The Croods (2013)

 

The Croods
Dir: Chris Sanders, Kirk DeMicco
Cast (voices): Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Cloris Leachman

       The Croods is one of those movies that not only kids will enjoy but adults as well

   and that features an all star cast. After their cave gets destroyed by a massive earthquake,

   a prehistoric family sets off on a journey to find a new home.

       Along the way, they meet a caveboy named Guy (Reynolds), whom their daughter

  Eep (Stone) falls in love with. Guy shows the family how to adapt to be modern. The

  crazy Nicolas Cage voices Grug, her overbearing father whom he must keep his family

  together. Grug doesn't trust Guy and they bond hoping Guy is capable of being with

  Eep. 

      I thought this movie was really funny and had some good lessons. Plus I also like

  Emma Stone alot. The Croods focuses on a strong family dynamic that carries the 

  story forward. The morals of not being afraid should inspire kids to do the same. 

  Dreamworks Animation continues their winning streak and while it may not be an

  instant classic like Toy Story, it'll surely put a smile on the kids faces.

Grade: B- (7/10)

Zootopia

                                             
                                                                     Zootopia

Dir: Byron Howard & Rich Moore

       Voice Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, JK Simmons

       In the 80 years that Walt Disney has been making animated films, this is by far
   one of their best to date. Zootopia tells the tale of a girl bunny named Judy Hops 
  (Goodwin). Her dream is work as a cop and make her parents proud. To compensate
  for her small size, she works hard to graduate to the top of her class. 

      Judy travels to Zootopia,a huge city where animals freely talk and live among 
  each other. When she gets there, she is assigned to be meter maid but comes upon 
  a missing otter case. In order to prove herself worthy, she teams with a fast talking
  con artist fox, Nick (Bateman). Together they must work together or Judy is forced
  to resign.

      Usually I don't like CGI cartoons but I liked this one almost as much as Wreck It
 Ralph. The Godfather scene might go over small children's heads but adults will
 enjoy it. The sloth working at the DMV and the fat cheetah were comic reliefs.
 This movie is part buddy cop and part mystery. Some scenes may be too intense
 for the little ones. The theme sung by Shakira should have you humming it for days.

Grade: A (9/10)