A teenage cavegirl, Eep, narrates to the viewers about her family and why they are the only cavepeople left. Her dad, Grug, the patriarch of the family, is overprotective, and will not allow anything new or anyone to be curious.

Eep, however, defies those guidelines. One night, she sneaks out of the cave and meets a teenage caveboy, Guy, who is more ahead of the time than Eep’s family. He introduces her to fire and jokes. But most importantly, he introduces a little horn to blow into as a way to contact him.

Eep returns to the cave. Of course, her dad is mad at her for breaking the rules, which were in place to keep everyone alive. He grounds her.

Not long after, however, an earthquake occurs, and the Croods’ cave is destroyed. They are left out in the open, which was forbidden before.

They discover various wildlife, such as elephant rats and saber-toothed cats. Unlike the animals they hunted before, these creatures are stronger and fiercer.

Eep uses her horn to call Guy, and he comes to her and her family. Her dad does not approve of him being there and forces him to remain inside a log as they travel to a mountain, where there may be more caves.

Guy also talks about a place called “tomorrow,” which he hopes will help the Croods be more confident in their journey. Little by little, the family does learn to take risks and even have fun.

However, stakes continue to rise.

This movie kept my attention all the way through. It was fast paced as well, due to the amount of humor and the storyline itself.

The characters are, perhaps, the most memorable, especially Eep. I admire how she remains strong and doesn’t usually get emotional, not even after her father punishes her. 

I also noticed that Grug doesn’t lose his temper a lot, and I like that. It makes him seem less like a bad guy.

Speaking of which, this movie has no villains. Rather, Grug is the antagonist since he will not let Eep have freedom. That is another part that stands out to me. 

Both the lack of a wicked villain and a character (especially a girl) defying her family’s rules and traditions makes the story remind me of a Disney movie, especially one from the 21st century. But this is not a Disney film. It was made by DreamWorks, although they do share similarities with Disney at times.

Another strength of this film emphasizes cave people learning about fire. Guy introduced them to it, and they got excited as if it was a little sun. I appreciate how progressive Guy was.

He would also teach the Croods how to be creative when it comes to needing help. For example, he taught Grug how to use a puppet figure to scream in order to attract an animal to save them.

Like all good movies, this one has lots of twists and turns. It is also lighthearted for the most part. And there is no strong language that parents might worry about exposing younger kids to.

I enjoyed watching The Croods very much and I think it would make a good movie for people of all ages.

I give it 5 out of 5 stars.