The trailer used “Roar” by Katy Perry before the song became overplayed. Upbeat, anthemic, and on-the-nose in the best way — it turned a prehistoric setting into a modern coming-of-age story.
The Croods trailer didn’t hide the formula: family + fear + change = funny and moving. It attracted kids with slapstick, parents with Cage’s deadpan delivery, and everyone with the promise of vibrant animation. It wasn’t subtle — but neither is a cave-dwelling teenager.
Rewatching the 2013 trailer now, it’s a time capsule of early 2010s animated trailers: loud, fast, but unexpectedly tender. It sold a film about leaving the cave — by first making you laugh inside it. Would you like a shorter version for social media or a different angle (e.g., comparing it to modern animated trailers)?