Surf's Up Reviews

Back then, there were many penguin movies and whereas 'Happy Feet' and 'La marche de l'empereur' were really successful, this flick was quickly forgotten. Personally, I thought it looked pretty neat so I thought I should give a try and rent it to watch with the kids. For Sony Pictures Animation, it was their 2nd underperfoming features in a row following 'Open Season' but that's a shame because it was actually a very decent animated movie. First of all, the animation was downright gorgeous and the story was just really fun with some actually pretty impressive surf scenes. I guess, there is nowadays such an overload of animated movies maybe that's why it didn't find its audience but it is actually better than many other similar movies which were more successful at the box-office at that time. To conclude, it is really an underrated gem and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

The audience is taken behind the scenes and onto the waves during the most dangerous display of surfing known to man, the Penguin World Surfing Championship. Cody (voiced by Shia LaBeouf), a penguin who loves surfing, dreams of winning that competition.

I give 4 stars to the film because of the CGI animation, the humor and the actors' vocal performances.

If you disliked Happy Feet as much as I did, give a chance to SURF'S UP : it's definitely funnier!
And if you liked Happy Feet, you should enjoy this even more.

I wasnt too sure on seeing this, but i could tell from the first minute i was actually going to enjoy it.

The effects and animation surprised me. Seing it on the big screen at the cinema was mind blowing. Its amazing what we can do with a bunch of computers..

Oh and I just want to say that Shia LaBeouf and Jon Heder were two stand out hilarious voices in this movie. Its funny humour and origional style will keep you watching. Oh, and if you liked Happy Feet you will love this - so many penguin films lately =O

This movie just blew me away. I was expecting a Happy Feet rip-off or yet another over-done over-used CGI mess, but I must say this is my new favorite CGI film, even better than Shrek 1 & 2 (3 was a joke) and all those Pixar flicks. Everyone just waits and waits for Pixar to produce the CGI hits, but do yourself a favor and check this gem out. The animation will astonish you. Some scene look so damn authentic I swear they used real video footage, especially all the waves and water effects, but also one part at night in the jungle in the rain, with a bunch of flashlights shining around. Wow. Sony's animation division set the bar a lot higher for all future Pixar and Disney films.

CGI effects aside, its the rest of the story and the humor and great soundtrack that got me so hooked to this film, and also its unique (for a cartoon) feel of making it like a mockumentary. Hoodwinked did that a little bit, but this film when all out, showing aged grainy and still animated footage of old video clips, flashbacks to interviews, and very authentic hand-cam wobble effects throughout.

And it's definitely geared more towards adult audience than the kid-friendly Happy Feet. Very young kids might be a bit bored by the story line and frequent flashbacks and subtle jokes, but they should still be into the whole 'penguins surfing' bits for sure.