Scrat is the fluffy and lovable critter of the formerly Blue Sky-owned Ice Age franchise, best known for his devotion to protecting and hiding his cherished acorn. Notable for his bumbling and clumsy nature, Scrat is unwittingly responsible for wider and far-reaching consequences that affect the landscape in his single-minded quest to bury his food.
While Scrat’s image is immediately recognizable for those familiar with the franchise, there are still many interesting trivia facts about the character and his creation that aren’t common knowledge. With a fictional life and non-fictional conception like Scrat’s, it is no surprise that he is a source of unusual information.
10 He Spotlighted As The Mascot Of Blue Sky Studios Until Recently
Following Scrat’s popularity after his appearance in the first Ice Age film, he became the official mascot of former Blue Sky Studios, Inc. Blue Sky Studios was also responsible for the Rio franchise as well as films like Horton Hears A Who! (2008) and Epic (2013).
Originally a subsidiary of 20th Century Animation, the Walt Disney Company turned into its parent organization after it took over 21st Century Fox and its respective assets in 2019. In 2021, Disney officially shut down Blue Sky Studios because of complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney does, however, still retain the rights to the Ice Age franchise.
9 His Species Name Is Cronopio Dentiacutus
Scrat was originally a fictional character and species created for Ice Age. Specifically, he was deemed a “saber-toothed squirrel.” Coincidentally, however, scientific researchers in 2002 found a fossil in Argentina that bore a resemblance to Scrat, particularly through its long snout and curved fangs for consuming insects.
The researchers determined that the fossil was around 94 million years old and that the animal belonged to a now-extinct group of mammals that do not bear any relation to now-living mammals. In 2011, the extinct species was given the scientific name Cronopio Dentiacutus, technically naming Scrat after the fact.
8 Ice Age’s Director Chris Wedge Provides The Voice
Scrat is voiced by Ice Age director Chris Wedge. With Disney now owning the rights to Ice Age, Wedge will still be reprising his role as the voice of Scrat for the upcoming 2022 animated short series Ice Age: Scrat Tails, produced by 20th Century Television and airing on Disney+.
Wedge began his career as an effects artist and he founded Blue Sky Studios in 1987. The studio made its name by producing effects for T.V. commercials and other films before making the animated short film Bunny in 1998 and then establishing its big-name credibility with Ice Age in 2002.
7 Scrat Has Different Origin Stories From The Original Studio
According to Ice Age storyboard artist Bill Frakes, Scrat was inspired by an encounter Bill had with a real-life squirrel that kept banging on his sliding door while he attempted to work. In another account, director Chris Wedge said that he sat down with character designer Peter de Save to perfect the physical details together once he envisioned a “fun ride” to begin Ice Age.
Producer Lori Forte apparently said de Seve designed the characters and Wedge saw him fully-formed, requesting immediately that he be in the film. Lastly, film co-writer Michael J. Wilson claims that his daughter Flora helped with the idea when she was just 3 years old.
6 Scrat’s Role Received Expansion Due To Popularity
Scrat’s storyline in the Ice Age films is always separate from the rest of the main cast. While there are moments that the characters interact or one party’s actions affect the other, Scrat never joins the bigger group. Instead, his story is solo, dedicated to showing his goal in keeping his acorn (and once, coconut) safe.
Originally, Scrat was simply the comic relief side character chasing after his nut with no bigger role in the story. While his main goal and story purpose have not changed, his popularity with the audience led to more appearances and added details that make his life more entertaining, such as his love interest, Scratte.
5 He Combines Two Animals
His name is, perhaps unsurprisingly, an amalgamation of “squirrel” and “rat,” reflecting how he was meant to be a combination of both animals. He has resemblances to both. Just like a squirrel, Scrat chases after food, specifically his acorn, and is compelled to hide it somewhere safe so he can save it for later consumption.
However, this habit often leads to dicey situations that affect the environment as we know it today. Throughout the Ice Age films, Scrat caused a volcano’s eruption, formed the continents, created the solar system, and formed historical landmarks, all for his acorn.
4 Scrat Appears In Almost All Ice Age Films And Has His Own Shorts
Scrat has appeared in each of the Ice Age films, ending with Ice Age: Collision Course (2016). He will not appear in the upcoming 2022 spin-off film but will star in the series Scrat Tails (2022). Scrat also has his own animated shorts that follow his exploits as he tries to keep ahold of his precious acorn.
These short films include Gone Nutty (2002), No Time For Nuts (2006), Scrat’s Continental Crack-up (2010), Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe (2015), and Scrat: Spaced Out (2016). Additionally, Scrat makes a cameo in the short film Surviving Sid (2008) which follows the sloth Sid in his own story.
3 There Was Controversy Over His Trademark
Ivy Silberstein claimed ownership over the character when she said she created a part-squirrel-part-rat character called “Sqrat,” based on a sighting she had in Central Park, and pitched it to 20th Century Fox executives in 1999. Silberstein filed a lawsuit in 2002 over Scrat’s ownership, and it was settled in 2003 with the judge deciding Blue Sky and Silberstein held equal ownership.
As of 2022, there have been some differing accounts over whether Disney has truly lost the character’s trademark or not. However, Scrat is still planned to appear in Scrat Tales (2022) even if he is not in the also upcoming The Ice Age Adventures Of Buck Wild (2022).
2 Scrat Has Arguably The Most Resilience Of All The Ice Age Characters
Scrat possesses extreme amounts of determination and toughness. Throughout the Ice Age films, while in endless dogged pursuit of his acorn, he has endured countless examples of potential physical harm that have left him with nary a long-term scratch or dent in ambition.
Some examples from Ice Age include being crushed between two glaciers, falling hundreds of feet, being trampled by migrating animals, electrocuted, and violently flicked away by Diego. Scrat also rolls down a hill inside a growing snowball, is smashed into an ice wall, hurtles head-first into the ice wall, and then is frozen in ice for 20,000 years.
1 He Is The Playable Main Character Of His Own Video Game
Scrat is the protagonist of his own video game, titled Ice Age: Scrat’s Nutty Adventure. In the 3-D action-adventure game, the goal is to seek and collect four Crystal Nuts across the land to access an ancient temple that will allow Scrat to finally reach his longed-for acorn.
The game has twelve total levels and was released in October 2019. Scrat’s Nutty Adventure is available on Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, and Playstation 4. The game includes settings from the films as well as some cameos from the other characters.
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