The Croods

Even breakfast is an adventure when you're the last surviving prehistoric family, and the conviction that fear keeps you alive and curiosity will get you killed definitely drives the Crood clan. But Eep (Emma Stone), who's in many ways a typical teenager intent on testing her boundaries and the resolve of her parents (Nicolas Cage and Catherine Keener), yearns for more than hiding out in a dark cave all day. Eep sneaks out of the cave one night and almost gets the whole family killed, but her path crosses with a boy named Guy (Ryan Reynolds), who it seems is destined to change everything for the Crood family. Forced to flee their cave home after it's destroyed, the Croods reluctantly follow Guy on a perilous journey that leads them to discover a whole new world full of breathtaking views, fascinating creatures, and blood-stirring adventure. The animation is lush and gorgeous and the abundance of physical and slapstick humour, especially from Nicolas Cage as Grug and Cloris Leachman as Gran, keeps the plot moving and viewers chuckling throughout the film. What the Crood family's journey eventually reveals is twofold: that focusing on living life and following the light is a viable alternative to hiding in the darkness and that anyone can change. (Ages 8 and older) --Tami Horiuchi