Bones

* Adult
* Young

### Dislikes

Ferdinand(formely), the Chop House, being bullied by Valiente, and being called small

## Media Information

### Voiced by

Anthony Anderson
Nile Diaz (Young)

**Bones** is a bull and a main character in *Ferdinand*.

He is voiced by Anthony Anderson as an adult and Nile Diaz as a calf.

## Development

Anderson's "comedy and facial expressions" inspired Bones' poses and attitude.
During the concept art process, they experimented with different hairstyle designs for Bones.

## Physical Appearance

A scrawny bull with a large head, Bones doesn’t fit into the stereotype one would expect of a fighting bull. He has orangish brown fur as his main coat and around his large blue eyes, with a yellowish beige belly and head. His snout, however, is pinkish beige. Bones sports rather large but crooked teeth, as well as a clipped right ear and long hair on the top of his head that flops forward slightly.

When he was a calf, he was as scrawny as he currently is, but smaller, not unlike the other calves. He had shorter, stubbier horns and the same hair, although shorter. He also had a gap between his teeth.

## Biography

### Early Life

Bones was born, raised, and grew up in a ranch called Casa del Toro owned by Moreno that trains bulls to become fighters in the arena along with other calves: Ferdinand, Valiente, and Guapo. Bones spent more time butting heads with the others while Ferdinand preferred to sniff flowers instead; given his pacifism, an action which earned him a mockery from everyone; especially, Valiente.

When the truck, which Valiente refers to as the "Winner's Truck", arrives at the ranch, Bones and the others seem excited since it means that the matador is going to pick a bull for the fight today; namely, one of their fathers in that case.

As Valiente boasts about being a future fighting champion to the others and after Guapo objects while stating about being selected as soon as he grows up then showing off his "victory smile" he's already working on, Bones tells Guapo that he's the one who is going to get selected since he is considered the fastest of all bulls as he shows off his speed to everyone; much to Valiente's annoyance. When Valiente tells Bones that he will never get selected and why, Bones asks: "Why?", only to be maliciously pushed off to the ground by Valiente as a response while stating that he's just "a puny bag of bones." Ferdinand tries to help him up but Bones rejects his aid and considers him a "weirdo" as he nearly tramples on Ferdinand's flower. After the secret about his flower has been exposed, Valiente pushes Ferdinand to a fight while threatening to smash his flower while Bones and Guapo try in vain to encourage the two calves to fight but Ferdinand simply refuses and instead allows Valiente to hurt him as long as he leaves the flower alone; much to other calves' confusion including Valiente.

Later, when the adult bulls, namely, their fathers come out of the pen to try out for the matador, Bones and the others come in to watch from behind a fence as they wish their dads good luck and cheer for them while watching them fight during the trial. After the trial is over and Ferdinand's father has been picked by the matador to fight, Bones and Guapo head back to the pen while Valiente tries to comfort and encourage his own father for his loss during the trial but to no avail and Ferdinand bids his father good-bye.

### At Casa del Toro

Two years after Ferdinand ran away from Casa del Toro to Seville by train on the night he discovered that his father never returned from his fight as promised since he feared of suffering the same fate later on as well and was found and raised by a farmer/florist named Juan and his daughter, Nina on their farm, Ferdinand finds himself unfortunately sent back to Casa del Toro after a misunderstanding involving a bumblebee back at the village during the flower festival where he discovers that some of the bulls he knew from calfhood including Bones have all grown up along with two new bulls: Angus and Maquina with a "calming goat" named Lupe to keep them "company".

Just as Lupe is about to introduce Ferdinand as the "new bull" she is going to "train" to be a "fighter" despite his pacifism and reluctance; even after Bones throws a can at her in anger while telling her: "You suck, Lupe!" off-screen, Bones is the first one to recognize him. Though amazed by Ferdinand's unexpected growth spurt, Bones admits he suddenly regrets every time he called him "weirdo" but Ferdinand, unoffended, reassures him that they're good. Then, after Ferdinand and Guapo recognize each other, Guapo starts acting a bit tough and rough towards him though probably just to hide the fact that he is actually intimidated by Ferdinand's enormity.

Then, Bones is present as all the other bulls including Valiente express their own views and dislikes of Ferdinand.

### El Primero's Arrival

In the morning, after overhearing the ranch hands announcing and preparing everything for the arrival of a famous bullfighter named El Primero, Bones and the other bulls including Ferdinand are awoken and informed about El Primero's arrival by Lupe.

Bones and the bulls approach to witness his arrival while Lupe explains to a reluctant Ferdinand that El Primero is the greatest bullfighter in all of Spain. Bones kindly reassures Guapo not to "let that jerk get in his head" after Valiente carelessly messes with Guapo as usual while trying to keep his calm. Once El Primero arrives at Casa del Toro and when they learn that he has come to select a bull for his final fight, Bones and the other bulls are excited but dismayed when they see that Lupe thinks this is her chance to train and make a fighter out of Ferdinand as his coach.

### The Trial for El Primero

Bones and the others are seen getting ready to show off their fighting skills and training for El Primero in the ring with a reluctant Ferdinand joining along. Before the trial, Bones points out that "nobody likes the teacher's pet" to Ferdinand after Angus calls Ferdinand "the teacher's pet" since Moreno wanted him to be the first bull to come out first.

During the trial, Bones can be seen showing off his speed skills to Valiente; much to the latter's annoyance. Later, when Ferdinand tries to help Guapo up after passing out; thanks to Valiente messing with his head again, this causes Bones and the rest of the bulls to foul up, therfore, causing an embarrassment to them and unimpressing El Primero, who decides to leave until Moreno asks him to reconsider, which he does for the next two days before his final fight in Madrid.

Upset for not getting picked by El Primero, Bones and the other bulls reprimand Ferdinand for making them look bad even though that was hardly his intention and all he was doing was just trying to help Guapo. When Ferdinand reveals he isn't a fighter, everybody is confused including Lupe; though this is barely a surprise and a bit of a shock to Bones and Valiente since they've known about his pacifism since they were calves as pointed out when Valiente still refers to him as the "same, scared, little coward he always was."

Then, everybody hears Guapo boasting about his "success" back at the trial to them as he is seen boarding a truck; assuming he has been picked by El Primero. But as they watch him leave, they realize that the truck he is boarding on is actually a meat truck that transports bulls to the chop house nearby if they fail to impress the matador and are considered "soft"; much to Bones' horror and shock and a fact which Guapo remains oblivious to for now.

Upset, Bones blames Valiente for this because of messing with Guapo's head during the trial; a fact which Valiente tries to deny while stating that "Guapo was never going to make it to the ring." After Valiente tells Ferdinand how things have changed since he ran away and leaves, Bones glares at him and then, Ferdinand before walking away.

### Bonding with Ferdinand

At night, Bones is heard and seen crying for the loss of his friend by Ferdinand but he tries to deny his crying to be due to allergies to pollen and that Guapo was more of his competition than his friend when Ferdinand expresses his sorrow for Guapo and mentions the word "friends" to him. But when Bones actually reveals how much he really cared about Guapo, Ferdinand reassures him that it's okay to feel bad about it. When Ferdinand promises Bones to keep this a secret, Bones begins to respect him; telling him that "he's okay" but points out that if he doesn’t want to end up like Guapo, he is going to have to start training seriously; admitting this is the one thing Valiente is right about.

### Training and dancing

The next day, Bones is seen training with all the other bulls except Ferdinand. Then, Bones and the others observe Ferdinand trying in vain to rescue a Bunny from getting hit by Angus. Later, after a somewhat successful but embarrassing rescue and after a bonding moment between Angus and Ferdinand, Bones and Maquina watch Ferdinand and Angus show off their dancing skills to the snobbish horses: Hans, Klaus, and Greta, who continue mocking the bulls while stating that horses are far better dancers than bulls; much to Lupe and the hedgehogs: Una, Dos, and Cuatro's joy and surprise when they are seen cheering for Ferdinand. When the horses insist on proving their theory correct with their own dancing skills, Bones decides to join in when he sees them laughing at their friends as he states that he hates them and a dance-off is on with Lupe and the hedgehogs partially dancing to the music; thanks to the hedgehogs and a radio they stole the other night from the horses. Then, Maquina joins in and the bulls finally win. Bones can be seen mocking the horses after they lose the dance fight.

As Bones and the others celebrate and laugh over their victory on the horses, their happiness is cut short when Valiente intervenes to remind them that as they continue doing other things besides training and fighting, they will be sent to the chop house sooner than they think as he still continues boasting about being the one to be selected to fight in the ring tomorrow against El Primero. Despite Ferdinand's objections and his offer to take them with him back to his home on the farm, Valiente's statement unfortunately proves efficient enough to convince the others to reluctantly and regrettably resume training.

### Escape from Casa del Toro

At night, Bones and the others are awakened by Ferdinand and Lupe. When Ferdinand states that they have to escape immediately, Bones and the others, still thinking they can win a fight, refuse to listen as Bones assumes he is going to "take El Primero's butt down" tomorrow but Ferdinand asks him to reconsider as he refers to the bullfights as a "death sentence" and to further intensify his proof of what he saw in Moreno's house when trying to escape with Lupe and the hedgehogs, the hedgehogs bring back a trophy of horns belonging to one of the fighting bulls who got selected to fight the matador in the arena while foolishly thinking they could win in the past just like Ferdinand's father did; much to Bones and everyone else's shock and horror except Valiente, who still remains unconvinced by this fact.

Then, Bones and the others become even more shocked and horrified when they witness a selfish and stubborn Valiente challenging a reluctant Ferdinand to a fight, which eventually leads to Valiente losing his right horn, Ferdinand getting selected by El Primero (who saw the whole thing as well), and Valiente getting sent to the chop house.

Realizing what getting selected by El Primero means for Ferdinand, what's in store for them whether they get selected to fight or not once El Primero is done with Ferdinand, and learning that Ferdinand is offering everyone a chance to come back home with him if he is intending to leave, Bones and the others gladly agree to come with him including Lupe and the hedgehogs as well.

Later, after the hedgehogs trick and trap the horses inside their pen, Bones and the others enter after Maquina chews off and swallows the electric wires of the fence and try to hold the horses off inside their pen so as not to alert the humans while Ferdinand goes out and up to the chop house to rescue Valiente despite their differences.

After Ferdinand rescues both Valiente and surprisingly Guapo from the chop house and the horses are dealt with for good for now, Bones and Angus happily welcome Guapo back in open arms, which is no surprise to Valiente when he admits he deserves such treatment as payback for his former behaviour in the past despite showing kindness to them.

The hedgehogs take command of the truck transporting the bulls and Lupe and drive further away from Casa del Toro after the humans have been alerted. On the way, they stop the truck to avoid hitting the same Bunny again, which Ferdinand brings on board as well, and then, continue to drive on with Moreno and his men in pursuit in his car. As Angus tries in vain to revive the fainted Bunny, Bones tries to encourage him but to no avail until Maquina manages to revive the Bunny with electroshock therapy using his charged up hooves, which later earns him the Bunny's trust and respect as he is later seen perching on top of his head the rest of the way.

During the chase, the hedgehogs accidentally turn left after misunderstanding Lupe's sense of direction until they including Ferdinand and Lupe notice a low bridge on their way and duck to avoid collision while screaming, which somehow destroys the top of the cart carrying the bulls and the Bunny now perching on Maquina's head; making it a close shave for them. At one point, during the wrong turn, Bones points out: "Oh, I don't feel so good.", to which Guapo tells him: "Yeah, been there, buddy."

When Moreno and his men get closer and after Una manages to subdue them momentarily, which ends with Una being rescued by Valiente, the humans crash into a haystack pile in a field as Bones and the company drive further away towards Madrid.

### Escaping to the train station in Madrid

The gang are stuck in a heavy traffic jam in Madrid until they notice Moreno and his men having caught up to them and decide to go on hoof to the train station that will take them to Ferdinand's home where he grew up in Seville with the hedgehogs riding on Ferdinand while the Bunny rides on Maquina. During the chase, Bones naively asks the others to dodge the cars the same way he does; given his speed and size but to no avail for the others as they unintentionally cause damage, panic, and chaos throughout the city of Madrid. At one point during the chase, Bones is seen saving Ferdinand from getting caught by one of Moreno's men with a rope and then, charging at a phony matador (a guy in a matador cutout actually) along with the other bulls except Ferdinand, of course. Later, Bones can be seen enjoying some churros with his friends while riding a bus to the train station. At the station, after the hedgehogs watch on the board for which track to take, Bones and the others follow them. Unfortunately, they are spotted by Moreno and his men and their passage is somewhat blocked. The train heading for Seville is leaving so, Bones and the others hurry to catch up with it. While the bulls push a cart to connect it to the train, the hedgehogs climb aboard to help with the connection and Lupe gets the train switch. When Ferdinand sacrifices himself to save his friends and Lupe stays behind as well, Bones and the others are saddened as they watch him get captured by Moreno and his men to be taken to the arena in El Primero's final fight while riding further away.

### Living on Juan's farm

Later, after the fight is over, Ferdinand's life has been spared; given his gentle nature, which deeply touched Lupe and the crowd during the fight, and El Primero retires with dignity, as Lupe watches Ferdinand get reunited with Nina, who embraces him as the crowd throws carnations to the ring to praise him, Bones and the others including the Bunny and the hedgehogs arrive, thinking they are too late to save Ferdinand, but instead witness Ferdinand making history as the first bull to ever make it out of a bullfight alive by being himself. Impressed, Bones and the others sit to praise him for his efforts. Then, they are taken with Ferdinand back to his home on Nina and her father, Juan's farm, where Ferdinand was raised and grew up all his life, by Moreno. After Lupe becomes the first to be welcomed on the farm and loved by Nina, Ferdinand, Bones, and the other bulls along with Lupe watch the sunset over Ronda from a field of flowers on top of a hill next to Ferdinand's favorite tree.

## Personality

Bones is confident and a little annoyed because his whole life, Valiente scoffed at his height and his physical appearance.

He is also very competitive when he entered the dance battle with the horses.

He's really worried about Guapo about his way of getting too nervous not to be sent to the chophouse and when he goes, he cries because they were very close friends since calves, although he denied it was allergy.

## Abilities

The average bull can run up to 35mph but Bones can move even faster than that, likely due to his small size.

## Relationships

### Ferdinand

As calves, Bones would often call Ferdinand "weirdo" due to his pacifism despite one time when Ferdinand kindly tried helping him up after being rammed and pushed away by a bullying Valiente. When they grew up, Bones was so impressed by Ferdinand's growth spurt that suddenly he regretted every time he called him "weirdo." Nevertheless, Bones was still shown to dislike him and get angry especially after making everyone look bad at the trial for El Primero when all he did was just try to help Guapo after suffering a breakdown because of Valiente. One night, when Ferdinand hears and sees him crying, Bones cries for the loss of his friend, Guapo after having been sent to the chophouse despite denying his crying to be due to allergies and that Guapo was more of his competition than his friend. When Ferdinand promises Bones to keep this a secret, Bones begins to respect him; telling him that "he's okay" but points out that if he doesn’t want to end up like Guapo, he will have to start training seriously; admitting this is the one thing Valiente is right about.

### Guapo

Bones is shown to be on friendly terms with Guapo most of the time since they were calves; especially when Valiente makes him nervous. After Guapo gets sent to the chophouse after breaking down during the trial for El Primero because of Valiente, Bones cries for the loss of his friend despite denying his crying to be due to allergies and that Guapo was more of his competition than his friend when Ferdinand hears and sees him crying. But the next night, after Ferdinand reveals the truth to them about their fates and after saving both Guapo and Valiente from the chophouse, Bones and Angus joyfully welcome Guapo back as they are happy to find him still alive and well more than they do with Valiente; an act which the latter takes no offense to as he admits he deserves such treatment for his past behavior and attitude towards them.

### Valiente

Valiente always teased Bones because of his appearance. When they were calves, he pushed him so that Bones would fall over to prove to him why he would never get selected by the matador in the future, which indicates that he was very ill-disposed to him.

Two years later, when they grew up, Valiente still treated Bones badly. When he pointed out to Valiente that he was a "sizeist", Valiente grunted at him in an aggressive manner.

Despite their initial bad relationship, the two became friends after Ferdinand saved Valiente and Guapo in the end; much to everyone's surprise.

## Trivia

* Bones gets his name from how skinny he is, suggesting this is a nickname that stuck for many years.

## References

1. ↑ *"We looked at Anthony's comedy and his facial reactions to help inspire Bones' poses and overall attitude. In the film, Bones makes up his small size with his attitude!" #AskAnArtist*. (November 30, 2017). *Twitter*.