Film: Surf's Up
Tagline
Hang six Summer 2007
Plot
I take my daughter to see animated movies pretty much as soon as they come out. Generally I’m not too excited about the idea, but I know it will give me at least 90 minutes of peace and quiet, so who am I to complain. This movie, however, was one I was looking forward to seeing, mainly because I love watching anything to do with surfing. Can’t do it myself, but love to watch it.
Surf’s Up is shot in a mockumentary style and follows a camera crew as they go behind the scenes at a professional surfing championship. It begins with the crew in Antarctica interviewing a penguin named Cody Maverick (which is such a cool surfer name). Cody has been a big fan of Big Z, the world’s greatest surfer, since meeting him as a kid. He wears a medallion, given to him by the legend, around his neck like a good luck charm. Cody’s dream is to surf the big waves of Pen Gu Island and win the biggest penguin surfer championship. On his way to the island he hooks up with a surfing chicken (who is a terrible surfing cliché, but a classic nonetheless), and falls for the stunning lifeguard. He finds a mentor in an old penguin called Geek, who teaches him to surf for the love of it, and not the glory.
Verdict: It’s funny in places, almost informative in others (if you are into surfing) and the animation is superb. Something for the young and old, so I think its worthy of a 7 out of 10.