#OnTheBigScreen: Fatman and The Croods: A New Age

Fatman

Fourteen years after they first wrote the script, The Nelms Brothers finally made Fatman, a fantastic dark comedy challenging the myth of the Santa we know from the Coca-Cola classic and other films.

To save his declining business, Chris Cringle (Mel Gibson), also known as Santa Claus, is forced into a partnership with the US military in Fatman. Making matters worse, Chris gets locked into a deadly battle of wits against a highly-skilled assassin (Walton Goggins), hired by a precocious 12-year-old after receiving a lump of coal in his stocking. ‘Tis the season for Fatman to get even, in the highly entertaining dark-comedy that keeps on giving.

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The Croods: A New Age

The Croods have survived their fair share of dangers and disasters, from fanged prehistoric beasts to being forced to come out into the light and leave their cave forever. But now that the pack has managed to navigate the end of the world, they will face their biggest challenge of all: another family in this epic comedy-adventure.

The Croods need a new place to live. So, the first prehistoric family sets off into the world in search of a safer place to call home. When they discover an idyllic walled-in paradise that meets all their needs, they think their problems are solved - except for one thing. Another family already lives there: the Bettermans.

The Bettermans (emphasis on the ‘better’) - with their elaborate treehouse, amazing inventions and irrigated acres of fresh produce - are a couple of steps above the Croods on the evolutionary ladder. When the Bettermans temporarily invite the Croods into their home filled with creature comforts, it isn’t long before tensions escalate between this cave family and a modern one. Just when all seems lost, a new threat will propel both families on an epic adventure outside the safety of the wall, one that will force them to embrace their differences, draw strength from each other and forge a future together.

The epic comedy-animation adventure is directed by Joel Crawford, and written by Kevin Hageman and Dan Hageman (The Lego Movie) and Paul Fisher and Bob Logan (The Lego Ninjago Movie), from a story by returning The Croods writer-directors Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders.

Competition

Biz readers can win a fantastic Croods New Age hamper that includes fantastic stickers, face masks, activity sheet and a rock craft kit. All you have to do is tell us which film studio made this animation film and send your answer and contact details to writingstudio.co.za/contact-us before 31 December.

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