Reviewed by Neil Davey
Stars the voices of Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges,
Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder, James Woods,
Diedrich Bader, Kelly Slater
Written by Lisa Addario & Joe Syracuse
Certification UK PG | US PG
Runtime 85 minutes
Directed by Ash Brannon & Chris Buck
Bloody hell. What is it about filmmakers and sodding penguins? After March of the Penguins and Happy Feet, you’d think we’d have had enough of their stumpy little forms. But, if Surf’s Up is anything to go by, there’s still more cinematic mileage in the creatures.
In short, it’s funnier, slicker and sweeter than Happy Feet — and there’s a great dig about singing and dancing penguins early on. Admittedly Happy Feet delivered a knockout ecological lesson that, while sitting uncomfortably with what had gone before, was the sort of potent message people need to learn. Surf’s Up can’t claim that sort of moral highground — the moral here is basically "it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s about taking part" — but it is funnier, better animated and better acted.
The film focuses — in intermittent, beautifully observed documentary style — on teenage Rockhopper Cody Maverick (LaBeouf) who wants to surf, just like his hero, the late penguin surf legend Big Z (Bridges). When the chance arrives to leave is home town of Shiverpool, Antarctica (don’t worry, the gags get much better than that) to take part in the Big Z Memorial Surf Off, Cody’s off like a shot. Exit, pursued by film crew. On arriving at the competition though, Cody slowly discovers that while he can surf he doesn't know much about life and, if he’s going to beat the current champ, Tank Evans, he needs to learn a few lessons. And quickly.
So, yes, you’ve seen it all before, and the moralising herein does sound a little Disney-esque and heavy-handed. But it isn’t. It’s served up with warmth, humour and with the sort of animation that, while it won’t cause too many sleepless nights at Pixar, should at least have them looking over their shoulder. So, make it look good, get some decent actors, give them a good script. It's hardly rocket science, but it's amazing how many studios bugger it up when it comes to animation. Go, enjoy, feel warm and fuzzy. Delightful.
• Official Site
• Surf's Up at IMDb
• Enter our Surf's Up competition