I will tell you this, since Pixar started making cartoon movies the bar has been set very high with anyone else trying to attempt to make kid movies. Dreamworks and Blue Sky are two of the companies that have taken the standard Pixar has set and ran away with it producing some of the best movies, not just cartoon movies, but movies in general on a consistent basis: Megamind, Despicable Me 1 & 2, Shrek (don't really like the sequels to this movie but the first one still stands a genre setter), Ice Age movies, Rio, Hoton Hears a Who, Madagascar, and Epic. They produce sequels that actually expand on the story line without rehashing the same old, same old just to cash in, but don't get me wrong, they do cash in. Only this time around instead of the normal Hollywood formula of just churning out a sequel without any real thought to the characters or storyline, these studios actually seem to care about the characters and storyline. Not that The Croods is a sequel but the care that is given to the characters and storyline is clearly on display here.
The storyline is a universal theme of overcoming fear, discovery of the unknown, and ultimately a journey type of quest - going from point A to point B. First off, I don't normally like these journey type of quests because they become bogged down in the surroundings and epic-ness of everything else that actual characters and characters development get forgotten in the visuals. Not so with The Croods, characters and dialogue are the primary focus of this movie, so much so that the journey from point A to point B becomes secondary to the film. These are just some interesting characters and watching them change as the story line progresses is one of the fun aspects of the movies. This movie also proves the fact that a simple storyline doesn't matter if the characters inhabiting that storyline are interesting, they can carry it where ever the story goes. No matter how insane or crazy the storyline gets, it won't matter because the characters will be there to guide the storyline, and if they are interesting enough, they will carry it with ease. The characters in The Croods are good, I won't say they truly amazing but they are strong enough to carry this movie and make it interesting.
The interaction between these characters is a delight to watch. Hollywood could learn so much from cartoons now-a-days about interaction, character development, and real dialogue that helps with what I've just mentioned instead of just being filler material or plot material that really adds nothing to the story. I also like the fact that as the characters learn things that would change their lives. They actually change because of what they've learned, instead of just acting the same way they had before the knowledge came to them. This type of progression is a delight to watch as it shows so much more intelligence and sophistication then is churned out by Hollywood. Plus it treats the audience as smart instead of catering to the dumbness that Hollywood thinks the audience is.
This is also one of the few family films to come out that actually has a whole family. They don't treat each other as subhuman but their interaction rings with a truthfulness that helps connect them with the audience. The mother and father have a loving relationship and, without going further into that, this movie actually has a mother and father something Hollywood seems to have forgotten exists. But the main focus of the movie is on the oldest daughter, Eep, whose teenage changing, wanting to spread her wings, and desire to question things fully matches the movies changes to perfection, without being too preachy or in your face. I know this theme has been over done but it's a universal theme, one that's easily connected with audiences, but it's the characters of this movie that really help everything to flow so that the theme feels new and fresh.
Now I won't say the visuals aren't spectacular because they are, but they are the side note to the characters and storyline. This is one of the few journey movies where the settings and set pieces are epic in nature but yet don't feel forced or so over-the-top that they become lost in their own indulgence. They blend in with the storyline flawlessly. I liked how the visuals of the movie went from brown and dark colors of the first act into the bright colors of the second and third act which really opened up the movie not just from a metaphorical standpoint but from a stand point that helped to mirror Eeps changing as well, as I mentioned above.
This is a great film to watch with the kids and own in your movie collection.
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