After the underwhelming Happy Feet, I pretty much felt that the demand for cartoon penguins had died out, but like so many other animated movies, the penguins came in pairs. 2007's Surf's Up offers a mockumentary style tale about surfing penguins (and one chicken). Admittedly, I wasn't expecting much, but the movie delivered a delightful diversion and was actually pretty funny. One joke that I quite enjoyed was when Chicken Joe said he never really knew his dad, while the camera showed a picture of Joe's papa. Then the camera zoomed out revealing the picture on a bucket of chicken. Ha ha.

The movie follows Cody, a young surfer who was inspired in his youth by the legendary surfer Big Z. Cody enters a surfing competition along with Chicken Joe and Tank Evans. Unfortunately, Cody can't surf too well and Tank is an SOB, but when beach bum Geek takes Cody under his "wing," there is some hope for the underdog.

Anyways, nothing too deep here, but midway through the movie I found myself caring about what was going to happen and hoping that somehow the movie didn't take the cliche path of making Cody become a legendary surfer in a weeks time in order to win the championship. I won't say what happens, but the resolution was satisfactory.

As for the animation, it was fantastic. The water looked photo real, and watching the tide and beaches made me miss California. The penguins also had wet suit like designs that were kind of cool. The documentary style also gave the film a fresh angle that kept things interesting and different than the rest of the glut of CG animal adventures.

In closing, Surf's Up was not a big hit in theaters earning just $59 million, but this little film deserves a second look. In the battle of the penguins, Surf's Up easily wins out to the tune of a B+.

..and on a final note, lets let the penguin thing rest for a while eh?

Absolutely fantastic! I only picked up Surf's Up after reading about here on Keyframe, and it lived up to the reviews!

Most stunning effects I've seen! The water and sand are glorious.

The story is top-notch. Well-crafted and easy to follow without being simplistic. Unlike Happy Feet, it has a continuous flow to the narrative that results in a delightful story. The characters are excellent, both in design and personality.

I can't find fault in this film at this point. There's some potty humor, but quite frankly, I'm so used to that from TV (Family Guy, ATHF) it didn't phase me a bit (and it's good for cheap laughs).

Worth the time. Rent it; you won't be disappointed.

Radical.

This movie had it all - story, characters, animation - it was wonderful! Let's start with the winning element - the animation.

Oh, where do I start? It's like it was animated by angels! The water especially. It really blew me away that their second try at animation would be some of the best I've ever seen. The sand, the water, fire, and last but not least, the penguins - are almost completely flawless. And it didn't draw too much attention as to distract from the story itself. This is an amazing quality and so hard to achieve it's not even funny. Excellent in the animation department.

The story was so dang original it hurts. This was one of the most original, funny and moral plots I've ever seen. I loved the entire mockumentary theme, and it made it feel like a real documentary. The characters learn moral lessons and values. The humor is spread all the way through the film and was of the highest quality. My only gripes are that it had some crude humor and the beginning could have been longer, but overall it was wonderful in the story department.

And the characters - imperfect but lovable, charming yet cocky. Very good character development throughout the entire movie, all of the characters were well voiced, well acted, and well portrayed. Chicken Joe and his clueless self, Cody and the keep on keepin' on attitude, and who could forget ol' Big Z? These were great characters, and they were wonderfully done.

All in all, this is a total must see. Go watch it, and it will be worth your money.

Enjoy!

I saw SURF'S UP last night. It was excellent. The animation, the story, everything... wow. Beats the crap out of SHREK 3 BOTH story AND visual wise. This film had me laughing out loud throughout. It was charming, fun and ORIGINAL.

Too bad it's failing at the box office. It really is a fun film.

And Athena, the inferior, but still pretty good, OPEN SEASON was actually Sony Animation's first movie. This one was a lot better in my opinion.

There's something about this movie that, when you walk out of the theatre, makes you smile and want to say "now that's something I haven't seen before!"

Perhaps, it's the 'mockumentary' format... something I was really dubious about when I first read about it, but is done extremely well. There's something about the looseness of the camera, the way the shots are staged... some of the best gags come from the fact that this film isn't being setup like every other animated movie on the block.

The character designs are great--love the kinda sport and Hawaiian feel in the penguin colouring. The story probably isn't the most original thing in the world... basically your friends and having fun are more important than any trophy... but somehow it really feels fresh. The characters are charming--the three kids come very close to the 'Happy Feet' baby penguins in cute factor. Even the sporadic bits of 'poop' humour didn't bother me nearly as much they have in other movies.

And my god, the visuals... yes, the movie is about surfing penguins so clearly, water is kinda important... but that was the most stunning water I have ever seen in an animated feature. The surfing looks and feels spectacular--like the idea of penguins surfing is the most natural thing in the world.

The best thing about Surf's Up is the fact that it isn't trying to be every other animated feature. It isn't beating you over the head with how "wink-wink, nudge-nudge" funny it is. It isn't beating you over the head with a gooey message. It's not afraid of being what it is--a smart, charming piece of work.

This is Sony Animation's first feature and, if they keep up this kinda quality up in terms of story, look and originality, I think we've finally found a studio that can give Pixar a run for its money.

edit: apologies... Sony Animation's SECOND film... Open Season looked so unappealing I didn't even note which studio it came from.