The Croods: A New Age plot and backstory. Who are the Croods?

How did we get here? The Croods prehistory

Back in the mists of time (2013 CE to be precise) Dreamworks Animation introduced the world to The Croods  – a prehistoric family of cave dwellers led by the cautious and overly protective patriarch, Grug (Nicolas Cage), during the fictitious and fantastical creature-filled Croodaceous Period. (Seriously, flying Pirahnakeets are NO joke!)

When the Earth’s shifting continents forced the Croods to abandon the safety of their cave, Grug, matriarch Ugga (Katherine Keener), teenage daughter and son, Eep (Emma Stone) and Thunk (Clark Duke), ferocious five-year-old Sandy (Randy Thom), and the hilariously tough-as-old-mammoth-hide Gran (Cloris Leachman) set out into a new and perilous world, bumping into Guy (Ryan Reynolds) along the way – an early modern (young) man with a knack for inventing things and a pet sloth for a belt called, well, Belt. 

With the risk (and evolution) adverse Grug struggling to cope with life beyond the cave, and increasingly antsy about the growing affection between inventive Guy and adventurous Eep, the stage was set for a battle of wills that ultimately led to protective and well-meaning Grug embracing change and the orphaned Guy as a member of the Croods. 

The Croods 2 cast. Who voices The Croods?

• Emma Stone (Cruella, La La Land) is Eep Crood

Grug's oldest daughter and a cave person (born and raised), teenager Eep has an enquiring mind and an adventurous spirit. She (along with now-boyfriend Guy) have done a lot to drag her risk-averse dad into a more evolved mindset.  

• Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu) is Guy 

Orphaned as a small child when his parents perished in a tar pit, Guy has not only survived but, thanks to his modern ideas and inventions, thrived. He introduced the Croods to fire and also set a spark in Eep’s heart. He’s hunting for a place his parents called ‘tomorrow’. Could the Bettermans hold the key?

• Nicolas Cage (Face/Off, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) is Grug Crood 

Surviving as a caveman is a full-time occupation and Grug takes his responsibility to protect his family very seriously. But while he’s brave and resourceful, he’s massively resistant to any change that might jeopardise his family’s safety. 

• Catherine Keener (Get Out, The 40 Year-Old Virgin) is Ugga Crood 

The Crood matriarch and Grug's partner, Ugga understands her husband’s fear of new things but is more open to the positive aspects of change. As such, she’s often a bridge between Grug and their headstrong and adventurous daughter, Eep. 

• Clark Duke (Hot Tub Time Machine, Kick-Ass 2) is Thunk Crood 

Grug's son isn’t the sharpest (flint) tool in the pile, but he’s fiercely loyal to his fam, very funny, and has a special bond with the family’s two pets, a Crocopup called Douglas, and a sabre-toothed Macawnivore called Chunky. 

• Kailey Crawford is Sandy Crood

Previously voiced by Randy Thom, five-year-old Sandy is a force of nature – surprisingly fast and packing a powerful chomp that’d put most Piranhakeets to shame.

• Cloris Leachman (Young Frankenstein, Spanglish) is Gran 

Ugga’s mother, Gran, has seen it all. She’s very tough and not easily thrown by whatever life throws at her, resulting in her catchphrase ‘still alive’. She also takes every opportunity she can to poke fun at Grug. 

• Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones, The Station Agent) is Phil Betterman 

The patriarch of the evolved farmers, the Bettermans (and Hope’s husband), Phil may just have known Guy's parents. But what will that mean for Guy’s relationship with the Croods?

• Leslie Mann (This is 40, Motherless Brooklyn) is Hope Betterman 

Hope is the matriarch of the Bettermans, and Phil's wife. She’s as welcoming to the Croods as Phil, but clearly thinks the Croods are a little primitive. 

• Kelly Marie Tran (Raya and the Last Dragon, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi) is Dawn Betterman 

Phil and Hope's daughter, Dawn, knew Guy when they were much younger. Like him, she accessorises with a sloth – hers is pink, smells of raspberries and is called Sash – and she’s super excited to have her first bestie in Eep. 

The Croods 2 trailer. Why is The Croods: A New Age a fantastic family film to see in cinemas?

• The Croods 2 is a fantastic family film to see on the big screen this summer. Why? Well… It’s wildly inventive and colourful, making it a spectacular big-screen must-see. Setting A New Age in the fictional Croodacious Period has enabled animators to come up with an incredible menagerie of ‘lost’ evolutionary critters, from Land Sharks and Lizard Hyenas to Wolf Spiders – literally giant spiders crossed with ferocious timber wolves – and the hilariously big-fisted Punch Monkeys. Watch the mini-feature on the creatures of the Croodaceous and you’ll see what we mean!
• The voice cast is phenomenal. From the Hollywood legend that is Nicolas Cage to the so-hot-right-now Ryan Reynolds and Emma Stone, the cast is pure class, with impeccable comic timing, making The Croods 2 very funny whether you’re a parent or a young ’un.
• At a very manageable 95 minutes long, The Croods: A New Age is a perfect length for families with younger children (as well as everyone who loves top-flight animation).