The Croods (2013)
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A cave family's safe, sheltered life is upended when they are forced to flee their home and encounter a revolutionary inventor.
The story
The Croods, a cave family, have survived various natural disasters, due to the overprotective father Grug refusing to let anyone leave the cave except for short periods to gather food. Eep, his teenage daughter, loves her family but frequently rebels against Grug's strictures. One night, Eep sneaks out after seeing a light, and encounters a modern human boy named Guy and his pet sloth Belt, who have made a torch. He warns her of an impending apocalypse and offers to help her escape, but Eep elects to stay with the family. Guy leaves her a shell horn to blow if she needs help, but when Eep returns to her family, Grug and the others destroy the horn out of fear of the "New".
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After an earthquake destroys their cave, the Croods flee into a jungle. They encounter a 'Macawnivore' and are eventually rescued by Guy using fire. Grug imprisons Guy in a log to guide them to safety. During the journey, Guy wins the family's trust by introducing inventions like shoes and discussing 'Tomorrow'. Grug becomes jealous of Guy's influence and the budding romance between Eep and Guy. After a confrontation leads them into a tar flow, Grug and Guy bond over their shared losses and work together to escape. As a volcanic cataclysm begins, Grug realizes there is land beyond a chasm. He sacrifices his position to ensure the family's safety, eventually reuniting with them using a makeshift airship. They begin a new life on a tropical mountainside where they can follow the sun and enjoy new inventions.
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 98
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Chris Sanders; Kirk DeMicco
- Writers
- Kirk DeMicco · screenplay; Chris Sanders · screenplay; John Cleese · story; Kirk DeMicco · story; Chris Sanders · story
- Cast and characters
- Nicolas Cage · Grug; Emma Stone · Eep; Ryan Reynolds · Guy; Catherine Keener · Ugga; Clark Duke · Thunk; Cloris Leachman · Gran
- Genres
- animated; adventure; comedy
- Themes
- fear of change; parental protection; innovation vs. tradition
- Tone and mood
- humorous; adventurous
- Premise and plot tags
- prehistoric; family adventure; animation
- Franchise connections
- The Croods
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was well-received by audiences, earning an 'A' rating on CinemaScore.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 71% · scale: percentage · review count: 142
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Animated Feature · Nominated; Golden Globe · Best Animated Feature · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was originally intended to be a stop-motion production by Aardman Animations.; It was the first DreamWorks Animation film distributed by 20th Century Fox.; It was the first feature film shown in the 4DX format.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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