After some of the most adorable and successful animation films of all times like the Ice Age, Shrek and Madagascar series, Fox Star Studios and DreamWorks is bringing out a memorable 3D comedy adventure ‘The Croods’. The film that follows the world’s first modern family through the journey of a lifetime also boasts of an ensemble cast that features the voices of Nicolas Cage as father Grug, Emma Stone as daughter Eep, and Ryan Reynolds as Guy amongst others.
The cave that has always been the Croods’ home is destroyed and they are forced to set off on the first family road trip. Rocked by generational clashes and seismic shifts, they discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures, and a future beyond their imagination. Most of all ‘The Croods’ is about family. “The physical comedy was always there in the film’s development. But we came to realize that once you strip away all the stuff in our modern lives - jobs, cars, responsibilities - you drill down to what really matters, and that’s family and friends,” says acclaimed writer-director Chris Sanders. Change, like everything else, doesn’t come easily to Grug, whose stubbornness is matched only by his love for his clan and by his heroic work ethic. For Grug, there are no weekends, holidays or sick days; he is on watch, 24x7, 365 days.
Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage says he empathizes with his on-screen alter ego, because “It’s impossible to be a father and avoid thinking about your child’s first crush, or about keeping up with your kids’ new ways of thinking.” Before the Croods have their fateful encounter with new human and stranger Guy, Grug must deal with Eep who is trying to drag her family, kicking and screaming, out of the cave and into the light. Her nagging feeling that there is adventure to experience outside the family cave is confirmed when the Croods embark on their adventure.
“Eep has many of the qualities of today’s teenage girls, like being incredibly annoyed with her family,” says Emma Stone. “She wants to spread her wings and explore the world outside her home, so it’s difficult to abide by Grug’s rules and actions, like the way he rolls a giant rock against the opening of the cave every night, blocking the family from everything outside, physically and emotionally. When we meet Eep, she’s never seen the light of a star before!”
But during their journey Eep makes many discoveries, chief among them the first teen romance. At last, she has the chance to find the right “Guy,” so to speak. But even with his superior know-how, Guy is not without his own challenges. “He’s been living on his own for a long time,” says Ryan Reynolds, who makes his animated feature film debut with ‘The Croods’. “Unlike the Croods, he doesn’t
have a family, so Guy’s life is full of variables, whereas their lives have been pretty static. And Guy has been exposed to new things every day because he’s constantly on the move. He’s been forced to evolve.”
While the characters, family dynamics, and action take centre stage, the filmmakers envelop the Croods in a landscape that is wondrous and exotic! The film hits the screens on April 19.