The Croods: A New Age

Around eight years for a sequel is a long time, especially in the field of animated film, since a new generation of viewers has long since grown up here. It certainly helped that after the first film in 2013, there was at least one animated series two years later. The cinematic sequel was already in trouble. Production was so delayed that Universal pulled the plug at the end of 2016, only to decide a year later to go ahead with it. The result can now be seen – and it turned out pretty.

The Croods: A New Age is told briskly, a bit episodic in its narrative structure, but full of references to other films (Gandalf and the Balrog say hello) and adorned with plenty of absurd ideas. Like the one that the Crood son, as a caveman, has of course never heard of a window, but now has one in the Bettermans’ home and hangs around in front of it like people do today in front of the television.

The film is also full of imagination when it comes to depicting primeval animals. A special highlight is the wolf spider. That’s not how she was imagined and even arachnophobes will have to admit that she’s cute.

The Croods: A New Age does not reinvent the wheel and is not the next step in evolution, but basically just repackages what you have already seen before. But the film does that in a good and enjoyable way. So much so that not only is it great fun for the youngest viewers, but it also knows how to entertain adults. Anyone who can speak English should watch the original: Nicolas Cage, Peter Dinklage, Leslie Mann and Ryan Reynolds, to name just a few, are vocal stunners.

• The Croods: A New Age