With the economic downturn over the last several years, there are probably quite a few fathers who can relate to caveman Grug Crood in some small way.  Just keep your head down, nose to the grindstone, keep doing things the way you’ve been doing them for the last 20 years, and you’ll somehow keep the family going.  But then, disaster strikes, and there’s no choice but to venture outside your comfortable confines in order to survive.  For the Croods, the disaster is a lot worse than a layoff or a defaulted mortgage; their home is destroyed as their entire world quite literally comes crashing down around them.  The only thing Grug, wife Ugga, mother-in-law Gran, eldest sister Eep, middle son Thunk, and feral toddler Sandy can do is run into the great unknown of a jungle they never even knew existed.

While there, they meet Guy, an idea man with a slightly more rounded forehead who has survived alone by his wits, cunning, and a little help from his sloth pants-holder-upper/comic relief sidekick, Belt.  Guy creates fire to keep predators away at night, he understands the concept of shoes, and can set elaborate traps to snare food.  He also has a plan: to get to the high ground before this thing he’s calling “the end” catches up with all of them.  But Grug doesn’t like change…and he doesn’t like the way his teenage daughter is so enamored with this new Guy, either.
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One of the great things about animation is its ability show us people, places, and things we’ve never dreamed possible.  Distant planets, mythical lands, or even more grounded subjects, like ancient history, can come alive thanks to the work of a team of dedicated artists and animators.  And when the canvas is so limitless, it’s great to see when creative minds really go for it and bring us something unique.

When the artists sat down to start visualizing the prehistoric world of the new Dreamworks Animation film The Croods, it would have been very easy for them to fall back on conventional caveman tropes.  Naturally, the characters could look like they were pulled straight from The Flintstones, who would anachronistically interact with run-of-the-mill dinosaurs like Triceratops and T. Rex, and they’d live in a world filled with big rocks, rumbling volcanoes, and bubbling tar pits. While there are still echoes of these old standbys, for the most part, The Croods is a feast for the eyes.  Thankfully Titan Books has released The Art of the Croods, so you can visit the best part of the movie – the art design – anytime.

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