The Croods: City of Stone

The Croods: City of Stone is a 2027 American computer-animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. It is the sequel to The Croods: A New Age (2020) and the third installment in The Croods franchise. Directed by Joel Crawford and written by Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris, and William Schifrin from a story by Schifrin, the film features Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, Peter Dinklage, Leslie Mann, and Kelly Marie Tran reprising their roles from the first two films. Cloris Leachman, who voiced Gran in the first two films, died in February 2021, and is replaced here by Laraine Newman, who previously voiced the character in the traditionally animated Netflix prequel series Dawn of the Croods. They are all joined in by new additions to the cast including Walton Goggins, Anthony Anderson, Max Greenfield, Natasha Rothwell, and Jason Bateman.
Following the success of The Croods: A New Age, DreamWorks Animation expressed interest in making a second sequel to The Croods, with Crawford returning as director and Mark Swift returning as producer. Development on the film began in early 2022, with the majority of the voice actors signing on in July that year. By November of 2023, it was reported that Reiff, Voris, and Schifrin had signed on as writers, and that Breay and Jenkins had replaced Swift as producers. Production lasted until mid-2026.
The Croods: City of Stone was released on July 9, 2027, in the United States. It grossed over $283 million worldwide on an $80 million budget and received generally positive reviews for the animation, cast, and score. It was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
== Synopsis ==
One year after the fight against the Punch Monkeys in the previous film, the prehistoric family the Croods (Grug, Eep, Thunk, Sandy, Ugga, and Gran) have moved in as the neighbors of the modern, evolved family the Bettermans (Phil, Hope, and Dawn), and Eep and the Bettermans' old friend Guy have moved into one of the Bettermans' bedrooms, beginning a new life of their own. Eep and Dawn have also become best friends, as have Grug and Phil, who are now fully fluent in Punch Monkey language. While coming back from a joyride and getting ready for dinner, both of the families find out that their treehouse home is being repossessed by a man named Roger, who is from a modern, evolved city miles away called "Stonewall", and works as the assistant of the city's governor Louis Edward "Lou" Fergeron. He explains that treehouses are outdated and not up to code, prompting the Croods and the Bettermans to adventure to the city and confront Governor Fergeron himself, in hopes of getting their home back. However, just as they are about to enjoy their time in Stonewall to stop their treehouse residence from being grinded down to wooden splinters, several feral animals with unstable diseases being held in captivity break free from their shackles and attack the Stonewall residents barbarically. The Croods and Bettermans will have to work with some of the city's residents, such as an adventurous boy named Benny Jetson, to stop the feral animals and save the city or else they will go extinct and never get to see their treehouse ever again.
== Cast ==
* Nicolas Cage as Grug Crood, a caveman, the patriarch of the Croods, and Ugga's husband.
* Emma Stone as Eep Crood, a teenage cave girl, Grug and Ugga's eldest daughter, Guy's girlfriend, and Dawn's best friend.
* Ryan Reynolds as Guy Betterman, a teenage cave boy with an evolved, modern mindset who lives with the Croods, Dawn's childhood friend, and Eep's boyfriend.
* Walton Goggins as Louis Edward "Lou" Fergeron, the Governor of Stonewall.
* Leslie Mann as Hope Betterman, Phil's wife and Guy and Dawn's mother.
* Peter Dinklage as Phil Betterman, Hope's husband and Guy and Dawn's father.
* Kelly Marie Tran as Dawn Betterman, Phil and Hope's daughter and only child who is Guy's childhood friend and Eep's best friend. She later develops a crush on Benny Jetson.
* Anthony Anderson as Roger, Governor Fergeron's wisecracking assistant.
* Max Greenfield as Benny Jetson, an adventurous boy and resident of Stonewall who befriends and falls in love with Dawn.
* Natasha Rothwell as Meredith G, a sarcastic, emo-like girl who is Benny's neighbor and flirtatious friend.
* Jason Bateman as Officer Crawford, the head of the Stonewall Police Department, who helps the Croods and Bettermans navigate their way around the city. He is named after the film's director, Joel Crawford.
* Catherine Keener as Ugga Crood, a cavewoman, the matriarch of the Croods, and Grug's wife.
* Clark Duke as Thunk Crood, a young cave boy and Grug and Ugga's son.
* Laraine Newman as Gran, an old cavewoman who is Ugga's mother and Eep, Thunk, and Sandy's grandmother. She was previously voiced by the late Cloris Leachman in the first two films.
* Kailey Crawford as Sandy Crood, Grug and Ugga's youngest daughter.
* Ricky Reed as Patrick "Pym" Walters, Governor Fergeron's crabby doorman.
* Chris Sanders as Belt, Guy's pet sloth and Sash's mate.
* James Ryan as Sash, Dawn's pet sloth and Belt's mate.
* Januel Mercado as Shaman Monkey, the leader of the Punch Monkeys.
* William Schifrin as Gus, a friendly waiter at DeMicco's Pizzeria and an ally to Benny and Meredith.
* Guillermo del Toro and Elisa Gabrielli as Additional Voices
ADR group provided by Joel Crawford, Richard Gould, Ryan Naylor, Kirk DeMicco and Randy Thom.