Full disclosure: I work for DreamWorks Animation, although I didn’t do very much work on The Croods.

That being said, this is a wonderful film for family audiences for a number of reasons.

Like all DreamWorks Animation films, the artistic vision in this film is incredible. An entire world was created that is at once alien and familiar. They used almost every color imaginable to paint the world that they created, and yet it wasn’t overwhelming or distracting. The other thing they did that was very clever was that they used the color palette to help tell the story. Much like in The Wizard of Oz, the Ordinary World is bland. It’s almost like a mustard yellow, and it’s not a very appealing place to look at, but it’s where this family of Cave People live and Grug, the father, works very hard to keep them safe. What he doesn’t realize is that even though they’re surviving, they aren’t really living. But once a landslide blocks their cave and they’re forced to move into the Special World of the adventure, the color palette explodes with saturated beauty and wonderment. Then as the characters move through their journey, the colors change to reflect the mood. This is basic art direction, I know, but it was done with masterful effect in this film without being obvious.

The other impressive aspect to this film is the story. I am normally not a fan of road movies, and this is a road movie. That being said, this film succeeded for me where other road movies fail, and the reason for that is that the filmmakers did an excellent job of giving the story a strong spine, and that was the relationship between  Grug, and his daughter, Eep, who seems to be the world’s first teenager. Eep craves independence and wants to explore the world that is waiting for her. Grug is an overprotective father who needs to learn that the greatest act of love is letting her go. And where this movie succeeded where another animated road movie, Finding Nemo, failed for me is that the father and daughter experience the journey and grow together.

That is the internal conflict that serves as the spine of the story and motivates the characters throughout the film.

Another aspect of the story that works very well is that the filmmakers created an effective Hero’s Journey that creates drama throughout the film and engages the audience emotionally in the story. The writers and directors did an outstanding job of creating a story that was dramatic and heartfelt without being heavy-handed or on the nose. The reason for that is that there is an effective Hero’s Journey, and all of the stages of the journey are represented. There is a clear Ordinary World of the family living in the relative safety of the cave, but struggling to survive. The Call to Adventure is when Eep discovers a new human named Guy and he tells her that the world is about to end, and he’s going to ride to the sun. The Refusal of the Call is when Grug refuses to leave the safety of the cave, reminding his family to “Never not be afraid.” Meeting the Mentor is the introduction of Guy, who seems to have an answer for everything and helps to guide them through the Special World. Crossing the First Threshold happens when a landslide covers the cave, forcing the family to move to the other side of the mountain. The Tests, Allies & Enemies stage occurs immediately after when Grug and the family come into contact with a series of strange and exotic animals, plants and insects that could either feed them or kill them. The Approach occurs when Guy starts to convince the rest of the family that he knows best, and Grug needs to accept the new fact that his daughter is pulling away from him. The Ordeal puts Grug and Guy in a life threatening situation and forces them to work together. It also forces Grug to think outside of his comfort some, and this is the moment that he starts to learn and grow as a character. The Reward stage shows Grug getting his family to safety, even though he’s left behind as a nearby volcano erupting threatens to destroy him.

I can’t reveal how the story uses the last three stages of the journey without giving away the ending, but suffice it to say that they are there, and they are powerfully portrayed to the point where there is a multi-layered emotional reaction on the part of the audience.

Overall, this is a terrific film that should appeal to kids and parents, but especially to fathers and daughters. The film connects itself to the issues that fathers and daughters need to confront, and resolves them in a way that is emotionally satisfying and rewarding. I would encourage anyone to go see this film, but it is a must if you’re a father with a daughter or vice verse.