The animation house also scheduled 'Spooky Jack,' a collaboration with Jason Blum, for a 2021 opening.


DreamWorks Animation's long-planned sequel to The Croods, its 2013 movie about a prehistoric family, is back on and is now set for a Sept. 18, 2020, release by Universal Pictures.

The animation studio, now a division of Universal, also announced today that the previously announced Spooky Jack, a collaboration with horror master Jason Blum, would be released Sept. 17, 2021.

The original Croods grossed $587.2 million worldwide when it was released through DWA’s previous deal with Fox, and work began on a sequel, which was originally slated for 2017 and then moved to 2018. But following Universal’s acquisition of DWA in 2016, the production was shut down amid layoffs at the animation house.

Now that The Croods 2 has been revived, original stars Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman and Clark Duke are all returning, with Leslie Mann is joining the cast, as the original clan meets up with a new family.

Meanwhile, Spooky Jack, which focuses on three siblings who move into a new house haunted by all sorts of creatures, is being written by Robert Ben Garant (Night at the Museum, The Pacifier) and produced by DWA’s Damon Ross and exec produced by Blum.

Source