Nicolas Cage back in the thick of action

MANILA, Philippines - In The Croods, Cage plays Grug whom he lends his voice to — an overprotective caveman patriarch to his family in the midst of an ever-changing environ where predators lurk behind every rock. Earth’s movements force them to leave their cave and move towards the light and unchartered territories. In the thick of adventure, Grug is ever mindful of his family including his wife Ugga (Catherine Keener), Eep (Emma Stone), Thunk (Clark Duke), Gran (Cloris Leachman) and baby.

Along the way, the Croods meet Guy (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) whose dazzling new discoveries — like fire... and shoes — shake up the Croods in unexpected ways. Most of the family (especially Eep) are open to Guy’s vision of a new place called “tomorrow,” but Grug sees the biggest calamity yet: A charming teenage boy from which he must “protect” Eep.

Grug’s ethos is “fear is good; change is bad” and he tries to shield his loved ones from the threat posed by a uncertain world by keeping them hidden in a cave, venturing out only when they need to hunt for food. For Eep, sheltering inside a mountain is just boring and she yearns for something more.

“Grug and Eep’s relationship is one that many families can relate to — the over protective father and the teenage daughter who wants to have some adventure and explore. And the transformation and the growth they go through together makes for a very funny and a very heart-warming experience,” says Cage.

Cage empathizes with his on-screen alter ego, because “it’s impossible to be a father and avoid thinking about your child’s first crush, or about keeping up with your kids’ new ways of thinking. I’m a father myself and I think if you care it’s impossible not to be a protective father because you want your loved ones to be safe. The problem is with Grug, even though there is a lot of humor in his attitude, he has stopped living and he’s just surviving. And that’s the great lesson that he gets from Eep, which is that you have to follow the light.”

“We, as parents, go too far sometimes, but that’s where Grug is at,” Cage continues. “He does experience a transformation, which we all must do at some point in our lives.”

Upon seeing the film in its final cut, Cage admitted he was overwhelmed, “Look, I’m a pretty emotional guy and I’m in touch with my feelings. I wouldn’t be able to do the work that I’ve selected for myself if I wasn’t,” he says. â€œI had to look at the ceiling to stop from welling up. I really had to pull my stuff together. And that’s all down to the power of the story telling. These guys, (directors) Kirk and Chris, are very creative and very talented storytellers.”

 â€œI saw it with the most people I’ll ever see it with, it was a huge audience, and I was blown away. I was lost in the visual spectacle of the movie because it’s so beautiful. “I was very taken with the imagination and the talent that went into this film. There are some extraordinarily creative people designing the animals in the movie and the landscapes in the movie. I think I could see The Croods 10 times in a row and always find something new in it,” continues Cage.

Cage concludes, “And I think that the relationships in the movie are so real. It’s about a family and the relationships within a family and that, I think, will resonate with people everywhere”

The Croods (3D) opens March 22 in cinemas nationwide from DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.