2013's The Croods performed well both critically and commercially, so understandably, Dreamworks Animation began developing a sequel after its release. The project has hit some bumps over the last couple years, but until now, we were all under the impression it would still planning on being released in 2018. However, it was announced earlier tonight that The Croods 2 has been scrapped.
According to Variety, Dreamworks Animation has "pulled the plug" on The Croods 2, with Universal Chairman Donna Langley breaking the news to workers at the studio's Glendale headquarters on Thursday. No specific reasons were provided about why this decision was made, although it may have happened before the Universal regime change occurred earlier this year. 30 employees had been working on The Croods 2, and while that's now finished, the report did note that Dreamworks Animation hopes to keep as many of those individuals as possible, whether it involves them being moved to a different project or enrolling them into "training or artistic development programs."
While The Croods may not be as well-known as the likes of Shrek or Kung Fu Panda, it did impress a decent amount of moviegoers, earning mostly positive reviews and hauling in over $587 million worldwide. Featuring the voice talents of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke and Cloris Leachman, the movie revolved around a caveman family in a prehistoric era (duh) dealing with their way of life being threatened by "modern" thinking, as well as having to travel through dangerous land in search of a new home. Had The Croods 2 moved forward, audiences would have also heard Leslie Mann and Kat Dennings as new members of the cast.
Admittedly, there were problematic signs concerning The Croods 2 for much of its production. The sequel was originally supposed to be released November 3, 2017, but it was soon pushed to December 22 of that same year. Then back in August, the movie was pushed back again to January 5, 2018 so it wouldn't have to go up against Star Wars: Episode VIII. Along with that last scheduled change also came the news that directors Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders had handed off writing duties to Kevin and Dan Hageman. It seemed like everything was under control, and Dreamworks Animation was still keen on continuing the Croods' adventures on the big screen. Alas, those plans are no more.
Fortunately, all of you Croods enthusiasts aren't being left empty-handed. The Dawn of the Croods TV series is airing on Netflix, although unlike the movie, it's traditionally animated. One of Variety's sources at Universal also said that since The Croods will rest in the studio's catalog, there's always the possibility the property could be re-explored in the future.
Let us know what you think of Dreamworks Animation killing The Croods 2 in the comments below.
It's unfortunate that a The Croods sequel isn't happening. However, if you are looking to add the original to your dvd or blu-ray collection, you can check that out here.
