Surf's Up - Preview & US reaction
Preview by Jack Foley
PENGUINS seem to be everywhere in films at the moment. Since the Oscar success of Happy Feet and March Of The Penguins, it’s the new cool to base films around those agile birds (heck, there’s even a penguin in The Simpsons Movie, or so we’re told).
The next penguin adventure is Surf’s Up, which boasts another strong vocal cast (including Transformers star Shia LaBeouf) and a very funny trailer.
The film takes the form of an animated mock documentary by Chris Buck (Tarzan) and Ash Brannon (Toy Story 2) that follows the fortunes of penguin Cody Maverick (LaBeouf) from his hometown of Shiverpool, Antarctica to the “Big Z Memorial Surf Off” on Pen Gu Island.
Cody is determined to win the most important competition in the world of penguin surfing in honour of “Big Z,” a deceased surfing legend whom he has idolized since childhood.
But the waves in Pen Gu are different from Shiverpool and the competition is tough. The current champ, egotistical Tank Evans (Diedrich Bader) isn’t about to let this little penguin knock him from first place without a fight. When Cody wipes out and encounters Geek (Jeff Bridges), a recluse living in the jungle, he learns some important lessons about life and surfing, and even teaches Geek a thing or two.
As well as featuring the vocal talents of man-of-the-moment LaBeouf and the always excellent Bridges, Surf’s Up also features James Woods as sports promoter Reggie, Jon Heder and Zooey Deschanel as midwestern surfer dude Chicken Joe and the lovely lifeguard Lani, respectively, and Kelly Slater and Rob Machado as two Sports Penguin Entertainment Network (SPEN) correspondents.
The film drew a favourable response from US critics when it opened earlier this summer. The New York Times declared that “Surf’s Up has a friendly, blue-collar vibe and some sly, low-key humour”, and The Los Angeles Times stated that while “many of the riffs in the mock documentary might be lost on little tykes, the film’s feel-good message of perseverance, friendship and finding your own wave should be enjoyed by all”.
Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times opined: “The originality of the documentary format coupled with the splendid CGI effects qualifies Surf’s Up as not just another penguin movie.”
While the Hollywood Reporter concluded: “Surfing penguins make for radical fun for young children.” And The San Francisco Chronicle wrote: “The movie has just as much in common with This Is Spinal Tap or even Dogtown and Z-Boys as the cutesy and formulaic films that typically get churned out this time of year.”
The final word, however, goes to the Washington Post, which wrote: “It’s an old story, but [the directors] infuse it with terrific wit and energy, structuring Surf’s Up like a mock documentary and doing a remarkable job of approximating vintage film stock. It’s cool but not too cool, and cute but not too cute.”
The film opens in UK cinemas on August 10. Watch clips and the trailer