Surf's Up (2007)

Just caught this with my kids (10 and 8) and they loved it, they didn't get all the adult jokes ;) but there was a few laugh out loud moments for them, especially when bodily functions were involved! There where bits that reminded me of ICe Age 1, especially the speeding through the fire chutes/ice tunnels but overall I'll recommend this for a family film, pleasant movie for a rainy English summer, (no tap dancing penguins and not too many musically numbers).

For me I was astounded by the graphics, the water and the jungle - I had to keep reminding myself that this was cgi but it looked more lifelike than real life, someone spent a lot of time on the design and it shows, very well done, if you are into any sort of design or computer graphics then this will blow you away, worth seeing it just for that!

Fmovies: Cody Maverick(Shia LeBouf), a rock-hopper penguin and native of Shiverpool, Antarctica, truly lives up to his surname, unlike his highly domestic mother and brother. He seems quite talented as far as finding his own way--he surfs when others fish, surfs when others sit on eggs, he surfs because that's who he is. The legend of Big Z, the emperor penguin who changed surfing forever, helped to make Maverick a maverick. So when neurotic event liaison bird Mikey Abromowitz (Mario Cantone) appears with a chance to compete in the annual "Big Z Memorial" competition, Cody literally jumps into the chance. Along the way, he meets characters such as Joe (Jon Heder, well-cast once again), a surfing chicken from Michigan, and Lani Aliikai (Zooey Deschanel), a lifeguard penguin who also knows a thing or two about Big Z. Like most other heroes of animated film, Cody learns something about what really matters, but don't let that put you off. This is some true summer fun, kept low-key, which, hopefully, will make this the sleeper hit of summer. Everyone is nicely cast, and the characters are easy to care about (that's saying a lot for modern cinema right there). The film looks wonderful as well--nice character design almost gets dwarfed by the environments, as the folks at Sony Animation show that they have successfully taught computers the difference between freezing, harsh Antarctic Ocean and beautiful, blue, tropical ocean. Truly stunning.

I feel I should also mention the soundtrack; no Beach Boys, but still appropriate. If you've been waiting to hear Incubus, Green Day, or Lauryn Hill in more film soundtracks, now's your chance. The mockumentary approach makes it even more engaging while amping the laughs. Christopher Guest would be proud. All in all, if you're looking for a break from all the holler and hoopla that summer movies bring, and as Big Z says, you're ready to just have some fun, catch a wave...

It's not the funniest animated movie you've ever seen -- most of the jokes are amusing, rather than laugh-out-loud -- but it does the job.

Sometimes the humor just seems to be "it's penguins doing human things -- get it?"

But it's fast-moving, colorful, and the voice cast is good. (Fortunately, they didn't give Jon Heder too much to do, so he wasn't out of his depth.)

Shia LeBeouf was very good (esp. considering how young he is). Several of us thought it was Bruce Willis doing the character of Cody. Snappy and smart. I liked Mario Cantone as the snarky sandpiper.

The animation is so deft you can actually see subtle emotions play over the faces of these birds. The waves sometimes look real, not animation.

There's a lot of stuff about surfing. Seemed like one of those old surfing documentaries sometimes. I didn't know if the kids could follow all that -- but the 3 little girls sitting in front of me pronounced the movie "fantastic" afterwards, so I guess it did its job.

Surf's Up fmovies. I have NO doubt that Shakespere, Beethoven, Da Vinci and many other great artists of the past would be amazed seeing the huge amount of wonderful artwork packed in this gracious, lovely movie.

No amount of praise would suffice to pay due honor to all those involved in the creation of Surf's Up. I can only thank you all for the superb inspiration, work, sensibility and craftsmanship.

Everything is in place. C.G., score, storyline, humor, mood. Lighting, colors - amazing colors, amazing score.

Surf's Up is truly a masterpiece, second to none.

That's the kind movie that really makes you feel joyous, that makes you realize that life is worth living, if not for anything else but for experiencing moments like those I experience whenever I watch this beautiful animation.

This film is great for the whole family. As a non-pixar film, my husband and I though it would be cute for our pre-schooler, but we didn't expect it to be as much fun as it was for our enjoyment. The mocumentary-style animation was refreshing and adorable. It was incredibly witty, and the story was classic! The animation itself rivaled the realness that pixar turns out - I couldn't take my eyes off the details in the penguins' markings and the clarity of the ocean scenes. Shia did an excellent job with the voice as well. I didn't think his voice would be recognizable enough to pull off a lead animation character, but because he's got such excitement and energy in his voice, you could really see him through the animated character. I'd recommend this to anyone. As my 3 year old has been saying since we left the theater: "I like penguin movie."

The previews drew me in, and when a rainy weekend coincided with Surf's Up coming to the local theater I went. Here I am old enough to be a grandmother and I love animated films. And the animation makes the film. The water is surreal in how lifelike it is with all the variegation of color. The plot of little guy, big dreams, dream crash, dream re-found, and priorities set straight is definitely cliché. It's how it all gets there, is what we spend our $5.00 matinée for. The voice talent is perfect: Jeff Bridges as the laid back Z, Shia LaBeouf the young hero in the making, Jon Heder as a stoned chicken from Michigan, and Zooey Deschanel as the good-hearted lifeguard who keeps secrets well. They made the movie flow.

As for the penchant of "children" movies using poop and pee for laugh lines--I ask why? It didn't add to the movie, and it certainly lowers it. It's as if they are afraid the movie won't hold up on its own without a bit of naughty and disgusting jokes. Hey, leave it alone and let the movie go. Urinating and flatulent penguins just aren't that funny. Lots of other funny stuff. Like I said to the floor sweeper when he asked me, "Was it any good?" It had it's moments.