The Croods 3D

Hitting the right notes in animation and humor surprisingly often, The Croods is one of the better 3-D cartoon experiences, solidified by a strong turn in the vocal booth by Nicolas Cage. The story is fundamentally very simple: The last Neanderthal family (the Croods) makes a mad dash for the future. Their world is ending and with the help of a Homo sapien named Guy (Ryan Reynolds), they might have the brain power they need to make the jump. A rather specious view of human evolution notwithstanding, The Croods is a fun jaunt of a family film, with just enough dark sarcasm to show the adults are paid some attention. But it’s really all about the vibrant 3-D and Cage’s terrific voice work. He leads a pretty impressive cast (Emma Stone, Reynolds, Cloris Leachman and Catherine Keener) out of the Stone Age.