“The Croods” hits the big screen. SIDEWALKS’ J.P. has his take on the latest 3D computer-animated adventure comedy film.
The Croods
DreamWorks Pictures
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, Cloris Leachman
Produced By: Kristine Belson and Jane Hartwell
Directed by Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco
Studio Synopsis:
DreamWorks Animation SKG Presents The Croods is a prehistoric comedy adventure that follows the world’s first family as they embark on a journey of a lifetime when the cave that has always shielded them from danger is destroyed. Traveling across a spectacular landscape, the Croods discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures — and their outlook is changed forever.
J.P.’s Take:
No doubt in my mind parenting has its challenges. You’re concerned with teaching your children the basic building blocks of life, while keeping them safe from harm. Also as parents, you’re faced with the fact that as your children grow up, they will have to make critical decisions in living their lives into adulthood.
“The Croods” are the newest modern stone aged family and the focus of this Neanderthal adventure is on parenthood. It opens with a vibe of togetherness, as the Croods apprehensively travel as a unit onto dangerous ground to gather breakfast. Their athleticism in performing this task is a pleasure to watch. Yet, here’s the funny part, unlike the Flintstones, this prehistoric family is so afraid of the world around them, they don’t travel too far outside their safe zone not even for the basics.
In fact, Grug the father (voiced by Nicolas Cage) seems to think exploration is a bad thing and therefore dangerous. What gets the ball rolling is the plot device of the rebellious daughter Eep (Emma Stone), who’s adventurous spirit enables her to take a chance on exploring her surroundings. She meets a young man of a different species named Guy (Ryan Reynolds), whom together stokes ideas of starting a new life away from home. The norm isn’t good enough for Eep, nor does she want to stay cooped up in a dark cold cave and never to learn about her world. Eeps actions forces the rest of the family Ugga (Catherine Keener), Thunk (Clark Duke), with baby Sandy (Randy Thom) and Grandma (Cloris Leachman) to follow her in tow, in order to convince her to stay. Not to give away too much, but this deceptively simple storyline is the running theme through out the movie. The lighthearted message inspires or rather encourages parents and children to challenge themselves and not to be afraid to explore, because if you don’t, you’ll never know what you’ll accomplish.
I commend the animators and filmmakers for bringing energy to an everyday subject. The environments are some of the plushest and beautifully constructed I’ve seen in an animation for some time. Again, the storyline is nothing that boggles the mind, but does offer enough chuckles for both kids and adults alike. In comparison to one of my favorite family dynamic animations, Pixar’s “The Incredibles,” I didn’t feel “The Croods” was as adventurous.
I found the acrobatics and enthusiasm of the characters warrants the audiences’ attention. Like with “Shrek,” there are some jokes and comical antics most children won’t get, however, with a family oriented movie such as this, it’s only trying to placate to a wider audience. But, I enjoyed “The Croods” enough only because of the quality of the animation, its simple plot and silly comical antics. Certainly adults will be looking to spend some quality family time together and I can think of no better way than to see this movie.