Distributor: 20th Century Fox (DreamWorks)
Opening Weekend Box Office: #1 with $43,639,736
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $52,865,984
Gross Revenue: $122,519,132
Production Budget: $135 million
Director(s):
Kirk De Micco and Chris Sanders
When members of older demographics hear of a
prehistoric era family, one of the first associations has to involve The Flintstones, and while it was
unlikely that The Croods would
achieve the same level of success and recognition as Fred and Wilma, maybe there
was some hidden genius in introducing a proven formula like Stone Age character
framing to a new generation.
Unfortunately, when the first teaser trailer hit, the online community
kept drawing associations to Disney/Pixar’s Brave,
and in light of that summer release’s lukewarm reception and the overall
failure of November’s Rise of the
Guardians, that was the last perception that anyone at DreamWorks Animation
wanted to encourage. If there was one
silver lining on the horizon, it was that the release schedule for The Croods had virtually perfect timing,
in that, with the dawn of late March, theater audiences would be growing, and
there were absolutely no competing family or animated comedies that would draw
attention away from this lighthearted introduction to cavemen. I was a little disappointed to see a lack of
identification with the voice cast in marketing materials (as past releases
like Shrek and Megamind made sure you KNEW the famous face behind the voice), but
that didn’t change the fact that promotions, talk show appearances, posters,
and billboards were absolutely everywhere…unlike Guardians, no one would be able to claim that they had never heard
of The Croods. Anyone who knows me understands that I will
see absolutely anything featuring Emma Stone, but beyond that, between an
imaginative premise, enough colorful creatures to make consumer products
license marketers drool, and some genuinely funny jokes in trailers, I was looking
forward to The Croods.
Introducing pre-historic family dynamics, The Croods introduces audiences to the
titular family, who happen to be the last surviving group of Neanderthal
Cavemen; led by the cautious and overprotective Grug (Nicolas Cage), The Croods
live by a code that discourages exploration and anything “new,” instead
favoring the protection of a cave shelter.
While most of the family abides by the rules, Grug’s eldest daughter Eep
(Emma Stone) is rebellious and curious, so one night she ventures off from the
cave and encounters an evolved and intelligent caveboy, Guy (Ryan Reynolds); he
warns her that the world as they know it is coming to an end, and he intends to
find “Tomorrow.” Though Guy gives Eep a
way to contact him if she ever requires help, she is soon found by Grug, who
furiously leads her home, only to find that an earthquake has destroyed the
family cave. Suddenly without shelter,
Grug takes the remainder of his family, which includes wife Ugga (Catherine
Keener), son Thunk (Clark Duke), infant daughter Sandy (Randy Thom), and
elderly mother-in law Gran (Cloris Leachman), to find a new cave…as one might
expect, the family is woefully unprepared for the elements, but luckily, Guy
reunites with Eep and agrees to help her family. Venturing into a fantastic new world filled
with fantastical creatures, expansive environments, and new experiences, the
entire Crood family, especially the stubborn Grug, must rely on Guy and embrace
their new adventure.
With its combination of impressive animation,
engaging characters, and imaginative environment, all of which paves the way
for considerable humor, The Croods
stands as a remarkable family film that will charm viewers of all ages. Early reviews labeled DreamWorks Animation’s
newest entry as an “animated Avatar,”
and based on the scope of the visual effects presented, such a classification
is very appropriate; the individual character models of the cavemen may not be
anything to write home about, but once they are placed in a lush new world,
your jaw will hit the floor. The 3D
effects aren’t used to throw objects at the viewers, but rather add depth to
the aspect ratio and help immerse the audience into the diegetic world; it may
not be a painfully obvious trick throughout the running time, but scenes like
the destruction of the family cave and Guy’s introduction of star
constellations are truly stunning. And
aside from the visuals, the characters that inhabit the narrative are all
entertaining, whether that involves the main characters brought to life by the
distinct personalities of the voice cast, or the fantastic creatures that bring
back a sense of childhood wonder and generate big laughs…absolutely everyone
will love Guy’s pet/clothing accessory, “Belt.”
In fact, the distinct and engaging characters so inherently likable that
they help overshadow some of the weaker elements within The Croods which other critics have gone out of their way to
nitpick.
In choosing to focus solely on what essentially is
another variation of the somewhat tired road movie genre, The Croods doesn’t take any true risks in storytelling, but when
the individual personalities are so entertaining and creative that they remain
the focal point of your attention, it is hard to criticize the film for not
being “deep” enough. Admittedly, the
introductory “breakfast hunt” scene felt a little misplaced and drawn-out, but
it still did its job in terms of introducing the personality quirks of the
individual family members. In terms of the
voice acting, Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds venture into familiar territory and
deliver performances that match their familiar personalities, but I would have
liked to have seen more from Clark Duke and Catherine Keener…they weren’t bad
by any means, I just loved Thunk and Ugga so much that I wish they had gotten a
little more attention. And as for the
humor, aside from some clever mother-law jokes to generate snickering laughs
from spouses in the audience, the narrative heavily relies on slapstick
physical humor…some might see a choice like that a little low-brow and too Looney Tune-ish, but I’ve been laughing
at Wile E. Coyote’s chase of The Roadrunner for years, so I could care
less. In the end, with the overall combination
of laughs and an ending that places a well-aimed sucker punch to the heart, the
family dynamics featured in The Croods
are so strong that everyone will undoubtedly want to see more of this “Modern
Family.”
Generous forecasts for The Croods opening weekend placed DreamWorks Animation’s newest
property just under the $40 million mark, so a first place opening well over
$43 million is a definite cause for celebration and a vast improvement over the
performance of Rise of the Guardians. Add-in some beefy foreign receipts and this
animated family adventure is well on its way to recovering the $135 million
production budget and actually turning a considerable profit for the formerly beleaguered
studio. And while it might represent
some wishful thinking to think that The
Croods will undoubtedly top G.I. Joe:
Retaliation’s debut over the Easter Holiday Weekend, the lack of direct
competition over the next few weeks ensures a continuous impact at
theaters. The true challenge for
DreamWorks Animation will come this summer with upcoming release Turbo, which will have to compete
against juggernauts like Disney’s Monster’s
University and Universal’s Despicable Me 2…let’s hope that the
studio’s next property is strong enough to hold its own against more
established characters. As it currently
stands though, The Croods remains a
shining success that should not be missed, and I cannot wait to see more from
these wonderful characters in the future.
Overall
Recommendation: Very High
