Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that The Croods, while quite funny and gorgeously animated, deals with some pretty heavy themes: the constant risk of death and worries about the end of the world. Prehistoric times are convincingly wild, dangerous, and unstable: Rocks fall, mountains tumble, and the Earth opens up and swallows the ground whole (all made even more immediate when seen in 3-D). The frequent peril and talk of the end of the world are likely to make younger kids nervous. And then there are the conversations about parents dying and kids themselves being in danger; at one point, viewers may even think a central character has perished. Other scenes show characters battling other creatures for supremacy and food, so there's plenty of slapsticky whacking and hitting, too. Female characters do end up getting saved by males, and you may find yourself heading to the Internet to research the accuracy of the movie's creatures and events. All of that said, The Croods has a wonderful message of courage and celebration of adventure at its core, and there are strong, loving family relationships.
Sexual
Content
Some flirting between a teenage boy and a teenage cave-girl. They hold hands and come close to kissing in one scene.
Violence
Frequent talk about death/the risk of death in this wild, unstable world; at one point, viewers are even led to believe that a central character may have perished. Guy mentions the death of his parents, and a bedtime story includes a reference to a character dying as well. There's also plenty of talk about the end (of the world) being nigh, what with all the earthquakes and fires and such, which could scare younger or sensitive viewers. Mountains tumble, the ground splits, and animals big and small descend on others they deem prey. (The animation is so top-rate that you can practically feel the rocks crashing down on the ground.) There's some pretty serious -- and seriously competitive -- hunting and gathering going on (admittedly in a cartoonish way), with Grug urging everyone to huddle for a "family kill circle" before they go nuts trying to catch anything they can eat. Characters push and shove and hit one another to get at the (potential) grub. Characters wield spears and rocks and fiery sticks and fall or hurl themselves off cliffs. It's definitely survival of the fittest, and the bravest, in Croods-land.
Language
Some name-calling intended to be humorous -- "fat," "dummy," etc., plus "sucky."
Social
Behavior
Lots of affirming messages. Eep and the rest of the Croods learn that hiding leads you nowhere, that courage opens up your world, and that love needs to be expressed. Also, to be yourself. As one character says: "Don't hide -- live!" Some bodily function humor (nose picking, etc.).
Consumerism
Although the movie itself contains no product/brand references, DreamWorks has merchandise partnerships with everything from video game companies to tofu.
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
Not applicable
