Unless it's Pixar it takes a very special piece of animation to capture my heart at the cinema. When I saw Disney's Wreck it Ralph back in February I thought I'd filled my quota for a smart and funny animation - until we get Monsters University this summer that is. However The Croods, a prehistoric family adventure, is anything but prehistoric in concept - hilarious, moving, and with some revolutionary animation, I came away feeling thoroughly lifted and confident that decent animated films are still being made.
Brought to us by DreamWorks Animation (the same minds behind Shrek), the film tells of the Croods family, the last-surviving caveman family whose lives are about to be turned upside down. Led by patriarch Grug (Nicholas Cage), the family has existed by living in virtual seclusion, only venturing out to hunt for food. However, when rebellious daughter Eep (Emma Stone), ever-longing for life outside the cave, ventures out, she stumbles across Guy (Ryan Reynolds). Smart to the ways of the world, Guy warns that the world is about to end - thus sweeping the Croods on an adventure into a fantastical new world as they are forced to seek a new home outside the safety of their cave. What follows is a rip-roaring adventure through a vast technicolour expanse that would give Oz a run for its money. Forced to adapt to a new way of life, the family's journey is funny, scary, moving, and above all - exciting!
The film also boasts an excellent cast of vocal talent. Nicholas Cage is the family's stubborn leader Grug and is perfect in the part - making the viewer wonder why he's never been cast as a caveman before. At last a film from Mr. Cage that doesn't make the viewer wish they'd ordered extra cyanide in their popcorn. Emma Stone is ideal for the rebellious Eep, as is Ryan Reynolds as the poor Guy, suddenly burdened with a family one or two steps down the evolutionary ladder. Cloris Leachman (Young Frankenstein) howevr, steals the show as is hilarious octogenarian grandmother, ever at odds with Cage's Grug.
I have to say, the film didn't wow me the way Wreck it Ralph did. That had something special; a truly unique story-line with a killer script and some nostalgia for a recently bygone age. Whereas some of us may remember the 80's era of Ralph I don't think even Sir Bruce Forsyth is long in the tooth enough to remember the age of The Croods! Despite this, the film does have something. It's warm, funny and has some really amazing animation that makes the film the perfect family film. Kids today will grow up haunting their parents with viewing after viewing, much as I did when Toy Story first came out in 1995. That's no bad thing though - what they'll get is multiple viewings of a family film that like its characters, will surely stand the test of time.
| We all want a Belt like this one! |
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