With their unique family dynamics in their prehistoric world, fans might wonder how old The Croods are supposed to be. At the beginning of the DreamWorks animated movie, the Croods, led by the over-protective Grug (Nicolas Cage), have spent their lives seeking shelter from the dangers of “the Croodaceous period” by living in a cave. Grug’s overly curious daughter Eep (Emma Stone) thinks there’s more to life than living in fear. Fate forces them to leave their sanctuary and explore the outside world to find a home in one of the most popular DreamWorks animated movies of the 2010s.
Soon Grug, his mate Ugga (Catherine Keener), Eep, his son Thunk (Clark Duke), daughter Sandy (Kailey Crawford), and Gran (Cloris Leachman) find themselves encountering strange creatures and environments, as well as a few new friends like Guy (Ryan Reynolds). In the sequel, The Croods: A New Age, and the DreamWorks animated TV spin-off, The Croods: Family Tree, they encounter characters, like the Bettermans, a more modern family who encourage them to adapt to their agrarian lifestyle. Generational and epochal differences are at the heart of the humor in the franchise, so the age of The Croods characters plays a big factor.
10
Grug Crood
Age: 39
Grug (voiced by Nicolas Cage) is the overly cautious patriarch of the Crood family and is introduced as a 39-year-old, which is fairly old for someone in the Pliocene era when life expectancy wasn’t very high. His age is essential to his personality in the first movie, as he has been around long enough to understand the dangers of the world they live in and has seen what happens to people who are not careful. This patriarchal status in the family is both helpful and destructive.
Grug loves his family so much that he’d rather keep them safe inside a cave than risk them getting hurt outside, and even after they leave the cave, he’s mistrustful of everything they encounter (which includes Eep’s new boyfriend, Guy). Grug eventually has to learn that the only way to really keep his family together is to let them live their life freely on their own terms, even if that means making decisions he considers reckless or dangerous.
9
Ugga Crood
Age: 38
Ugga Crood (voiced by Catherine Keener) is Grug’s mate and the practical-minded mother of his three children, Eep, Thunk, and Sandy. She is 38 in the first Croods movie, with her being slightly younger than Grug. Ugga sees Grug as a strong and capable leader of the family, following his strict safety rules. However, she also understands the struggles that her daughter Eep feels with not experiencing more of life.
She is supportive of Grugg but grows more confident in challenging him on his decisions about what is best for the family. At one point, she protects her children from a giant human-eating flower, proving to herself that she can survive in a new world. This is a reminder that she has lived long in this dangerous world and understands the reality of it all.
8
Eep Crood
Age: 19
Eep Crood (voiced by Emma Stone) is the adventurous and free-spirited daughter of Grug and Ugga and is referred to as a teenager who isn’t old enough to make decisions for herself without parental authority. However, she is actually 19 years old, and her being a young adult is what further pushes the conflict between her and her father. She is ready to have more independence and feels suffocated by his rules.
Eep is just like any teenager who needs to find out for herself what the world is about, because cautionary tales about Krispy the Bear won’t work forever.
When she hears a noise outside the cave and eschews Grug’s warnings, she unintentionally triggers a landslide that reveals a lush world beyond their own. When she meets Guy, she’s curious about his many inventions and isn’t afraid of his modern approach to living, which upsets Grug to no end. Eep is just like any teenager who needs to find out for herself what the world is about, because cautionary tales about Krispy the Bear won’t work forever.
7
Guy
Age: 20
Guy (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) is a genius who not only saves the Croods’ lives but also helps them understand a little more about the world beyond their cave and prepare for The End. Physically fit and mature-looking, he is slightly older than Eep at 20 years old. Though the two characters share a romance, the slight age difference is important as Guy represents the freedom Eep wants for herself and the independence of adulthood.
Based on his knowledge of fire, physics, and other evolutionary developments (like straight posture and a lack of Neanderthal strength), he’s more emotionally intelligent than any of the Croods. It’s possible that he’s part of a different species than the Croods, and possibly has a longer life span as a result, though that is not explored in the movies or shows.
6
Thunk
Age: 9
Thunk (voiced by Clark Duke) is Grug and Ugga’s slightly feral son and Eep’s brother. Even though he looks bigger than Eep, he’s her kid sibling. He is not as smart as his sister, but he is intelligent enough to provide his actual age, as during the scene in which he accidentally sets himself on fire, he pleads with the fire, saying, “Please, I’m only 9.” His younger age makes sense based on the comments that Grug makes about him getting too much “screen time” and not playing outside enough.
Unlike Eep, he’s also not at an age where he’s concerned with finding a mate or developing a crush. Thunk is much more susceptible to his parents’ admonishments than Eep is, though he eventually begins to ᴀssert himself once they get out of the cave. In that sense, he fits the role of the more impressionable youth who still has a fear of things he doesn’t understand.
5
Gran Crood
Age: 80
Gran (voiced by Cloris Leachman) is Ugga’s mother and the sagaciously sᴀssy elder of the Croods. At 80 years old, she has clearly lived a longer life than most people in this prehistoric world. However, while her appearance certainly suggests she is an old woman, she has the fighting spirit of someone who is much younger, which helps to explain her being a survivor.
She doesn’t really pay attention to Grug’s warnings about life beyond the cave, feeling like she’s lived long enough, and therefore, any day she lives to see is something to be treasured, not to be feared. She also seems to have an understanding about the realities of her old age, as she frequently proclaims she is “Still alive!“
4
Sandy Crood
Age: 4
Sandy Crood (voiced by Randy Thom) is Grug and Ugga’s youngest daughter, who is just 4 years old in the first movie and turns 5 in the sequel. Sandy is a miniature version of Eep with bright red hair and freckles. She’s not able to talk or communicate beyond bites and growls, acting more like the family pet. When she does eventually speak, her first word is “Dada,” echoing most modern children’s first word being one of their parents’ monikers, followed by a pure expression of joy with “Whee!”
3
Phil Betterman
Age: Late 30s
Phil Betterman (voiced by Peter Dinklage) appears in The Croods: A New Age as a more evolved human and a potential nemesis of Grug’s before they begin to trust one another. Phil appears to be in his late 30s, about the same age as Grug. This feeds into the rivalry between the two characters. Though they are the same age, Phil presents himself as much more impressive and evolved compared to Grug, even if he is more cowardly.
Phil stands a lot taller due to living in trees rather than stooping in caves, as well as having a more balanced diet thanks to growing fresh vegetables. He teaches Grug about agrarian society and all the benefits of modern innovation, including makeshift elevators, aqueduct pipes, and tilled farmland.
2
Hope Betterman
Age: Late 30s
Hope Betterman (voiced by Leslie Mann) is Phil Betterman’s wife and, like her husband, represents a more modern way of living as an evolved human. She doesn’t understand how the Croods have survived so long without all the conveniences of farming and running water, but is more welcoming than her husband of a whole new group of friends to socialize with.
The fact that she is more focused on her appearance compared to the movie’s other matriarch, Ugga, who is preoccupied with survival, shows the contrast between the families.
She’s also in her late 30s, but is made to appear younger because she seems to take care of herself with modern hygiene, and shows off whatever’s considered fashionable in the Pliocene era. The fact that she is more focused on her appearance compared to the movie’s other matriarch, Ugga, who is preoccupied with survival, shows the contrast between the families.
1
Dawn Betterman
Age: 18
Dawn Betterman (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran) is the teenage daughter of Phil and Hope, and while she’s not as adventurous as Eep in The Croods, she’s curious about the world beyond the utopia her parents built in The Croods: A New Age. She is 18 years old, which adds to the dynamic she shares with Eep in the sequel. They are both excited to have found another teenage girl to connect with, but Eep is also something of a mentor to the younger Dawn in learning more about the world.
She doesn’t have the same sort of scars Eep has from a rougher lifestyle and embodies the effects on a character that too many creature comforts can have without adversity. Like Eep, she’s very excited to finally have another teenage girl in her life to bond with in The Croods universe.
