Film: The Croods

To say I was over exposed to the trailer for this film over the last few months would be an understatement. While it looked kind of funny, I wasn’t exactly rushing out to go see it. Thankfully the film surprised me, the second animated film to do that this year; the first being Wreck-It Ralph. Like that film it contains moments of great comedy and sweetness that the trailer hadn’t shown; providing an interesting look at a family struggling to survive. 

Emma Stone plays Eep, a teenage cave-girl who is fed up of being stuck in the dark all the time; hiding from the harsh creatures of the time. One night she sneaks out and finds the sexy, intelligent human Guy (Ryan Reynolds) who warns her that the world is ending; the tectonic plates are shifting and the land they are standing on will soon be destroyed. While at first her family, led by Nicolas Cage’s Grug, don’t believe her; when their cave is destroyed they set out in to the world to find a new home. This journey takes them across beautiful landscapes, meeting bizarre creatures and helping them bond as a family. 

The family each have their own distinct attributes. Nicolas Cage is the lug-headed father who believes in protecting his family, at the expense of fun and excitement. Emma Stone is playing a familiar role for her, similar to her character in Easy A but slightly more dysfunctional. I’ve loved Emma Stone for quite some time and this film does nothing to change that. Guy starts off as the fascinating outside who is just interested in his own survival, but slowly he begins to develop feelings for the family. There’s also compassionate mother Ugga (Catherine Keener), crazy and crotchety Gran (Cloris Leachman), idiotic Thunk (Clark Duke) and the animalistic baby. They each bring their own quirks to the film, creating a fun family unit.

The character animation is simple yet well detailed. The environments are incredible and expansive, giving the impression of a fully realised world. There are some very interesting creatures created for the film, such as giant blue cats or mouse-elephants. The most amazing are the piranha like birds which swoop down in a giant swarm, devouring anything in their path. Light is used well throughout the film, the family is mostly kept in the dark so they cherish any chance to see the light. Shots of Eep reaching out for the last glimpses of sunlight before sunset are incredibly effective at establishing just how much she hates the dark. 

The film is able to tell an incredibly sweet story about discovering what it is to live; not just survive amongst some great laughs and a sweet romance. It’s amazing how its able to balance all its plots in such a short timespan. One sequence sees the focus shift entirely to Nicolas Cage’s character, giving an insight in to his mindset and helping you understand just how much he loves his family. Shockingly for a kid’s film that ends with a massive group hug it isn’t too schmaltzy; its able to be genuinely sweet.

A great family film that has enough jokes to keep adults entertained, while being a bit of a tearjerker at times.