Movie Review Surf's Up

Surf's Up (2007) 

Directed by Ash Brannon, Chris Buck

Written by Ash Brannon, Chris Buck, Don Rhymer, Chris Jenkins

Starring Shia Le Beouf, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder, Brian Posehn

Release Date June 15th, 2007 

Published June 15th, 2007

In its brief history Sony Pictures Animation has turned out a pleasant slate of kids pics that, while they aren't the rival of Pixar, are wonderfully imaginative and lovingly crafted. Monster House and Open Season were two of 2006's most pleasant surprises and showed an aesthetic that is becoming a Sony Animation staple. It's a watercolor, computer animation combination that occasionally looks quite breathtaking.

The latest Sony Pictures Animation project, the Penguin comedy Surf's Up, is not as accomplished as Monster House or as fun as Open Season, but it does show the potential of the talented group at Sony Animation and the likelihood that, with a little more care and attention, there is a chance for a real masterpiece from this rising animation company.

Ever since he was a small penguin Cody (Shia Le Beouf) has wanted to surf. When he was very young Cody met the legendary surfer Big Z who gave him a souvenir medallion that he has worn for the rest of his life. Shaping a piece of ice into a board, Cody surfs the relatively small Antarctic swells in hopes of one day traveling to Penghu Island for the Big Z memorial tournament.

Cody gets his chance when a talent scout arrives, riding on whale-back. Cody impresses him with his persistence, if not his surfing and soon Cody is on his way to the big show. There he meets Roger the chicken (Jon Heder) who quickly becomes his new best friend. He also meets Lena (Zooey Deschanel) who catches his romantic fancy.

Then there is Geek (Jeff Bridges) , a mysterious hermit who takes Cody in after he has an accident while surfing. The two bond and soon Geek is Cody's mentor; preparing him for the tournament and a showdown with the jerky defending champion Tank (Diedrich Bader).

Surf's Up plays out in a cartoon documentary style that works to set it apart from other similar animated films. The format allows humorous digressions like a look back at Big Z's classic surfing movies, reminiscent of the legendary Endless Summer documentaries. Another strength of the documentary structure is the straight to the camera interview moments, especially those featuring the cute young penguins with their wonderfully humorous greek chorus commentaries.

Comedian Brian Posehn also shines in these brief interview segments with pitch perfect sibling rivalry banter with Shia Le Beouf.

The terrifically talented voice cast of Surf's Up is a real joy to behold. Shia Le Beouf brings to life Cody's childlike wonderment with an edge of youthful arrogance. Jeff Bridges meanwhile will no doubt remind many adult viewers of his most iconic character, the dude from The Big Lebowski, sans the white russians and the bathrobe.

Zooey Deschanel's distinctive voice has an edgy sarcastic quality that she can turn sympathetic but only when absolutely necessary. Jon Heder delivers a slightly controversial turn as Roger the chicken. The character is supposed to be sweetly naive but he comes off more like a classic stoner character, not exactly kid friendly.

The animation of Surf's Up is pretty terrific. Sony Pictures Animation has followed the Pixar model and is developing a signature style. Combining computer animated aesthetics with a sort of water color look, Sony's animators bring an element of classic hand drawn animation to their CG work. The closing scene of Surf's Up, set inside the curl of a wave, is a breathtaking sight, one of the finest animated moments of any cartoon you've ever seen.

Surf's Up could stand to be a little funnier, with a quicker pace but overall it's pleasant, non-threatening and energetic enough that the kids will be engaged and mom and dad won't be bored. Most importantly, Surf's Up is a signpost of great things to come from the rising Sony Animation brand. A strong, if not as impressive, follow up to the terrific Monster House and the entertaining Open Season, Surf's Up is worth the price of a matinee admission.