The Croods (2013)

The American animated adventure comedy film, The Croods (2013), produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox, follows the survival of a cave family amidst several natural disasters. Grug, the stubborn father, refuses to let anyone leave their shelter except for short periods to gather food. His teenage daughter Eep loves her family but often defies Grug’s strict rules. One night, she sneaks out after seeing a light and meets a modern human boy named Guy and his pet sloth Belt. Guy warns her about an impending apocalypse and offers to help her escape, but Eep chooses to stay with her family. As she returns home, Guy gives her a shell horn to use for help if needed. However, upon seeing the ‘New’, Grug and others destroy the shell horn out of fear.

A colossal earthquake decimates the cave and surrounding lands, forcing the Croods to seek refuge in a jungle they stumble upon beneath their home mountains. While trekking through this unfamiliar terrain, the family comes across a ‘Macawnivore’, a multi-hued Saber-toothed Cat that Eep’s grandmother affectionately names ‘Chunky’. They quickly retreat from the intimidating creature, but are soon relieved when he runs off after being swarmed by a pack of ‘piranhakeets’, feasting on a ground whale. Using her resourcefulness, Eep creates another horn and signals Guy for help. True to his heroic nature, Guy arrives with fire and rescues them from danger. However, despite some initial confusion over their encounter with fire, Grug takes matters into his own hands and locks Guy up in a log as their guide to safety. In order to placate Grug, Guy suggests they travel to a mountain where caves can offer shelter. Yet secretly, both Guy and the rest of the Croods have reservations about this plan.