious way. He is bold, daring, swashbuckling, cunning, slick, free spirited, and one heck of a daredevil, in fact he is so brave that he does not fear Rudy, unlike everyone else. He seems to enjoy his rivalry with Rudy, the dinosaur who took his eye, and in return Buck took his tooth as a weapon, which he wields with amazing skills. His obsession with Rudy and dreams of defeating him in battle might suggest that he he holds a grudge against Rudy for taking his eye, much like how Rudy holds a grudge against Buck for taking his tooth.

When Buck meets the herd, he seems uninterested in getting to know them as he promptly told them to go home. But he obviously, slowly gets concerned for them during their adventure, also as he followed them to the Jungle of Misery and saved Manny and Diego from a carnivorous plant. He's prone to making brazen and impressive remarks and feats, but almost immediately afterward, he does something that makes him look like a crazy lunatic, such as speaking into a rock like it's a cell phone, talking to skulls, swinging from mid-air, the list goes on. He is a survivor who knows what he's dealing with in the world below, but he's been in the Dinosaur World for so long he's even admitted he lost his mind. Specifically, he says he lost it three months ago from when Manny asked him. He also states he is, or was, married to an ugly pineapple.

But despite his insanity, craziness, and life-risking nerve, Buck has a good heart as he without hesitation risked life and limb to protect his new friends, when Rudy went after them, showing he has grown protective of the herd. He also suffers from a slight lateral lisp, which makes his "s" and "c" pronunciation slightly "wet" or "spitty".

Buck seemed to get along well with Diego and Ellie, and the opossum twins, though his relationship with Manny is sketchy, in-fact, Buck has been shown to not be so fond of Manny. One example of that is that in the video game, when Buck is told that Manny and Diego have been eaten by a carnivorous plant, Buck asks which one is Manny but then reluctantly said that he will save them both, meaning that Buck first planned not to save Manny. Diego admired and respected Buck for his impressive lifestyle, skills, courage, and was the one to say goodbye to him when Buck chose to remain in the World below. Buck liked Ellie mostly because she heeded him and listened to him better than any of the others did. Crash and Eddie also admired Buck, and respected him enough to call him master at one point in the movie, but a couple ties their stupidity astounded even Buck. Manny was reluctant and nervous to follow Buck's rules and orders, mostly because how Buck was apparently out of his mind, and feared that the weasel's insane antics would endanger Ellie and their child. But Manny warmed up to Buck enough to invite him to join their herd. Although he saved him, Buck didn't spend enough time with Sid to form a real relationship (On-screen, at least. How they might have gotten to know each other on the way back is up for debate).

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Buck astonished before Crash and Eddie's pranks.

Buck had made several acquaintances, while in the dinosaur world, including a caterpillar, that grew to become a giant butterfly, and a pineapple, that Buck had woken up married to, but loved, though he states that it was an ugly pineapple. While in the dinosaur world, however, Buck's sanity slipped away and he lost his mind. This seems to be because of lack of contact, he might be suffering from loneliness. Buck may be based off of the late Steve Irwin since they both wrangle large reptiles. He's the only one in the Dinosaur Valley that is not afraid of Rudy.

Buck first appears, blowing a shell like it's a horn, and swings in to the rescue, but the vine breaks, sending him hurling over the trees and crashing into one, ruining the moment. He makes up for it by saving Manny, Ellie, Diego, Crash & Eddie from some dinosaurs. He introduces himself, giving an obvious, yet humorous, impression that he's insane. When Ellie explains they came to find Sid, who was taken by Momma, he tells them Sid's dead and to go home. They insist on going despite his warnings, although he gave them directions to where momma went with her babies and Sid. He appears later, in the, as he put it, "Jungle of Misery", to save Manny and Diego from a giant carnivorous plant in a manner similar to disarming a bomb (he cut a red "wire" but turns out it was the blue one, which made the plant regurgitate Manny, Diego and Buck. Ellie persuades him to help them find Sid, and he agrees by giving them rules:

1. Always listen to Buck. (Which Manny finds hard to follow)
2. Stay in the middle of the trail.
3. Those with gas travel at the back of the pack (making Crash sullenly go to the back).
4. Have your heads examined (A sarcastic remark by Manny, which Buck stated was Rule #4).
5. You do not have to follow Rule #2 if a female or cute dog is involved.

Along the way, Buck makes more and more apparent signs he's a lunatic. For example, he talked into a rock like it was a cellphone.

They come to the "Chasm of Death," which he explains was initially called "Big stinky Crack." But it just made everyone giggle. He uses a ribcage suspended by vines to ferry Ellie across the chasm, but not before warning her not to breathe in the toxic fumes. He then sends the ride back for the others, but it gets stuck halfway. Manny, Diego, Crash & Eddie accidentally breathe in the fumes, but it turns out it has the effects of helium, making their voices really high and squeaky (like Alvin & the Chipmunks), but it also causes uncontrollable laughter and some degree of madness. Buck tells them to stop laughing but they just mock him. Ellie asks what's wrong with them laughing, and he answers her by pointing down to dino skeletons and saying "They died laughing!". Buck gets caught in the gas as well so Ellie saves them herself.

That night, buck tells the story of how he lost his eye and how he got his weapon in a dramatic story about the Beast, Rudy. In the morning, they come across where Momma and Sid argued over what to feed to the T-Rex Triplets, and Buck makes some outlandish theories, which are of course, completely ridiculous and wrong. Manny then asks when exactly Buck lost his mind and he answers, "About three months ago. I woke up one morning married to a pineapple. An UGLY pineapple. (sighs) But I loved her."

They then come to the "Plates of Woe" where it is obvious Rudy passed through. During the trek, Ellie goes into labor and is separated. Buck orders Manny and Diego to go protect her while he and the opossums go on ahead to find Sid. They come to a cliff where he gets the opossums excited. The conversation went as follows:

Buck: Boys! Are you ready for adventure?!

Crash & Eddie (salute): Yes Sir!

Buck: For danger?!

Crash & Eddie: Yes Sir!

Buck (hugs them close with a mad look): For death?!

Eddie: Um, could you repeat the question?

Buck ignores him and they dive off the cliff, and fly back up on a pterodactyl. Eddie asks if he's flow one before, but he unworried replies, "No! First time, actually!"

As they fly to get to Sid, who is heading towards Lava Falls on a rock, they are forced to take evasive action from a pack of flying predators, but manage to outfly them and save Sid. They return to Manny, Ellie, and Diego, to see Ellie has just given birth to hers and Manny's new baby daughter, Peaches. Buck then states it's time to take them home.

At the cave, they're about to bid farewell when Rudy makes his appearance and attacks. Buck tells them to run while he distracts his mortal enemy, and is almost eaten. Luckily, he is saved by Diego. Working together, Buck, Diego, Manny, and Sid tie up Rudy, but due to Sid's clumsiness, he breaks free. But they are saved by the timely arrival of Momma, who pushes Rudy over a cliff, apparently to his death.

With Rudy gone, Buck doesn't know what to do, but is invited to join the herd by Diego and Manny, and he accepts. But just before they emerge from the cave to the world above, Buck hears the roar of Rudy, who survived the fall. Diego says goodbye to Buck, who says that the Dinos really out to stay in the world beneath, and says to Diego, "Take care of them, Tiger."

Diego replies, "'Always listen to Buck.'"

And with that, Diego catches up with the herd as Buck destroys the bridge, sealing the cave forever as he returns to the world beneath to be where he belongs. He is last seen, riding Rudy off into the jungle.

Ice Age: Continental Drift

He's shown briefly at the beginning, still riding atop Rudy. However, later in the film, his knife makes an appearance, as a weapon being used by one of the pirates. Which leads to a question of Buck's fate after the Drift started to happen.

Quotes

• "TAKE COVER!"
• "BUCK! The name's Buck! Short for Buckminster, long for Buh!"
• (Examines Diego's saberteeth) "Hmm, a little dull..."
• "Well! ...He's dead. Welcome to my world. Now, uh, go home. Off you pop!"
• "If you go in there, you'll find your friend... in the afterlife."
• "They'll be nothing but bones in three minutes! Well, maybe five for the fat one."
• "They DIED laughing!"
• "It's time to get... Buck Wild!"
• "Abandon all hope, He who enters THERE!"
• "Hello, Rudy..."
• "Pop goes the weasel!"
• (To Manny) "Bup-bup-bup! Rule #1...? (Eddie tries to answer but Buck cuts him off) Come on, mammoth! You're supposed to have a good memory!"
• (to Manny) "You risked your life, your mate, and your baby to save your buddy. Not the best husband or father, but a darn good friend."
• "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! Whoa! What,you-you think this is some sort of tropical getaway? You can't protect your mate, mate. What are you gonna do with those-those flimsy tusks when you run into the Beast?"
• (Response to the possum twins' question) "Rudy?, Are you joking?!, He's relentless!, He knows all, sees all, eats all...! So that's a 'yes'!"
• (To Roger) "What about you? Ever thought of having kids?" (Roger leaves, baffled)
• "The Buck stops here"
• Boys, are you ready for adventure?
• For danger?
• For death?!
• "Stop that! (Gasps) Don't you see?! (Voice turns squeaky) We're all gonna die!!!"
• (Still affected by the gas) "Here, Rudy-Rudy-Rudy! Ha-ha-ha!! I'm sooo lonely! Ha-ha!!"

Mammal Chauvinism

Buck has been shown to believe that mammals are superior to reptiles. Such examples are the fact that he commonly and intentionally hunts dinosaurs and his quotes listed below.

• "Ever hugged a reptile? Come on!" (This line is only heard in a behind the scenes look)

• (After defeating the Triceratops in the video game) "And that's why we mammals are the superior species."

However, since he has said that mammals are the superior species, this might mean that not only does he find reptiles inferior, but he also finds other non mammalian animals inferior as well. This quote apparently proves that he does indeed have a Mammal Chauvinism.

Relationships

• Crash and Eddie - Buck seemed to connect with the brothers, and they seemed to like him from the beginning, when they first met Buck. When Crash, Eddie, and Buck were going to get Sid from Lava Falls, when he saw pterodactyls chasing them, even though they were close to getting Sid, Buck did not want Crash and Eddie to get hurt, so he lead their teradactol away from Sid. Later when a teradactol bumped into theirs, and they were falling, Buck tried desperately to get their teradactol up, wheich he did, they then saved Sid, And Buck got the trio back to the rest of the herd safely. 

Trivia

• Buck refers to Manny and company as mammals, completely ignoring the fact that he is a mammal himself.