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| "Da. Da. Daaa!" I do not own the copyright to this image |
It’s the end of the world as The Croods know it, and they have to survive no matter what it takes. The Croods is a well-done animated movie from DreamWorks that symbolically represented our technological advanced era through the time of cavemen. Directors Kirk De Micco and Chris Sanders, who also both wrote the screenplay, incorporated certain concept like shoes, phones, brains and ideas into the movie through clever imagery by using this imaginary world they created. The graphics were beautifully done and even showed the cross breeds of animals before they hit evolution, which was a cute touch. The world of the pre-historic Croods was wildly imaginative with epic proportions.
Of course there is some stereotypical scenarios they allows the audience to relate to the movie like for the parents who have to see this film for their children, there is a rebellious teen, Eep played by Emma Stone who wishes to leave the cave and explore. There is also the dreaded mother-in-law played by Cloris Leachman that Grug the patriarch of the Croods (Nicolas Cage) secretly wishes would perish. But then this movie appeals to the younger generation as well with Eep trying to make meaning of her life (like a child going to college) and not living in fear. She wants to make the best of life with what she has, which is very little materialistic value but her family keeps her strong and is a pressing theme throughout the novel.
As much as family is a strong theme and we mostly see wide shots of the family when they are together to give us that ‘family unit’ appeal they introduce ‘opportunities’ and ‘change’ with a light. Eep follows the light (which is a torch of fire) where she meets Guy (played by Ryan Reynolds) and his sidekick and pet Belt (voice by Chris Sanders). Through this slight symbolic gesture, following the light is what allows the Croods to go on this journey with the very knowledgeable Guy, which irritates Grug, who is the protective and (not all that) knowledgeable father.
Grug and Guy (who also becomes the apple of Eep’s eye) start off with a very rocky relationship. Grug, like any father does not want his wisdom/authority tested even though Guy is usually right and very creative in his ways of surviving. I chuckled a little bit here because it was clearly a metaphor for our lives today. The younger generation (aka Guy) seems to know a lot more about technology nowadays then parents/adults ever could. I still remember when my father got a smart phone for the first time it took him weeks to figure out everything! No adult ever wants to admit a younger person is correct or doing something better then him or her since they aren’t experienced like an adult is. And that is clearly echoed in the film.
The point I see here is we are at that time where being younger is an advantage because we are quick enough to pick up on the ever changing technologies and forever “chasing the light” as they say in The Croods. We are always striving for something to make it easier to survive. Adults are full of wisdom, we can’t forget Grug saved his family for a long time against beasts and disease but this is the time to let the younger generation lead us into a brighter future and that’s the message that I got out of the movie. Of course, adults have the advantage when it comes to sacrificing certain things in order to survive and with a shocking and emotional twist you see both generations have their advantages, and while the younger generation has the advantage of technology, the older generation has strength and certain wisdoms that come only with age.
I know this critique seems quite deep but overall it is a fun film that makes you laugh, maybe even make you cry and easily connect to whether you are young or old. The directors and screenwriters easily made this idea work together for all generations to watch and enjoy and watch again just to hear the adorable Belt go “Da. Da. Daaaa!”
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