The Croods

The Croods

Starring Emma Stone, Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Cloris Leachman

Directed by Kirk DeMicco & Chris Sanders

In a time when the world was one huge land mass, the life of a caveman was very dangerous.  That's why the Croods spend most of their time inside a cave - to avoid harm.  Led by the ever vigilant and frightened Grug (Nicolas Cage), the family lives a life of security...if you call that living.

For Eep (Emma Stone), she doesn't want to keep living that way (as she doesn't even consider it living, just existing).  So one night she ventures out of the safety of the cave and runs into Guy (Ryan Reynolds),who informs her of an incoming cataclysmic event, warning her to head to the mountains.

Not soon after, huge earthquakes occur and the cave is destroyed, but thankfully the family wasn't in it.  Led by Eep and Guy, the family travels to the mountains, all the while an apprehensive Grug sees danger at every turn and just wants his family safe, but at the cost of a possibly great adventure.

"The Croods" could easily be categorized as a traditional children's animated picture.  It's got everything all great animated films have - humor, heart, and adventure all mixed together with pinpoint accuracy and balanced parts.  And you could easily leave it at that.  However, there's more to this film than just simple mediocrity, and it lies within the stellar voice cast.

The cast brings the characters to a new life, simply more than just their stock character motives (the protective father, the rebellious daughter, the annoying mother-in-law).  They add a new depth that goes beyond that and leads you to care about them more than just their parts, but as a whole.  It also expresses the value of the family unit, something that is direly missing nowadays.  Plus it's just downright hilarious.

My Rating: A