The Laws of Physics in an Animation Universe: The Croods

     Physics plays a big role in creating an animated film or television show to make it inherently realistic. Movements of characters and objects must be animated to mimic how it would move in real life, to make it seem believable. Although realistic movements are necessary in animation, animators will often also use exaggerated action to enhance the experience of watching the animated movie or television. Many animated films and television shows exaggerated motion of characters to mimic each characters persona or characteristics. In particular DreamWorks movie The Croods shows this exaggeration of character movements and action to mimic the characters characteristics and creates familiar animals but yet different from real life creates to make the movie much more interesting for children and adults to watch.

     The Croods story plot is about the early homo sapien/ neanderthal family named the Croods who meets a guy, named Guy after their cave home gets destroyed due to the tectonic plates shift that divides the land called Pangea into the seven different continents that exist today. The Croods along side Guy embarks on a journey to follow the sun and into the new world. During this journey they encounter many different land structures and species that the family have never seen before. These creatures that they encounter can seem very familiar to viewers and some seems to be a hybrid of two species that exists today. Such example can be seen in the first scene when the Croods hunt for food and they fins what seems to be an ostrich egg. First and fore most though the Croods family themselves have features of humans traits but can seem different especially the father, Grug who has a bigger upper body with small waist and small legs. His body proportion is similar to that of a gorilla. Furthermore the family in different scenes can also move in all fours or walk with two legs which obeys physical characteristics of humans and gorillas. Going back the bird that looks like an ostrich with horns like a ram in the first food hunt scene follow that same idea of hybrid mixtures that the animators were going for. The way the bird runs is similar to an ostrich, but also has characteristics of a ram. It uses its spiral horn to charge and attack its prey. This multi hybrid characteristics of these characters follows movements from real life creatures so they seem familiar. But the animation aspects of creating two familiar creatures and combing them into one creature pulls back viewers from that familiar creature they see in real life and back to the animated creature that the animators have created.

     Furthermore in analyzing the Croods family, they have a fast paced movement to them that seems to defy the laws of physics of human characteristics in real life. This can be seen in the first scene that the movie opens which is the hunting scene. Specifically when they run with the other animals. All of which seems to be moving at the same pace as the other animals as they run on two legs. If physics is followed there is no way that real humans can run at the same pace as an ostrich, leopard, and a mammoth. Another example of speed that does not follow the laws of physics is the scene when Grug and Guy gets into a fight and rolls off the cliff. When they roll off the cliff they are suspended in air for a longer period of time than they should actually be. This was a way to to dramatize the falling action of the characters as they fall of the cliff. These characters fast paced movement is necessary tough to balance the fact that the there is not a whole lot of movements in the background. The background all seems to be still, but it isn't noticeable because there is a lot of movement in the characters themselves.

     Another law bending rules of physics that can be seen throughout the movie is the super human strength that the Croods family posses specifically Grug and Eep. Grug in many several scenes throughout the movie would lift heavy boulders of rocks and would throw them in the air and he would catch them. A very good example of this is the scene where Grug lifts three rocks like it was nothing and he gets thrown in the air and get struck by lighting. When Grug falls a boulder rolls on top of him and he still manages to stay alive after the incidence. If the laws of physics is followed Grug shouldn't have been able to lift the boulders and getting struck by lighting should have killed him or knocked him out unconscious. On top of that the boulder that rolled on top of him should have crushed him and Grug should have died instantly. Another Croods member of the family with super strength is Eep. Eep has strength, grace, and agility that a normal human being cannot posses. The scene that show cases this law bending physics is when she climbs up the cliff to catch the few rays of the sun before heading back into the cave. Eep climbs up the cliff with such ease, grace, and speed it really seems so impossible. If the laws of physics is followed in the movie Eep should have fallen if she climbed up that cliff that fast. She would have had to think every move she would make before even deciding where to grab hold or where to put her feet on the rocks.

     Ultimately The Croods follow most of the laws of physics, especially the important bits like the movement of the body and how the animals run and their movements. The movements of the hair from the wind even though the characters where still makes it come to life, without any scene that would seems dull. Bending some of the laws of physics is a way for animators to exaggerate characters skills and characteristics, as well as a comedic relief for entertainment. The quick pace movements of the characters, shows of great strength,and agile movements makes for an entertaining animation.

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this shows the features of the Croods family gorilla like posture

 the hybrid ostrich/ram 

The fast movement of the Croods they can run just as fast as the other creatures. 

The speed and the strength Eeps shows in the scene when she goes up the cliff to catch the last sun ray of the day.

The scene when Grug and Guy gets into a fight and they hang in mid air for a few frames before falling. 

 

These last few scenes shows the super human strength that Grug has. He is able to lift huge boulders. He also gets struck by lighting and a boulder rolls on top of him him and he still manages to live.