The latest Ice Age movie brings us the return of Simon Pegg’s Buck Wild, but it also introduces fans to a brand-new character.
Everyone, it’s time to meet Zee, a zorilla voiced by One Day at a Time’s Justina Machado.
Ice Age: Adventures of Buck Wild sees opossum brothers Crash and Eddie break away from the herd and stumble back into the Lost World. There, they reunite with Buck and devise a plan to stop the dinosaurs from taking over. That’s where we meet Zee, an old friend of Buck’s who joins the crew on their mission.
Machado said as a long time fan of the Ice Age films, she was excited to lend her voice to the sixth movie in the franchise.
“I’m a big fan. I’ve always loved these movies. I was so excited to be a part of this franchise, they could have given me anything and I would’ve done it,” she joked. “That’s what’s so exciting, and a little scary also, to come into this family and be as exciting as the other characters. But after seeing the movie, I’m really proud of what we did and how it came out. It was fun and exciting and an honor to be a part of this franchise.”
Machado also got to have some input in shaping Zee, working with director John C. Donkin and producer Lori Forte to develop her look, personality, and mannerisms.
“John and Lori and I developed Zee’s character together. It was a lot of fun voicing somebody so strong, a social warrior. Somebody who’s so rational and has it so together,” said Machado.
Forte added, “The more [recording] sessions that went on, the more we got to know Justina… the more we started taking traits from her, like her strength and her personality and her ‘in your face’ kind of thing. And it sort of wove into the character itself. So Zee was very much part of who Justina is, I think.”
And despite not being able to literally see herself in the animated character, Machado agreed Zee still reflected her.
“That’s the great thing about animation, that those things happen. And that’s so exciting to see, even though you’re not looking at yourself, I’m looking at a zorilla, but I see Justina in there somewhere,” she said.
You can see Machado take on the new role of Zee in Ice Age: Adventures of Buck Wild. The movie begins streaming on Disney+ January 28.
