The latest entry into the Ice Age Cinematic Universe, The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, introduces us to newcomer Zee. The zorilla and former member of Buck’s superhero team is enthusiastically voiced by Justina Machado. “I was so excited to be a part of this franchise they could have given me anything and I would’ve done it.”
“It was just pure fun,” says Machado as she fondly remembers voicing her character. “She’s very funny and, as you can see, all the characters that she’s surrounded by are so great. I mean, one is funnier than the other, so it just was great fun to be a part of this.”
Machado describes Zee as “strong, a social warrior, somebody who’s so rational and has it so together.” While she finds it hard to play someone “in control and badass,” those are her favorite characters. “Since I’m a new character we’re trying to figure out who she was, what she sounded like.”
Producer Lori Forte considers Machado as the true inspiration for Zee’s final form. “We started taking
traits from her, like her strength and her personality,” says Forte. “It sort of wove into the character itself, and so Zee was very much part of who Justina is.”
As a fan of the franchise, Machado was both excited and scared to join the Ice Age family. “After seeing the movie, I’m really proud of what we did and how it came out,” says Machado. “It was fun and exciting and an honor to be a part of this franchise.”
You can catch The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild streaming on Disney+ now.
The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild
“The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild” continues the hilarious escapades of the sub-zero heroes as they create more prehistoric pandemonium. Eager for a little independence, the thrill-seeking possum brothers Crash and Eddie set out to find a place of their own but soon find themselves trapped beneath the ice in a massive cave inhabited by dinosaurs. They are rescued by the one-eyed, adventure-loving weasel Buck Wild, and together, with the help of some new friends, embark on a mission to save the Lost World from dinosaur domination. The movie, which features the voices of Simon Pegg (“Mission: Impossible – Fallout”), Utkarsh Ambudkar (“Free Guy”), Justina Machado (“One Day at a Time”), Vincent Tong (“Ninjago”) and Aaron Harris, is directed by John C. Donkin (“Ice Age: Continental Drift” producer), written by Jim Hecht (“Ice Age: The Meltdown”), Ray DeLaurentis (“Fairly Odd Parents”) and Will Schifrin (“Bunsen is a Beast”) from a story by Jim Hecht, with Lori Forte (the “Ice Age” franchise) serving as executive producer.