{"id":9663,"date":"2014-01-16T16:40:00","date_gmt":"2014-01-17T00:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/crood-awakening\/"},"modified":"2024-05-23T11:20:39","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T18:20:39","slug":"crood-awakening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/crood-awakening\/","title":{"rendered":"Crood Awakening"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2014\/01\/story-1380-top-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2014\/01\/story-1380-top-1920x1080.jpg 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2014\/01\/story-1380-top-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2014\/01\/story-1380-top-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"A 2 by 2 grid of photos of the same person drinking water, looking at the camera, smiling and look off to the side.\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Devoting mornings to what he calls \u201cthe carpentry\u201d of writing, in which he frames and builds on ideas, Kirk DeMicco \u201991 admits that creativity is hard work. However, <em>The Croods<\/em> director also relies on his subconscious to find unexpected solutions to creative challenges. Photos by Max S. Gerber.\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=alumni\">Alumni<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Crood Awakening<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  USC Dornsife alumnus Kirk DeMicco\u2019s box office hit <em>The Croods<\/em> is nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. The story charts the adventures of an endearingly dysfunctional prehistoric family who must learn to evolve . . . or die.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Susan Bell<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">January 16, 2014<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n       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cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>As the drum rhythm and stirring horns build in intensity, the high adrenaline chase gathers momentum as the Crood family hunts down and steals a giant, blue-and-orange-speckled egg from a <em>ramu<\/em> \u2014 a hybrid of ram and emu with the strength and rushing power of a linebacker.<\/p>\n<p>You know a Trojan is at the helm of this animated 3-D comedy adventure, <em>The Croods<\/em>, when you learn the drumming and horns were provided by the USC marching band.<\/p>\n<p>In the opening scene, parents Grug and Ugga, rebellious teenage daughter, Eep, dutiful but dim-witted son, Thunk, ferocious baby girl, Sandy, and ancient but indomitable grandmother, \u201cGran,\u201d are attempting to bring home their prehistoric breakfast.<\/p>\n<p>In the scene, the Croods pass a dinosaur egg back and forth like a football until the prize is finally captured. Now, these prehistoric heroes at the heart of USC Dornsife alumnus Kirk DeMicco\u2019s hit movie are poised to bring home something slightly more refined than a dinosaur egg: an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday&#8217;s Oscar nomination is without a doubt the icing on the cake of an eight-year labor of love,\u201d DeMicco said. \u201cWe set out to make a film that everyone in the family \u2014 especially fathers \u2014 can relate to: a story about the power of change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>You would think as an Oscar hopeful DeMicco would be up at 5:30 a.m. glued to his television.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInstead I was in the nursery of my 10-month-old twins experiencing the real power of change \u2014 that of diapers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the upcoming 86th annual Academy Awards Jan. 16. The other nominees for Best Animated Film are <em>Frozen<\/em>, <em>Despicable Me 2<\/em>, <em>Ernest &amp; Celestine<\/em>, and <em>The Wind Rises<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Croods<\/em> has won three awards and received 29 other award nominations since its release last year, including a Golden Globe nomination and 17 Annie Award nominations. <em>The Croods<\/em> was co-directed and written by Chris Sanders.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis film has taken the work of over 300 talented artists at DreamWorks Animation to produce and on behalf of our entire crew, I send a huge thank you to the academy and raise a baby bottle in toast to our fellow nominees,\u201d DeMicco said.<\/p>\n<p>DeMicco also remarked on some of the team work demonstrated by Crood family members in the film, including the opening scene in which the Croods tackle, scramble and block a variety of strange, ferocious or mischievous beasts in order to capture that egg.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s so rare that you get the chance to do that,\u201d the film\u2019s director and writer, Kirk DeMicco, said with obvious relish. \u201cIt\u2019s so fun watching a family working together, struggling, playing this full contact sport, just to get breakfast. It\u2019s like a Saturday football game, and it just keeps on going. It\u2019s choreographed and there\u2019s character, character, character and it\u2019s telling you about their world. That\u2019s something we can do very well with animation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Billed as \u201cthe world\u2019s first-ever family road trip,\u201d <em>The Croods<\/em>, DeMicco said, was inspired by comedies such as the 1983 Chevy Chase hit, <em>National Lampoon\u2019s Vacation<\/em>, the sweeping landscapes of a number of westerns, and John Ford\u2019s 1940 epic drama, <em>The Grapes of Wrath<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was the Dust Bowl and these are cavemen,\u201d DeMicco said of his film\u2019s similarities with the Depression-era film based on John Steinbeck\u2019s classic novel. \u201cBut the Croods are a very poor family. They\u2019ve lost their home and they\u2019re looking for a promised land. It\u2019s the myth of going West, going toward the sun and reaching into new frontiers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Setting the movie in an imaginary period dubbed the \u201cCroodacious Era\u201d gave the filmmakers creative freedom to invent stunning landscapes and a menagerie of fantastically comical and frightening creatures. The <em>macawnivore<\/em> has the body of a sabre-tooth tiger, an over-sized head and the coloring of a macaw. The <em>mousephant<\/em> is a tiny elephant with the ears and tail of a mouse. And terrifying flocks of swarming <em>piranhakeets <\/em>\u2014 a cross between a parakeet and a piranha \u2014 swoop down to devour any creature in their path.<\/p>\n<p>The film\u2019s prehistoric setting also served as an interesting philosophical device because \u2014 as DeMicco and Sanders quickly realized \u2014 once the external trappings, obligations and rules of modern society are stripped away, the characters have nothing left to talk about but life\u2019s big questions. \u201cWhen that became clear,\u201d DeMicco said, \u201cwe realized this movie can speak to an audience on a far deeper emotional level than we had first anticipated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During the film\u2019s opening titles, a single glowing ember drifts out from the screen, appearing to hover tantalizingly in mid-air, so close and so real you feel that if you reached out and touched it, it might burn your fingers. It foreshadows the prehistoric heroes\u2019 introduction to fire (\u201cTry hiding from it in the tall, dry grass,\u201d Grug advises Thunk with predictably disastrous results), but it is also a reference to the spark of imagination that illuminates this whole film. While <em>The Croods<\/em> is about family and overcoming fear of change, it is also about creativity, and how if we trust and use it wisely we can shape our destiny and better our world.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCreativity definitely takes work,\u201d DeMicco said. He reserves mornings for \u201cthe carpentry\u201d of writing, in which he frames his ideas. \u201cIn the mornings I am a lot clearer and I can build on my thoughts. But the actual thinking comes at other times. It\u2019s like people say, \u2018It comes to you in the shower.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<p>If he gets stuck, DeMicco goes for a walk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you just sit there and try to drum up a solution, you\u2019ll probably come up with an answer,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s probably going to be the logical answer that everyone else would come up with. The gap in the logic is where the comedy comes from \u2014 the surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The resulting movie opened to a box office win. Part of the universal appeal of the Croods, whom DeMicco has described as \u201ctimelessly dysfunctional,\u201d is that they exhibit many of the same struggles and triumphs of a modern-day family. At the same time, they are on a perpetual voyage of discovery, as they realize if they don\u2019t evolve \u2026 they\u2019re history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe never referred to the Croods as stupid,\u201d DeMicco said. \u201cWe would say they had \u2018beginners\u2019 minds.\u2019 That allows them to see things anew, and that is the fresh, engaging part of the film, seeing all the wonder of the world through their eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The road-trip theme brings back memories of a comparative literature course on Western civilization DeMicco took from then-USC professor Nancy Vickers more than two decades ago.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat class was great because it was all about journeys. We watched <em>Apocalypse Now<\/em> then read <em>Dante\u2019s Inferno<\/em>; the great epic poems, <em>The Iliad<\/em>, <em>The Odyssey<\/em>, then saw movies with the same structure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Familiarizing himself with concepts such as Joseph Campbell\u2019s monomyth and learning about the shared structure that runs through all great literature was invaluable in shaping DeMicco\u2019s storytelling skills. \u201cI realized there are steps that happen. That was eye-opening.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These lessons helped pave the way for the writing and structuring of <em>The Croods<\/em>. \u201cOur movie is a journey film,\u201d DeMicco said. \u201cThe steps are the resurrection, crossing the first threshold, the journey into the new world.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/croods_secondary-1380.jpg\" alt=\"An scene from the animated film The Croods\" width=\"350\" height=\"225\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u201cThe cavemen are the only characters we\u2019ve ever worked with who are without guile,\u201d said DeMicco, paying tribute to the inherent sweetness of his prehistoric heroes. \u201cThey\u2019re innocent, like babies. I love that they don\u2019t have ulterior motives.\u201d <em>Croods<\/em> photo courtesy of Dreamworks Animation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The movie begins by showing the strained relationship between Grug (voiced by Nicholas Cage), the archetypal over-protective father whose mission in life is to keep his family safe by any means necessary, and Eep (voiced by Emma Stone), Grug\u2019s rebellious teenage daughter who feels trapped inside the family cave. Then along comes Guy (voiced by Ryan Reynolds), a handsome young caveman graced with a superior intellect.<\/p>\n<p>Guy\u2019s innovative ideas pique Eep\u2019s curiosity, but challenge Grug\u2019s traditional ways.<\/p>\n<p>By swapping a fear of technology, which had been the creators\u2019 original focus of the story, for a more universal fear \u2014 the fear of change \u2014 the writers hit upon a way to transcend cultural and generational barriers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can understand the fear of technology intellectually, but no one really believes it. Everyone seems to love their iPhones, so it\u2019s kind of a false argument. But no father in the world is going to say, \u2018I look forward to the day my daughter brings home her first boyfriend,\u2019\u201d DeMicco said. \u201cEveryone fears that. It\u2019s the emotional part of change, and no matter what their age, everyone can identify with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>DeMicco admits to having a particularly soft spot for Grug, whose motto in the movie is, \u201cNever not be afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not just a line in the film, it\u2019s pretty much my lifestyle choice, especially where emergency preparedness is concerned,\u201d the filmmaker confessed.<\/p>\n<p>So how does he cope with the universal fear that all writers face, the terror of the blank page?<\/p>\n<p>DeMicco credits iconic British comedian John Cleese, with whom he wrote early <em>Croods<\/em> scripts, and who lectures on creativity at Cornell University, with showing him the foolproof method of creating a \u201cmind map\u201d by writing down all ideas on a huge piece of blotter paper. \u201cThe good thing about that system is that you have the terror of the blank page only once, and then you never have it again. When you come back each day, you\u2019ve got a big piece of paper and there\u2019s something on it. Then when it comes to structure, you already have this quarry of ideas to mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As a 7-year-old growing up in late 1970s suburbia in Franklin Lakes, N.J., DeMicco made Super-8 movies with his <em>Star Wars<\/em> figures. He loved Roald Dahl\u2019s novels and watching Cleese\u2019s British TV comedy, <em>Monty Python\u2019s Flying Circus<\/em> and was a fan of all things Hanna-Barbera, as well as the physical comedy style of <em>Looney Tunes<\/em>, particularly the <em>Road Runner<\/em> cartoons. \u201cI was always messing around with stories,\u201d DeMicco said. \u201cI knew I wanted to make movies even when I was a kid. That\u2019s why I came to USC.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bitten by the travel bug, the USC Dornsife undergraduate spent his junior year at the University of Canterbury in Kent, England, where he joined a film club, before returning to USC to double major in economics and political science, the two subjects \u2014 along with film \u2014 that he remains passionate about today.<\/p>\n<p>Reflecting on his decision to pursue a liberal arts degree rather than go to film school, DeMicco said: \u201cI was convinced by a couple of professors, including professor Vickers, that a broad-based liberal arts undergraduate education would serve me well. I think a liberal arts education gives you a base to reflect critically and creatively on the world around you. And in my dreams, I\u2019d really like to be the host of a political comedy show.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, once he graduated DeMicco returned to his first love, spending three years in Rome as a journalist on the Italian film publication <em>Foreign Sales<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Returning to the United States, he landed a coveted job in the mailroom of the legendary William Morris Agency in New York City. He was soon promoted to agent\u2019s assistant in the motion picture department and transferred to the company\u2019s Los Angeles office in 1994. Just six months later he sold his first spec screenplay, <em>A Day in November<\/em>, to Warner Bros., after a bidding war.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, DeMicco has worked with some of his childhood heroes and adapted his favorite works to film. In addition to collaborating with Cleese on an adaptation of Dahl\u2019s novel <em>The Twits<\/em>, he worked on a Hanna-Barbera cartoon and a Looney Tunes movie for Warner Bros., adapted the Jack Kirby comic <em>New Gods<\/em>, and collaborated with filmmaker Barry Sonnenfeld on an adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel. He also joined forces with Sonnenfield as a first-time director on the animated film <em>Space Chimps<\/em>. He was writer and co-producer of <em>Racing Stripes <\/em>for Warner Bros., <em>Sherlock Homeboy<\/em> for Universal Family, <em>Hong Kong Phooey<\/em> for Warner Bros. and Alcon Entertainment, and <em>Casper: Scare School<\/em> for Classic Media.<\/p>\n<p>DeMicco believes an important part of being a director is building a creative environment where everyone \u2014 actors and artists \u2014 feels comfortable experimenting and suggesting ideas. Keen to share kudos with the 385-strong DreamWorks Animation team that worked on <em>The Croods<\/em>, he related how at times the artists drove the creative process.<\/p>\n<p>In possibly the movie\u2019s most moving scene, Grug, at that point separated from his family and unsure he will ever see them again, lovingly paints their portraits on a cave wall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChris and I were looking at a cave painting one of the artists had drawn and we said, \u2018That\u2019s it, this is the iconic image.\u2019 We wrote toward there. We strove to get that in. That\u2019s totally different from any other way of working \u2014 it was inspired by the visuals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe coolest part of writing and working in animation is that the visuals inspire the writing and the writing drives the visuals,\u201d DeMicco said.<\/p>\n<p>Coming from a director who shares Grug\u2019s mantra of fear, <em>The Croods<\/em> has a remarkably upbeat ending.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have worked on this movie for as long as I did had I not felt like I was emotionally connected to this story of a guy who cares about his family in every frame of the film,\u201d DeMicco said. \u201cGrug learns the biggest lesson of all is just to accept other people\u2019s changes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the movie\u2019s most dramatic scene, Grug has to literally throw what he values most \u2014 his family \u2014 into the unknown, and simply trust. By making that leap of faith, he embraces optimism and hope. And his mantra finally changes to reflect that personal transformation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m working toward,\u201d said DeMicco of his pessimistic alter ego\u2019s cosmic shift in outlook. \u201cMaking this movie has been a long therapy session for me.\u201d It\u2019s said lightly, with a laugh, but there is clearly more than a grain of truth in his words.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have to believe there is an answer and the solution is out there and be patient,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to be optimistic to be creative.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/the-creativity-issue\/\">Read more articles from <em>USC Dornsife Magazine<\/em>&#8216;s Spring\/Summer 2013 issue<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>USC Dornsife alumnus Kirk DeMicco\u2019s box office hit <em>The Croods<\/em> is nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. The story charts the adventures of an endearingly dysfunctional prehistoric family who must learn to evolve . . . or die.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":20060,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[264,484],"class_list":["post-9663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","tag-alumni","tag-movies"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Crood Awakening<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/crood-awakening\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Crood Awakening\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"USC Dornsife alumnus Kirk DeMicco\u2019s box office hit The Croods is nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. The story charts the adventures of an endearingly dysfunctional prehistoric family who must learn to evolve . . . or die.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/crood-awakening\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"USC Dornsife News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uscdornsife\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-01-17T00:40:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-05-23T18:20:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2014\/01\/story-1380-top.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1150\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Liu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" 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