REVIEW COLLECTION: DreamWorks Animation, Part 3a

(Courtesy YouTube) 

The Croods (2013) 

When DreamWorks Animation transitioned from Paramount to 20th Century Fox in the early-2010s, it was the dawn of another new era (both figuratively and literally). So it was fitting that their first feature under this new partnership centered around a nuclear family of primeval Neanderthals, forced to leave their cave—and change their ways—when their world and everything they know is coming to an end. 

Said family, known as the Croods, consists of teenage daughter Eep (voiced by Emma Stone), who longs to see the world beyond her family’s cave; concerned and caring matriarch Ugga (Catherine Keener); cheerful son Thunk (Clark Duke), stubborn Gran (Gloris Leachman), and animalistic little girl Sandy. All are led by the well-meaning but overprotective patriarch Grug (voiced by Nicolas Cage), whose bedtime stories, for one, always end in death, in order to convince his small clan that anything “new” is always dangerous. One day (for what initially seems like culture shock from both sides), Eep meets a lone young man named Guy (Ryan Reynolds) and his otter companion Belt (“Cook, conversationalist, navigator; also, he keeps my pants up”), and slowly convinces the rebellious cave girl—and everybody else—that there is a better tomorrow on the horizon than today or yesterday. 

I find it ironic that The Croods was released during the same era that Fox’s Blue Sky Studios continued churning out one new movie each year. (Chris Wedge’s forest adventure Epic, based on William Joyce’s book series, came out the same year.) Nevertheless, writers-directors Chris Sanders and Kirk DiMicco presented a world that combines Land of the Lost with Journey to the Center of the Earth. As something of an added bonus, Monty Python alum John Cleese is credited for co-writing the story. The result is a creative, colorful and imaginative adventure that is visually eye-popping and wonderful, with many constant discoveries and surprises, including some of the most unique creatures since Avatar a few years earlier. 

This may be the most popular cave family since The Flintstones. As a clever homage to that iconic Hanna-Barbara series, The Croods plays with how they would’ve done “snap shots” back then, how they hunted together (funny, energetic, and communal), and how they piled up in their sleep. For a clan whose patriarch tells them to “never not be afraid,” they sure are fearless, exemplifying relatable family dynamics as well as very physical, sometimes macabre, dysfunctions and conflicting ideals (i.e., brawn versus brains). A 2D prologue gives a brief but cohesive backstory on who they are and how they got to where they are. The small cast (especially Cage and Stone) really invest in their respective characters. 

In a scene where he talks like Spicolli from Fast Times at Ridgmont High, Grug’s attempts to show his “ideas” prove to run contrary to his family’s growing fascination with everything from new stories to fire, stars in the sky (mesmerizing), and other new concepts and places. Parallel themes of surviving versus living further reveal how Grug’s worry and pride come crashing down, what he’s lost sight of, and how he grows in strength and self-sacrifice. Not to mention his relationship with his teenage daughter. Spiritual parallels and metaphors are equally powerful and profound, with the sun as a representation of hope, optimism, a better/new tomorrow, and even echoes of eternity. As Guy tells us, “Don’t hide. Live. Follow the light. Go after tomorrow.” 

Turbo (2013) 

After voicing Guy in The Croods, Ryan Reynolds headlined DW's next feature as the voice of an ambitious garden snail named Theo, who dreams of racing in the Indianapolis 500, and under the name Turbo. An unlikely underdog story if ever there was one, this crazy-on-the-surface premise (directed by studio veteran David Soren) gets rocking and rolling when the titular mollusk gets in a freak accident one night on the highway, after landing in a racing vehicle (reminiscent of The Fast and the Furious), and gains superpowers via nitrous oxide. 

Paul Giamati voices Theo’s impatient and stubborn brother Chet, who believes in the rules of nature, and that his younger sibling is in way over his head. (“A snail cannot race in a competition meant for cars!”) When a raven subsequently kidnaps them both, they end up in the city, where they meet a taco vendor with big dreams of his own. Theo amazes everyone with what he can do—all except Chet, who calls his brother “a freak of nature.” Talk about a fish-out-of-water story. (Or should I say a snail-out-of-the-garden story?) 

The lighting and detail in this movie is impressive. Three specific communities are represented, beginning with the snail garden—filled with greens, tomatoes, unsurprisingly slow pacing (for the little creatures, that is), and occasional macabre humor. Then there’s the mini mall in the city, where at least four different businesses reside. Not to mention diverse cultures represented onscreen. And there’s the race track in Indiana, with detailed rubble and visual and aural speed that is exciting and immersive. (Ron Howard’s own racing drama, Rush, released the same year.) Former cinematographer (and Christopher Nolan regular) Wally Pfister served as a visual consultant; he retired from that role the previous year, last working on The Dark Knight Rises. A few standout sequences in Turbo include a garden race against a lawn mower for fresh produce, a face-off with a tricycle-riding neighbor kid, and Theo’s shell first acting like a radio while his eyes work as headlights. 

Turbo is a rather ridiculous premise that doesn’t sound that good on paper. But on screen, it works. This is a fun movie to watch—and a better one than I remember. For one thing, the soundtrack isn’t overwhelming a la Shark Tale, although some moments do feel a little too materialistic. Overall, with help from Henry Jackman’s score, the movie produces sincere drama that is also engaging, deep, and cheer-worthy. And let’s not leave out the colorful, unconventional crew of racing snails (with voices by Samuel L. Jackson, Maya Rudolph, Snoop Dogg, Ben Schwartz, and Mike Bell), complete with Transformers-like jetpacks. 

One of its secondary themes is that, sometimes, our heroes aren’t what we think they are or what they seem. (Bill Hader voices an arrogant French-Canadian racer.) Primarily, Turbo is about believing in others and what they are meant for, and about taking risks, no matter how outlandish they seem—at least, until they’re seen in action. “We have a chance to change our lives for the better,” the taco-selling Tito (voiced by Michael Peña) tells his own stubborn brother. The narrative also highlights how much is “good enough,” persisting against all odds, and giving it your all to finish the race. Good luck getting that “Snail Is Fast” meme out of your system along the way. 

Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) 

Based on Jay Ward’s popular cartoon short, Peabody’s Improbable History (from The Bullwinkle Show of the late-1950s), a smart canine and his adoptive human boy go on numerous time-traveling adventures and learn about world history, while also making fun of it. Previous big screen adaptations of Ward’s work included the live-action, Brendan Fraser-led vehicles, George of the Jungle (1997) and Dudley Do-Right (1999). But Mr. Peabody & Sherman marks the first fully-CGI adaptation of any of Ward’s credits, as well as a co-production of his Bullwinkle Studios and PDI. 

Just like their hand-drawn counterparts, the titular duo visit such moments and figures in time as Ancient Egypt (King Tut), the French Revolution (Marie Antoinette and her love of cake), the Italian Renaissance (Leonardo Da Vinci and his flying machines), and the Trojan War (Agamemnon and his army), courtesy the ever-popular WABAC machine. (One hilarious moment involves a statue decoy in Egypt.) But this movie’s main plot involves Sherman going to public school for the first time, and Peabody having to come to terms with what it really means to be a parental figure. 

Things get complicated when a social worker who doesn’t think that a canine should be a surrogate parental figure (echoing Ms. Hannigan from Annie) enters the picture. Things really get going, however, when Peabody invites a family over to his sky-high penthouse to make amends between a spoiled girl and Sherman after an incident at school, and the young boy eventually spills the beans about the time machine, which eventually causes disruptions in the space time continuum (a la Back to the Future). Not to mention scientific (and personal) complications leading to an unexpected turn of events, where past and present collide. 

The Lion King co-director Rob Minkoff helms this 2014 flick, filled with eye-popping animation, quirky characters, fourth wall breaking, thoroughly silly humor, and nice homages to the original cartoon designs. There’s also a fun score by Danny Elfman. Fittingly, 7-year-old Sherman doesn’t pick up on Peabody’s clever puns, reflecting today’s children whose parents and grandparents will understand this humor much more. Speaking of generations, the movie’s voice cast consists of screen veterans and relative newcomers, including Ty Burrell (Peabody), Max Charles (Sherman), Ariel Winter (the snooty Penny), Patrick Warburton (Agamemnon), Leslie Bibb & Stephen Colbert (Penny’s parents), Allison Janney (social worker Ms. Grunion), Stanley Tucci (Da Vinci) and Mel Brooks (Albert Einstein). 

But the movie isn’t all fun and games. (And it is a fun movie, despite its sporadic and episodic narrative, occasional toilet humor, and globe-trotting, roller coaster action and pratfalls—some intense, but within the cartoon nature of the original shorts.) Similar to Minkoff’s film adaptations of Stuart Little (from 1999 and 2002, respectively), Mr. Peabody & Sherman has worthwhile themes about adoptive parenthood, as well as families and friendships (including making amends with people we don’t like and vice versa) being more important than knowledge, hobbies, and/or accomplishments. “Every great relationship,” the intelligent dog tells his young lad, “starts from a place of conflict and becomes something greater.” One touching and stylized montage is set to John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy.” As I said in my review of Shrek, whoever said cartoons couldn’t be sincere as well? 

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) 

Following the release of How to Train Your Dragon in 2010, co-director Chris Sanders went off and helped make The Croods while longtime creative partner Dean DeBlois took solo writing and directing reigns for a second chapter to the former. (Sanders remains credited as a co-executive producer.) Bigger, more epic, and just as (if not more) emotional, this 2014 follow-up to one of DW’s best films was released the same year as the studio’s 20th anniversary, as well as the first and only installment released by 20th Century Fox. 

Set five years after the events of its predecessor, How to Train Your Dragon 2 finds the kingdom of Berk has now embraced dragons. “Life here is amazing,” we’re told, “just not for the faint of heart.” Opening with a sequence of dragon racing against a partly cloudy/partly sunny backdrop—and some scared or bored sheep—protagonist Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) leads a group of young warriors against a new enemy, one who has a dark history with Hiccup’s chief father Stoick and his people, as well as characters subsequently discovering things they didn’t even know about themselves or about others. 

On the surface, the film has striking art direction and design, set primarily in winter, with visual poetry in lighting and locations. Returning composer John Powell presents an incredible, sweeping score. Each Viking and their respective dragon have clearly distinct and fitting personalities, qualities, and flying techniques. (Wait until you see the Alpha species. Talk about beast mode taking on beast mode.) Speaking of flying, one highlight includes the clever and resourceful Hiccup and Toothless’s first flight—a work-in-progress on solo gliding that is awe-inspiring, and strong visual storytelling. 

The returning voice cast brings their A-game with maturing and complex characters (some now with facial hair). The primary villainous rogue leader Drago (voiced by Djimon Hounsou) and his army of beasts and trappers are very intimidating and controlling. “Men who kill without reason,” Stoick tells us, “cannot be reasoned with.” Ironically, this is one of the reasons that Dragon 2 is a darker, more intense chapter. One that develops and expands the world of Vikings and dragons on a grander scale, and not just from Hiccup and company building a map and discovering new places. And yet, it’s massive spectacle—with battle sequences on par with The Lord of the Rings—that never loses its heart. The thematic question of redemption, and if/whether certain people can really change or not, also plays into the character of Valka (voiced by Cate Blanchett), Hiccup’s long-lost mother thought to be dead, who has been secretly saving and protecting dragons of all shapes and sizes. 

The main storyline centers on Hiccup not believing he can live up to leading his people as the new chief. He clearly struggles with remembering and searching for who he is or wants to be, even feeling conflicted about being a bridge between two worlds. The narrative gets deep with themes of control and abused power. Not to mention moments of unexpected sacrifice and loss. The film also has a few suggestive references (including a reportedly confirmed moment where one character subtlety comes out of the closet). Overall, How to Train Your Dragon 2 highlights what it truly means to be a leader, to earn loyalty, and how to shut out the negativity that tries to destroy it. As more than one key character says, “A chief protects his own.” We can only imagine, by this point, how much bigger this world will get from here. 

Penguins of Madagascar (2014) 

After three scene-stealing feature film appearances, the ever-popular quartet of globe-trotting, flightless birds from DreamWorks’ Madagascar series (and their own TV show) follow in the footprints of Shrek’s sidekick Puss in Boots and finally get their own movie. Franchise regular Eric Darnell and studio veteran Simon J. Smith had directing reigns in what turned out to be the animation company’s last collaboration with Pacific Data Images (PDI) before the latter closed in January 2015. 

Opening with a documentary film crew in Antarctica (narrated by German director Werner Hertzog) a la March of the Penguins, this 2014 spinoff presents the origin of how these unconventional oddballs came to be (beginning with leader Skipper, analyst Kowalski, and explosions expert Rico), including how they met their timid fourth member (Private). The real story—and Mission: Impossible-style plot—takes place after the events of Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, where the Penguins get mixed up with a secret agency of Arctic animals (led by Benedict Cumberbatch, as the voice of wolf agent Classified) to stop an eccentric scientist squid named Dave (voiced by John Malkovich), who has a connection to their zoo days, from using a secret serum in a revenge-filled scheme. 

These characters always crack me up (as they do many others), and they certainly don’t disappoint in this laugh-a-minute action-comedy that goes from one sequence of slapstick hijinks and mayhem to another. Such moments involve Cheetos-like Cheesy Dibbles (a brilliant showcase for animating food coloring and chip paste), a video call miscommunication, and Dave’s puns on famous names (i.e., “Nicolas, cage them,” “Charlize, they’re on the run”). One impressive long shot finds the four main characters descending from a loaded plane and passing through others, ending with an inflatable funhouse. 

On the other hand, as this flick was released during the industry’s resurgent 3D craze, a few moments are deliberately shot in that format. A few other elements are mildly macabre, including a plot against all penguins and their cuteness (and they are cute) to turn them into despised mutant creatures. Malkovich’s voiceover work effectively combines layered depth and over-the-top villainy for an adversary driven by pride, ego, and jealousy. 

Themes of “family” and teamwork, especially between groups who don’t get along, are key, with the childish Private feeling undervalued and coming into his own. All leads to a climactic turn of events that subvert expectations—and with unexpected heart. The fun Penguins of Madagascar really puts a new spin on, “Who says a penguin can’t fly.”