The Croods

Living in the Stone Age, life isn't easy for overprotective, prehistoric patriarch Grug (voiced by Nicolas Cage) in this animated family film from directors Kirk De Micco and Chris Sanders. Grug gets crushed by boulders, hit by lightning, and—worse—screamed at by his mother-in-law, Gran (Cloris Leachman). Convinced that darkness brings death, he awakens every morning proclaiming, “I'm still alive!”, acknowledging that there's a perilous world outside the protection of the family's cave. No wonder Grug's cautious credo is “Never not be afraid!” But when the tectonic plates shift, causing earthquakes and lava flows, his Neanderthal family winds up in grave danger. This terrifies everyone except Grug's rebellious, titan-haired teenage daughter Eep (Emma Stone), who is curious about what exists in the mysterious beyond, especially after she meets Guy (Ryan Reynolds), a more advanced dude who not only has mastered the art of making fire but also wears shoes and has a pet sloth. When a landslide reduces Grug's cave to rubble, spunky Eep, her frightened mother Ugga (Catherine Keener), doltish brother Thunk (Clark Duke), belligerent baby sister Sandy (Randy Thom) and tart-tongued Gran convince reluctant Grug to venture forth with Guy as nomads into the unknown. Lifting liberally from both The Flintstones and the plot of Ice Age, the stereotypical, formulaic script here is somewhat offset by the imaginative digital animation, which is filled with fantasy creatures such as canine-crocodiles, flying turtles, tiny piranha-birds, spotted mastodons, lime-tinted saber-toothed housecats, and walking whales. It's energetic slapstick, squarely aimed at indiscriminating youngsters who will want to buy lots of Crood toys. An optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include “Croods' Cuts” deleted scenes (8 min.), a “Belt's Cave Journal” story (6 min.), the “World of DreamWorks Animation” section with music videos from various DreamWorks films, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are “Be an Artist” tutorials on drawing the characters (35 min.), “The Croodaceous Creatures of Croods” animal encyclopedia (7 min.), and bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)