OK for kids 8+
Gorgeously animated adventure has intense themes.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Croods, while quite funny and gorgeously animated, deals with some pretty heavy themes: the constant risk of death and worries about the end of the world. Prehistoric times are convincingly wild, dangerous, and unstable: Rocks fall, mountains tumble, and the Earth opens up and swallows the ground whole (all made even more immediate when seen in 3-D). The frequent peril and talk of the end of the world are likely to make younger kids nervous. And then there are the conversations about parents dying and kids themselves being in danger; at one point, viewers may even think a central character has perished. Other scenes show characters battling other creatures for supremacy and food, so there's plenty of slapsticky whacking and hitting, too. Female characters do end up getting saved by males, and you may find yourself heading to the Internet to research the accuracy of the movie's creatures and events. All of that said, The Croods has a wonderful message of courage and celebration of adventure at its core, and there are strong, loving family relationships.
- Families can talk about The Croods' themes. In a wild world like the Croods', danger really was around every corner. But did the talk about the end of the world and characters dying scare you? Parents, reassure younger kids that times are very different today!
- Talk to your kids about Eep. How does she break stereotypes (or conform to them)? Is she a role model? Is Guy?
- Grug's family motto is "Never not be afraid." Is this good advice? If not, why not? Does it work for Grug and his family?
- How historically accurate do you think The Croods is? How could you find out more about prehistoric facts? And how important is it for animated, fictional movies to stick close to history?
The good stuff
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Educational value: While more historically accurate than, say, The Flintstones, The Croods isn't exactly 100% faithful to science fact.
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Messages: Lots of affirming messages. Eep and the rest of the Croods learn that hiding leads you nowhere, that courage opens up your world, and that love needs to be expressed. Also, to be yourself. As one character says: "Don't hide -- live!" Some bodily function humor (nose picking, etc.).
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Role models: Though Grug is fearful and makes clear (albeit jokingly) his disdain for his mother-in-law, he does make decisions out of a need to protect his family. He's the first to throw himself over them when the Earth rumbles and rocks start falling or when animals around him attack. (He does sic his baby, who's pretty tough, onto prey that he's trying to catch for food.) Most of all, he cares deeply about Eep, his daughter on the verge of womanhood. He admires her but worries for her. Eep adores her father but isn't swayed by his fears; she's eager to expand her horizons, literally and figuratively. She pushes Grug to explore, and he encourages her to think before she acts. Ultimately, he also teaches her how to share her feelings by modeling that behavior himself. Guy also shows Eep the joy of living freely, unencumbered by anxiety. Female characters sometimes rely on male characters to save them.
What to watch for
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Violence and scariness: Frequent talk about death/the risk of death in this wild, unstable world; at one point, viewers are even led to believe that a central character may have perished. Guy mentions the death of his parents, and a bedtime story includes a reference to a character dying as well. There's also plenty of talk about the end (of the world) being nigh, what with all the earthquakes and fires and such, which could scare younger or sensitive viewers. Mountains tumble, the ground splits, and animals big and small descend on others they deem prey. (The animation is so top-rate that you can practically feel the rocks crashing down on the ground.) There's some pretty serious -- and seriously competitive -- hunting and gathering going on (admittedly in a cartoonish way), with Grug urging everyone to huddle for a "family kill circle" before they go nuts trying to catch anything they can eat. Characters push and shove and hit one another to get at the (potential) grub. Characters wield spears and rocks and fiery sticks and fall or hurl themselves off cliffs. It's definitely survival of the fittest, and the bravest, in Croods-land.
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Sexy stuff: Discreet flirting between a teenage boy and a teenage cave-girl. They hold hands.
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Language: Not an issue
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Consumerism: Although the movie itself contains no product/brand references, DreamWorks has merchandise partnerships with everything from video game companies to tofu.
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
Fan Reviews provided by
4
Dun, Dun, Duuunnnnnn! by MedRed
The Croods is cute and colorful. Dreamworks did a great job creating a spectacular world filled with creatures you will find familiar and foreign at the same time.
For Adults: The Croods is a good (not great) animated movie. It is completely watchable and will definitely have you laughing. The backbone message is weak even for an animated film, but the meat of the movie is entertaining.
For parents: DreamWorks does an excellent job of making the dangerous creatures in the movie not scary to small children. The Croods held the attention of all the children in the theater. Some parents might take issue with the hitting/punching/biting of the Crood family, and Eep's parental disobedience. Those drawbacks would be for the pickiest of parents. Everyone else? It's a fun flick. If you cry at movies, you might want to bring a tissue.
There are fun stills at the beginning of the credits and a passable scene post credits.
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5
The Croods by welch.lashawn
My family and I saw The Croods a few hours ago and it was delightful.It was funny and entertaining for all ages.My children enjoyed it and so did my husband and I. It is a must see.
3
The kid liked it..... by Medic1mom
Some scary themes for little ones....as in: end of the world and "going to heaven". Our son (9yo) says "it was good" and refers to the small comedic one-liners. We won't be getting this one for DVD. My husband thought this was torture to sit through, had to leave the theatre to stretch his legs and wondered if I was "paying him back" for a previous mis-deed.
3
Who Is This Movie For? by femme208
The Croods was an animated film that seemed uncertain of its audience. The message of constant fear doesn't seem as if it would be very palatable for young children, but the simplistic relationships and messages don't seem appropriate for adults. There was never any explanation of why the characters felt one part of the world would be safer than another. The story had large plot holes. Definitely a poor effort for DreamWorks.
5
The Croods - Great Family Movie by LittleLoves
Great story, very entertaining. Fun for the entire family. Animation and characters were great.
Everyone at the end of my movie showing clapped at the end of movie.
4
The Croods by charliecant
Its a really funny movie all the characters are really funny the best part was when the little animal does dundundunn!!!!!!! i did yawn once but that is because nothing was really happening it was the music that made me yawn but the movie was great but if you go any later than 7:15 you might fall asleep it finished around nine because i went at 7:15 You dont haft to be there right on time because there is so many previews but it was great !!!
5
At first by megannn916
The beginning was a little worrying, I thought I was in for a "way-too-kiddy" movie and that it wouldn't be enjoyable for a 20 year old. However, as the movie progressed, it got more and more hillarious and exciting. It had all of the elements of a great family movie, adventure, humor, family love, etc. I saw this movie with a group of college friends and we all nearly cried. I would recommend it to anybody looking for a feel good movie. Not sure Nicolas Cage was the best choice for the father's voice, but it was amazing otherwise!
5
Great Family Movie by stacey0811
The storyline moves quickly to keep you interested and the laughs are almost nonstop. I enjoyed this movie immensely and will be buying it on video as soon as it hits DVD.
5
Well Done! by Barbigler
We took my four year old nephew to see the Croods last weekend. We all loved it. It was funny, charming, endearing... a great movie for all ages. Not to mention the animation was phenominal.
5
Happy Family by Shanaique
I couldn't think of a better movie to share with the family. We had so much fun. I did not think my 18yr old would enjoy it . But, she enjoyed it as much as the younger children. Usually I would take the kids to the movies and they would enjoy it but, the adults would just sit and fall asleep. But , this is one we stayed up for and really enjoyed... Happy Family!