CONGRATULATIONS, CROODS!!!
Two months after its March 22 release date, The Croods is STILL in the Top 5. TWO MONTHS! This is a truly remarkable achievement. While some industry insiders claim that this is due to a lack of any other “kids’ flicks” in the marketplace, there’s clearly something more at workhere. Simply put, THE CROODS CONTINUES TO CONNECT.
Eight weeks after its release, folks are still buying tickets to The Croods. Many of these folks are seeing it for the second or third time. In an industry rife with illegal online streams and downloads, the fact that fans are repeatedly PAYING to see it (gasp!) is just about the most positive review a film can get.
Here’s another hard-to-wrap-my-head-around concept: Eight weeks after its release, some folks are seeing The Croods for THE FIRST TIME. I want you to stop for a second and think about that. In a month that has seen the release of THREE summer blockbusters (Iron Man Three, Star Trek Into Darkness and The Great Gatsby), this is clearly NOT a ticket bought out of desperation or apathy. No, these folks are CHOOSING to see The Croods because of its enduring and overwhelming positive word of mouth. Its reputation as a funny, beautiful, exciting and emotional film continues to grow, and the ONLY WAY that happens is if audiences MAKE IT HAPPEN.
You know what? I want to take back what I said at the end of the second paragraph. The most positive review a film can get is this: People are recommending the film to their friends and family. They want to SHARE THE EXPERIENCE. This is…this is PHENOMENAL.
Congratulations, Kirk and Chris and Jeffrey and the rest of the Croods crew. You not only made a funny, beautiful, exciting and emotional movie, you made a movie that AUDIENCES ADORE.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a Croods review that stressed themes and emotions over CG and 3D. Samra Aamir’s piece in the Pakistani paper, The Express Tribune, is one such review. Pasted below are the first three paragraphs of her thoughtful piece:
In theory we want our children to grow up to be fearless and adventurous. We wish we had a little more spunk and didn’t scare so easy ourselves. A film like The Croods reminds us of those noble aspirations in a time when the instinct of Pakistani parents to protect their children keeps them from discovering the world.
At the centre of this animated 3D comedy is the feisty broad-faced girl Eep (Emma Stone), whose character is worlds apart from the stereotype of the slender heroine with a well-coiffed do. Eep’s thirst for adventure sets her at odds with her father Grug (Nicholas Cage) who puts safety at the top of his family’s needs — no one leaves the cave or does anything new.
As history has taught us, this philosophy of life worked in prehistoric times, which has been lusciously recreated by the team at DreamWorks who worked with writer-directors Chris Sanders and Kirk DiMicco. The problem is that your comfort zone can become a cage.
“Your comfort zone can become a cage.” Great line, eh?
To read Aamir’s full review, click here.
The Pitch-Perfect Pencil Sketches of Nicolas Weis
Via Weis’ wondrous website:
Here is a series of layouts I did for the reveal scene at the end of the first act, when the dark and dusty canyon opens onto a huge, lush landscape. All these drawings were made with pencil, sweat and an electric eraser. They are roughly 25 centimeters long.
For more examples of Weis’ graphite grandeur, click here.
A Quick Question for Croods’ Character Designer Carter Goodrich
Me: Your work is immediately identifiable and wholly your own. No traces of the tried and true ‘Pixar style’ or the ‘DreamWorks face’ are apparent in your character designs, yet both of these companies have called upon you repeatedly to help them find the look of their characters. What do you think it is about your work that keeps them coming back for more?
Carter Goodrich: I think every director wants to find a new look for the world they’re creating. There are an infinite number of different ways to design characters. So much ground yet to be broken. To rehash old designs seems like a waste of time. Whatever it is they see in my work has kept me in the game, which I’m extremely grateful for. My good friend Sandy Rabins, who was producing Open Season when I was working on it, told me that I “designed characters from the inside out”. I like that. What a tremendous compliment. I’d like to think it’s true.
For more Q&A with Carter, click here. For more of Carter’s deliriously devilish doodles, click here.
The Croods’ Directors Pick Their Favorite Animated Films!
A113 Animation: What is your favorite animated film?
Kirk De Micco: Charlie Brown Christmas.
Chris Sanders: Of all time? This is a tough one, there are so many… Oh man, I think I would choose somewhere between My Neighbor Totoro or Dumbo.
COMING SOON: A CROODS TV SHOW!
Follower and fan artist Michael Martinez sent me this exciting news bit yesterday:
Just found out on Wikipedia that DreamWorks has plans to make a Croods TV animated series in the same vein as other DWA TV series spun-off from popular films.
Pretty cool, eh? A quick dig around the internet revealed this exchange from DreamWorks’ recent Q1 Earnings stockholder phone call:
Michael Corty: With The Croods as now your sixth franchise…what changes would you anticipate in how you monetize this asset…given your recent emphasis on…licensing and…television opportunities?
Jeffrey Katzenberg: Well, I think like the franchises before it, that’s — one of the things that comes is there’s lots of things for us to do with the IP outside of feature films and we actually have a number of those in the works. So I think you can anticipate there will be a TV show.
Boom! There you have it, right from the boss’ mouth. But for those of you in need of a little further proof, here’s a link to DW’s trademark application for a Croods TV show. Looks like this thing is a go!
Super-cute gif #2 from The Croods’ story artist Steven MacLeod.
Wanna Win a Copy of The Croods Comic Book?
‘Tis easy as pie. To enter, SIMPLY LIKE AND/OR RE-BLOG THIS POST. Do both, and that’s TWO ENTRIES! A winner will be randomly chosen on 4/28 at 11:59pm. It could be you!
NOTE: THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED.
