The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild producer Lori Forte recently discussed the possibility of a seventh movie and what the future looks like for the Ice Age franchise. The sixth film in the franchise, Adventures of Buck Wild, arrives on Disney+ January 28 and is the first Ice Age film to be released since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and shut down its animation studio, Blue Sky. The wildly popular Ice Age franchise has grossed over $3.2 billion dollars and has spawned countless shorts, games, merchandise, and more.
Ice Age follows the adventures of a dysfunctional group of prehistoric animals, including Manny the mammoth and his family, Sid the sloth, Diego the saber-toothed tiger, Crash and Eddie the opossums, and of course, Scrat the acorn-obsessed squirrel. The upcoming Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild mainly follows Crash and Eddie as they return to the lost dinosaur world introduced in the third film, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, and reunite with the zany one-eyed weasel Buck. With the large cast of characters introduced throughout the series, it seems like the possibilities for future entries are endless.
Recently, Screen Rant sat down for an interview with Ice Age producer Lori Forte, where she discussed the possibility of an Ice Age 7 and where the franchise may go after Buck Wild. While she mentioned it might be early to confirm a seventh movie, the team has many ideas for future adventures and new characters. The next steps will depend on how the audience receives the new film, but based on the success of the Ice Age franchise, it seems likely another entry will be green-lit. Read what Forte said below:
There were talks of a seventh movie. What's going on with that? Is that happening?
Lori Forte: I think it's a little premature. We hope that people will respond to this, and that will promote us to be able to do another movie. If the audiences want it, we've got plenty of ideas. There's no end to ideas and adventures and characters, so we're ready if they're ready.
The biggest change in the Ice Age series now is that it's owned by Disney, and the success of the franchise will depend on how Fox's properties are handled by Disney. Will Disney treat the series as former competition that can be pushed aside, or will they foster it as a valuable asset of their own? It's unclear what Disney's plans are since they shut down Ice Age's animation house, Blue Sky Studios, and are releasing the new film exclusively on Disney+. However, with the resounding global success of the Ice Age films and infinite potential for more stories set within this frozen world, it would be short-sighted to stop the series now.
Since Disney is prioritizing their streaming content, Ice Age would be a perfect fit for Disney's long term goals. Future Ice Age films could be released on Disney+ or in theaters, while shorts, spinoffs, cartoons, and more could be featured exclusively on Disney+. What's great about Ice Age is that there's a large cast of characters, and the world is so distinct and unique that it can go anywhere. There are still elements from the earlier films that can be revisited, such as the baby and his tribe from the first Ice Age. A seventh movie could just be the beginning of a new era for the Ice Age series.