The Croods: Family Tree
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The Croods: Family Tree
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Croods: Family Tree is a TV spin-off of the Croods movie franchise; it's fairly similar to the movies, but without the excellent writing and humor that made the first movie shine. The series' storyline picks up where The Croods: A New Age left off: The Croods now live in a much less scary world, but they can't shed their tendency to solve every problem with physical aggression. Expect slapstick fantasy violence throughout, much of which is intended to be funny, as well as some scary wild animals and high intensity action. The punch-monkey characters, who communicate by hitting each other, are also back. While there's no iffy language, there's mean behavior and passive-aggressive exchanges throughout. Eep and Guy's teenage romance continues to blossom and is a major plot point, but their attempts at physical affection are thwarted by family members.
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What's the Story?
THE CROODS: FAMILY TREE picks up where The Croods: A New Age movie left off (but without any of the celebrity voice talent from the movie). The prehistoric Crood family has left their predator-filled former home to live in a utopian garden with their rivals, the more-evolved Betterman family. While they're no longer fighting for their very existence, the Croods face a new problem: boredom. Thunk adapts easily to the new relaxing lifestyle, but the rest of the Crood clan has difficulty turning off their fight-or-flight impulses. The Bettermans are not exactly thrilled with this chaotic intrusion on their idyllic lifestyle either. Meanwhile, teenagers Eep and Guy are still in love and trying to figure out how to flirt without family intruding. Can the Croods and Bettermans figure out how to co-exist peacefully?
Is It Any Good?
In the attempt to wring yet another spin-off out of the Croods franchise (following two movies and a prequel cartoon), it seems that there may be no more compelling stories left to tell. Kids who like the prehistoric world of the Croods will enjoy the fantastical animals and vibrantly colorful world in Family Tree. Otherwise, the storylines rely a lot on extended adventure scenes and there's not a ton of character development. Grown-ups wary of rude behavior and casual slapstick violence may have been willing to look the other way with the redeeming qualities of the fun original The Croods movie, but the subpar plots of Family Tree may not make the tradeoff worth it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the Bettermans and Croods treat each other. Sometimes they say nice-ish things but act in a mean way. What do you think would be a better way for them to resolve their conflicts?
There's a lot of hitting and injuries that would hurt in real life but are meant to be silly in the show. What do you think about cartoons showing violence as being funny? When is it okay, and when isn't it?
What do you think it would've been like to live in prehistoric times? Do you think you'd be able to live in a world where you have to find your own food and build your own shelter? What about living without electricity or internet?
TV Details
- Premiere date: September 23, 2021
- Cast: Amy Landecker, Kelly Marie Tran, Darin Brooks
- Networks: Hulu, Peacock
- Genre: Kids' Animation
- Topics: Adventures
- TV rating: TV-Y7
- Last updated: July 26, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
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The Croods
Gorgeously animated adventure has intense themes.
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The Croods: A New Age
Prehistoric cartoon sequel has slapstick, rude humor.
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Dawn of the Croods
Prequel 'toon warms the heart but can't match movie's mojo.
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