"It's time to get ... Buck-Wild!"

"Buck. The name's Buck. Short for Buckminster. Long for Buh."

How can anyone not love this character?

       ... Ok, let me rephrase that:

How could I not love this character?

He's Crazy. He's Curious. He's Suave. He's Over-Dramatic. He's Adventurous. He's a Storyteller. He's Worldly-Wise. He's Intelligent. He's Kind. And his accent is English. (I love accents!)

Time for the game face ...

For those of you that don't know this guy, all I can say is; watch Ice Age 3 (and read this blog). I know that the story and emotions of the third movie are not as epic as the first movie, but this guy and the creative story does make it worth at least one watch. The Sub-Zero Heroes' guide has quite a following. Not only with the fans of the movies but also the animators themselves: he has such a range of movements and controllers that they could have a lot of fun with the 'digital puppet'.

"Buck. He is a really fun character— a blending of Indiana Jones and Colonel Kurtz!— with a particularly unique shape. He’s very cylindrical because he is a weasel. I did many drawings taking advantage of that shape so he would be able to twist and turn and jump and leap in unique and fun ways. All of the animators were very interested in seeing and talking about that, even so much as how his face moves, his jaw moves."

(Source: http://animatedviews.com/2009/peter-de-seve-breaks-the-ice-with-ice-age-dawn-of-the-dinosaurs/ )

Ever seen Diego do that?

And they really took advantage of that "unique shape". Just watching him move throughout the movie shows far more agility and range that the other characters in the movie; He wrings himself dry like a towel, he can bend his spine to a caterpillar-like stance, his lower jaw goes from overbite to under-bite and back, his feet can perform puppetry with skulls just as well as his hands and other interesting oddities that add to the eccentric character that he boasts.

His entrance alone underlines those quirks of his character; he blows a horn to announce his arrival and starts swinging on a vine towards the Sub-Zero Heroes. Then his vine snaps, catapulting him over their heads and into a tree further away. And you still haven't seen the guy clearly. Then he suddenly jumps into full view, with an almost-piratey 'ha-HA', grinning innately with a vine with berries wrapped around him like the bullet-belts you see in Rambo. He throws the berries around like little bombs and pulls the 'pin' of a last one grenade-like that manages to create a dust-cloud big enough to obscure two mammoths, a saber-tooth cat, a weasel and two possums from the dinos (yet Buck could hold the berry easily in his hand ... oh, well; it's cartoon physics). They all disappear into the shrubberies. His next entrance, just a few seconds later, is just as 'action hero in the jungle'; his head rising slowly from the water with his knife in his teeth. 

And then he introduces himself to everyone (see quote above). 

The rest is history; every word he says underlines either his worldly-wise attitude or his insanity, or both. Every shot of him details his sense of drama and theater. I especially love the sudden close ups; they underline his words with such over the top drama that I laugh every single time I see them. That camera-work has never been done for a character before in the Ice Age franchise (Note: even the Scrat doesn't have those sudden close-ups) especially not while their speaking

(Yes, tense moments do have the camera close in on the important expressions of certain characters, but that lightening speed of Buck's close ups (and the fact that they almost always zoom-out as fast as they came after he has finished speaking) set the camera work  off the chart in terms of intensity and humor. Additionally, he doesn't have those particular close-ups during the 'final climax' of the story.)

There are only a few moments when Buck seems actually sane during the entire film, most of those moments are in the last half of the movie and especially after Rudy supposed death. But even then he's still retains the quirks of his facial expressions being over the top and dramatic. I can honestly say that the only 'sane' footage I've see of him comes from the promotional photos you can find (see below). 

And to me; he doesn't look like Buck when he's sane ....

I wonder what they drugged him with ....

Yes, insanity is great in the good guy camp as it makes for interesting characters and the possibility that anything could occur while that character is about. Yet what sets Buck apart from the other crazy characters (within and outside the Ice Age movies) is that he has a (viable) reason for being so outgoing and insane. Crash and Eddie, for example, egg each other on into Jackass-like stunts and behaviors, but they do their stuff because they have ... unique personalities and have been acting like so for all their lives (probably). 

Buck, on the other hand, has been alone in that underground world, chasing an albino dinosaur, for who knows how long. In order to survive people (Note; I believe that the characters in the Ice Age movies are 'human' enough that human psychology works with them) need interaction and (human) contact. Look at the movie "Cast Away"; Wilson is created to stave off complete loneliness. So Buck talks to rocks, skulls and unresponsive dinosaurs, 'pretending' that they talk back to him so he retains relationships and interactions necessary for survival. His need for further intimacy served by a (ugly) pineapple. 

(Note: But even he acknowledges that that isn't enough for him, as during the last shot of the scene at the 'Chasm of Death' he states: "I'm so lonely!" while compulsively laughing in the gassy environment.)

And you thought Crash and Eddie were nut-jobs ...

And, to keep himself occupied, there is his self appointed 'job' in the underground realm; fighting Rudy, the albino dinosaur. (Note; that's where the similarities between Buck and Captain Ahab really show the most). It was really cleaver of the creators to give the big 'monster' (which is, in typical monster-movie fashion, is only truly revealed near the end of the flick) a non terrifying name to refer to him. It can work in two ways (in the minds of children); either is helps make the monster less scary as 'fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself' (Hermione, 'The Chamber of Secrets'); or is can work opposite, contrasting the scary creature with a name that obviously doesn't match its appearance/personality making it even scarier (another Harry Potter reference: for example; Fluffy in 'The Philosophers' Stone'). 

Hello Rudy ....

Buck sees Rudy as a rival, a foe he will fight till the end of (one of) them, reflected in his decision to leave the underground world when he believes Rudy dead, and his elation when Rudy turns out to be alive. Rudy's thoughts on the matter, I think, are reflected nicely in the words of the voice actor; Simon Pegg, when he was asked on the matter (BTW; Simon Pegg = awesome actor!): "I don't know if Rudy is involved in the relationship, he just wants to eat Buck. But Buck kinda sees him as his Moriarty as it were." (Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FugrYc_90A ) Rudy is just a dinosaur that just wants to eat some weasel. Unfortunately he chose to hunt a wily and crafty weasel that can fend for himself in this hostile world. But as Buck creates relationships from the interactions he has in this world, Rudy's persistence is seen as a similar obsession that Buck has for him, and therefore he will fight Rudy in 'biblical-sized' fights. Completely fitting character that he stays in that world (and is seen riding Rudy in a cameo in the beginning of Ice Age 4) and continues to kick-ass under the ice. 

So, to wrap up .... *ahem* 

Buckminster is AWESOME!

Yeah. 

Only God and the Scrat... or "Why I love commentaries"

"[I kept thinking:] How are we going to get rid of all that water? And the only thing that crossed my mind was: there are only two things in nature that could do this; One is God, and the other is the Scrat." (Carlos Saldanha, commentary Ice Age 2: The Meltdown) 

Acorns .....

I've been watching the Ice Age movies (all four of them) a lot these past days. And I know that pretty soon I'm going to buy the DVDs. Not only for the good quality of the images and the sound, but also for the commentaries. As I only have the second movie available on DVD at the moment, I watched the director's commentary several times (and I love that moment in the commentary (above), I think I'm going to use in daily conversation). It's also partly the reason that I started this blog; the zeal and details that Carlos Saldanha talks about the process and characters gives me an example that I'm not the only one that goes nuts about this stuff. (pun intended)

(plus; he gave me a great idea for a blogging name while he was describing Crash's design (Crash from the possums Crash & Eddie; a fellow crazy blue-eyes), so this is a little thank-you to the director that he in all probability will never see.)

- and yes, that is the reason that my profile picture at the moment is Buckminster (another crazy blue-eye) from the third movie. I'll get to him in a later blog. That character deserves his own entry.)

Back to the subject of this entry, commentaries are great things. Often you only realize the extent of how much work and thought and love was put in a particular movie when you hear the people talking about the process. And especially because you are watching the movie at the same time, the speaker can relate anecdotes and backstage stuff to the scenes the viewer is seeing. It's almost like having talking footnotes; which can be annoying if you don't know the text (movie), it adds depth and understanding to the original source material. That's also why cast interview (can be/)are interesting, especially when the actor or actress has really thought about their voice performance. And example is John Leguizamo (voice of Sid the sloth) who actually looked at documentaries on sloths to come up with the lisping voice that has become iconic of the character of Sid.

Watching footage of them recording their voices is also often entertaining, because if they do their job well, they are acting even while only their voices will be heard (yes, animator often work with that footage, but they don't have too, so the actors/actresses can only be sure that their voice will used).

It is also a testimony to their talent; real actors/actresses are able to act out the correct emotions with nothing to really inspire them (like a set, props, costumes or other actors/actresses) except a script, a microphone and director directions. Yet when you listen to what they manage to emote through just their voices, it's phenomenal. You don't even have to see the expression to know what the character is feeling (if it's done right).

Commentaries also give opportunity for the speaker to display concrete examples of the conscious decisions that influence the intensity of the things happening on screen. For example; in Ice Age 2: the Meltdown; the main (concrete) villains, the water-dinosaurs Cretaceous and Maelstrom used to be talking roles. In the final movie, they aren't. And I can say; the fact that those underwater hunters don't speak at all lifts them up from just creepy to flat out terrifying. The shot (below) of both of them silently looking at the main characters, like crocodiles with their eyes just above the surface of the water, and then slowly diving from view is an absolute Jaws moment. That was a great choice (and that is often the case; if you want to express an emotion, it be love, anger, fear or whatever: text instantly makes it cheesy and it loses intensity). ("Foot note"; I like that they were created to be a symbol of the biggest villain, the melting world, fore as the world becomes more flooded, they (come back to life and) grow in strength as their hunting-ground expands to the whole valley.)

We'll get you next time, Manfred. Next time ....

 (Another little anecdote from the crew commentary on the villains; a child of one of the crew was watching the movie with his mother, and during the fight in the second act, fearful of the main villains, he asked his mother "They're going to stay in the water, right?". And the next shot has one of the creatures jumping out of the water onto the ice and speeding over it like a crocodile on meth. Poor kid was traumatized.)

And I love hearing the why behind certain songs. In Ice Age 2: The Meltdown, the director wanted to show the main characters going through perilous places (adding the urgency of the impending doom) before they got to the 'end' of the journey and the main climax. At first it would be just a montage, but to add the peril and comedy and uniqueness; they added a musical number. Seeing the vultures 'dancing' and singing "Food, Glorious Food" while the main characters are trying to get over ravines and sheer cliffs is absolutely perfect. (and additionally, because the makers had the song in their heads the whole time while working on the scene, they had Sid afterwards singing part of the song as well. Another great moment in the movie.)

I also like hearing about the effects in the movie. The most important effects being not the explosions and such, but the ones that you don't 'see', but would miss if you didn't see it (or if it came out wrong). Like the ripples (and behavior) of water and splashes, the actions of the fur and the expressions of the characters. I like the metaphor used in the movie "Wag the Dog": it's like plumbing; no one notices if it works fine, but if it is done wrong you get shit spewed over you. Often a lot of work goes into it, which 'no one' notices while watching it (unless you're in the field, of course)

Finally, I love hearing the love that the makers express for their creation. Not just in text, but in the reactions to what you see on screen, like a chuckle because one of the characters does something funny or a short "Ow" when a character falls and hits the ground hard. That just warms my heart and makes me hopeful that I'm not the only one that love nit-picking and appreciating the story, the characters and it's elements. Down to the littlest expression and/or gesture. 

That for me is the beauty and power of animation. 

***

To be continued ....

Once upon a time ...

Just so you know (and so I have something on this blog), I made this blog because I keep having stuff about animation that I see and want to share. Unfortunately no one in my family or direct friend circle has the same interest in it as me. So instead of bothering them with it, I finally thought of doing a blog. A private journal just doesn't have that interactive feel, even though if someone if actually reading this, that is more than I expect right now (So, thanks, who ever you are, for taking precious time out of your life to read my first ramble on this blog. I hope you don't feel this has been a waste of said time).

I have no idea if I'll be able, and consistent, enough to make this blog a long running one. I expect that these upcoming months will have a small tsunami of blogs about certain movies and/or companies that produce those movies. And although the blog is called "Ramblings on Animation", I know I won't stick solely to talking about animation in my rambling. Story development, characters, special effects and (especially) film scores will also be discussed, but it will be about those in animated movies (or TV series).
So, as they say:

To be continued ...

  ***
Author's note: this blog will be about animation; Disney, Dreamworks and mainly American based stuff, not anime. Not that anime isn't worth a blog, but I just don't have enough knowledge and interest to prattle on and on about it. And I will talk about both 2D and 3D animation, although I have a small weakness and nostalgic preference for 2D, I do like the developments that 3D has been making.