The Croods 2 Essay Example

For a world that presents threats and dangers as each day goes, the Croods led by Grug, the man of the house keeps his family safe by continually having them live within caves, and only emerging when it's time to hunt for food. He leads a Neanderthal family of five, his wife Ugga, and her mother Gran, and his three children Eep, Thunk and Sandy and manage to keep them alive through his mantra "New is always bad" ( 00:02:15- 00:02:19). "Never not be afraid" (00:04:49). The rest of the family feel safe and secure under his wing, but Eep holds a different opinion, always curious about what lay outside the caves. She is constantly watching the sun rise and set, and one time, a flash of light leads her curiosity to the top of the cave where she meets Guy, a modern and more evolved form of human being. Guy is different from her dad, Grug, as he possesses ideas and skills, with the aid of his buddy "Belt" and his new perspective of the world beyond the caves proves a threat to the manhood of Grug. The safe world he had created for his family is once again under threat, and this time not from other creatures, but of a physically inferior man with brains. A tectonic occurrence on a prediction made by guy on the ending of the world instantly changes the lives of these cavemen as they move to look for a new home, and all along, Guy proves resourceful. A separation along the journey proves the evolution of the rest of the family, leaving Grug as the only unevolved human being. Grug tries to come up with "ideas" that never bear any fruitful outcomes and he finally conforms to the idea that he can no longer offer the protection he intended to with this new world, and eventually adapts to the change, thereby repairing a father-daughter relationship that was at the verge of getting sour. Through this film, the director Chris Sanders can enunciate the challenges facing families and homes with the changes the world is continuously subjected to as he presents his interventions through complete adaptability and conformity to the changes as the only way to survive and live through the dynamism.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Sanders incorporates humor among other styles in portraying his characters, and he coincidentally gets in character as Belt, exhibiting humorous moments throughout the film. His central characterization includes Grug (Nicolas Cage), Guy (Ryan Reynolds), Eep (Emma Stone), Ugga (Catherine Keener), Thunk (Clerk Duke), Gran (Cloris Leachman) and Sandy (Grey Delisle). He presents his ideas utilizing the first three as his focal point. Grug is the leader of the group as the head of the family, and he holds on to the traditions passed down to him as the only way to live his life. He moves from cave to cave, with every moment of their lives dictated by the walls around them. Grug relies on his physical prowess to offer the guidance leadership and protection his family demands of him, and for quite a long time, before the arrival of Guy, it was working. Grug over-emphasizes the priority of keeping his family safe that he even comes up with bedtime stories that depict the outside world as a death sentence. His conservative nature has him prefer living in the dark, rather than rising from it and seeing what the other side of the world presents him and his family. He's a character that immensely values his position as leader, which he continually wishes for the death of his mother-in-law who never misses on a chance to remind him of the fraud he is. Within the same spirit, he also demands for a more significant share in the rare meals, as seen in the egg hunting battle. He is a caring and loving father and husband, but his way of showing it is continuously under threat with the changing world.

Eep is the reverse version of her father as she is always eager and anxious to see what adventures each day brings by, but her prowess and strength prove that she really is her father's daughter and Guy can attest to that. She is a redhead with green eyes, a distinctive isolation from the rest of the family members, and thereby a depiction of her sense of satisfaction from the cave life as opposed to the rest of them. She is aggressive yet adventurous, and it is through her defiance of her father's orders and routine that she is able to learn of a new world outside the cave confines, and the impending danger awaiting their "safe haven." Eep wants more to life than a routine and tradition that merely keeps them alive as she considers life as something more than "not dying" (01:07:42). The hope of the family, especially the father, on sticking together however big the storm (or creature) is gradually flickering with her ambition to experience the world outside the Croods cave, but the four-year-old sandy restores this hope with her ever obedient and submissive nature, upon the call "release the baby" ( 00: 05: 49). Ugga and Gran, the other women in the Croods family, seem to be flexible with the changes in town and to Ugga, it is quite tasking always being on toes to keep the family alive. Eep is no doubt her father's favorite as he is extremely protective of her, especially after learning of her affections towards the skillful and innovative Guy. She is headstrong, as she is not willing to let anything, not even family, come in the way of her self-realization, and at the end, it is her family that moves towards her direction, and not the other way round.

Guy is the representation of a revolution and consequently, a threat that the Croods family didn't think they needed to worry about. His off-cave techniques, skills and his side-kick's innovations and ideas prove extraordinary tools during the foretold end of the world. His resourcefulness stands in the way of Grug being the father he has always been. His physical meekness does not translate to his brains, as he exhibits moments of extraordinary thinking in the eyes of the Croods family. He is like the 2.0 version of a man and gradually replaces Grug's position in his family. He is a nomad who has survived through tough situations, in ways that do not include hiding out, violence or paranoia and possess an impressive mastery of the environment around him. He is not malicious towards Grug, but with his 2.0 thinking, he definitely is a nuisance that needs to be done away with. An instance where he is literarily stuck with Grug proves his willingness to help the latter get through the dawning of a new world that caught him unawares, and by combining strength and brains, they are able to get out of the situation.

Conclusion

In a world bombarded with change, from the technological point of view to the environment, the film brought into the living room an issue that affects many if not all families. Grug is not willing to admit that his daughter is growing up, and all dad can attest to this. New is never a monolithic issue as it drags with it the good, the bad and the ugly alike. The change that the Croods were subjected to sure denied them of their cave "comfort," but it also unleashed a better, safe and free world for them. In many instances, such conflicts often call for both parties to reach a central position for a consensus, but sanders defied this normalcy by dragging the old right into the new. Such a bold decision this was, and for this, he gets the credit he deserves.

Works Cited

"The Croods" created by Kirk DeMiccoand Chris Sanders performance by Emma Stone, Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke and Cloris Leachman . DreamWorks animation. February 15, 2013.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv38Yyu0ebo&t=27s