The Croods /

The Croods is a 2013 American 3D computer-animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It features the voices of Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, and Cloris Leachman. The film is set in the prehistoric era, when a man's position as a "Leader of the Hunt" is threatened by the arrival of a prehistoric genius who comes up with revolutionary new inventions like fire. The Croods is being written and directed by Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders, and produced by Kristine Belson and Jane Hartwell. It is set to be released in theaters on March 22, 2013. As part of the distribution deal, this will be the first film from DreamWorks Animation to be distributed by 20th Century Fox, since the departure of Paramount Pictures in 2012 with Rise of the Guardians. The film was originally being made by Aardman Animations as a part of a five-film deal with DreamWorks Animation. Announced in 2005 under the working title Crood Awakening, and as a stop motion film, John Cleese and Kirk DeMicco wrote the first few drafts of the script. With the departure of Aardman in beginning of 2007, the rights for the film reverted to DreamWorks.