Yes, after we marched hundreds of miles and watched an awesome musical spectacle, it wouldn't be a long shot to say that audiences are just penguined out and don't feel like giving Surf's Up the time of day. But if you're willing to forgive the little oversight regarding the species of this film's main characters, you'd realize that it's a true winner within this sea of sequels-- puns not intended.
The film chronicles Cody Maverick, a young penguin ostracized by his fellow rockhopper brethren as being too caught up in surfing while shirking his daily responsibilities and future of separating the fish into their respective piles. However, Cody realizes that there is more to life as a penguin than just that, and he dreams of the day when he can go off, surf some real waves, and make his impact on the sport just like his hero, Big Z. When a talent scout arrives at his home of Shiverpool, he quickly takes his chance and is whisked away to Pen Gu Island just in time for the Big Z Memorial Surf Off. Little Cody is determined to take the trophy from monster surfer Tank Evans, who has won the contest nine times in a row, and bring glory to his name back home. However, after being reluctantly taken under the wing of Geek, a local hermit with a rather familiar vibe, Cody soon realizes what being a real winner is all about.
Despite the familiar storyline, the film's catch is that is not an orthodox presentation. Rather, it's given to us as a documentary detailing the penguins' surfing culture, and the animators take special care in trying to make the world as up-close and personal as the genre suggests: characters react naturally to the invasive paparazzi, the lens is sometimes obscured or dirtied, filming equipment may enter the scene, and the shots are not always in focus.
And of course, there are interviews. These bits help give you an inside look at the characters' personality coupled with a nice joke as their stories may conflict with what is actually happening on the screen. In short, it looks realistically filmed, and the approach helps in allowing you to follow the characters' chronicles better. Adding greatly to the experience is the voice acting. The actors recorded their parts together, feeding off of each other and ad-libbing, and this decision has produced some wonderful characterization and dialogue. All of this combined gives a greatly immersive effect, and you sometimes forget you are watching simple cartoon penguins. You'll feel as if you are right there in the action.
However, the documentary concept is not presented as strongly later in the film as it is in the beginning. Because of this, things tend to mellow out during the second act, sometimes to the point that it seems as if the film just reverts back into a state of natural storytelling and abandons the concept altogether. It becomes rather slow, but a short running time and quick visits to more action-oriented scenes tend to make these moments more bearable than expected.
Speaking of action, the animation is really nothing short of spectacular. Character movement is lively, fluid, and believable, and the world of Pen Gu just might be mistaken for simple rendered footage of some far off tropical paradise. Your effects are standard as well: sand particles fly, vegetation spices up the place, fire effects are well-done, the lighting is appropriate in various scenarios. But, being that this is a surfer movie, your most memorable footage will obviously come from the shots featuring water. No beating around the bush with it: the water looks beautiful and... well, like water, and the ocean's beauty is not wasted in any of the surfing sequences, not even at the very end where we are fed one of the most gorgeous and symbolic ending shots in animated film history, hands down. The surfers also handle these waves like pros whilst throwing in little tricks and moves that would make a seasoned surfer proud.
In summary, Surf's Up is definitely a refreshing and welcome change of pace amidst this blockbuster summer of sequels. It doesn't take itself too seriously and handles its rather oddball, yet original concept extremely well. Backed with a good story, wonderful characterization, and amazing animation, I certainly welcome more penguin features in the future. Now, go see it.
The film chronicles Cody Maverick, a young penguin ostracized by his fellow rockhopper brethren as being too caught up in surfing while shirking his daily responsibilities and future of separating the fish into their respective piles. However, Cody realizes that there is more to life as a penguin than just that, and he dreams of the day when he can go off, surf some real waves, and make his impact on the sport just like his hero, Big Z. When a talent scout arrives at his home of Shiverpool, he quickly takes his chance and is whisked away to Pen Gu Island just in time for the Big Z Memorial Surf Off. Little Cody is determined to take the trophy from monster surfer Tank Evans, who has won the contest nine times in a row, and bring glory to his name back home. However, after being reluctantly taken under the wing of Geek, a local hermit with a rather familiar vibe, Cody soon realizes what being a real winner is all about.
Despite the familiar storyline, the film's catch is that is not an orthodox presentation. Rather, it's given to us as a documentary detailing the penguins' surfing culture, and the animators take special care in trying to make the world as up-close and personal as the genre suggests: characters react naturally to the invasive paparazzi, the lens is sometimes obscured or dirtied, filming equipment may enter the scene, and the shots are not always in focus.
And of course, there are interviews. These bits help give you an inside look at the characters' personality coupled with a nice joke as their stories may conflict with what is actually happening on the screen. In short, it looks realistically filmed, and the approach helps in allowing you to follow the characters' chronicles better. Adding greatly to the experience is the voice acting. The actors recorded their parts together, feeding off of each other and ad-libbing, and this decision has produced some wonderful characterization and dialogue. All of this combined gives a greatly immersive effect, and you sometimes forget you are watching simple cartoon penguins. You'll feel as if you are right there in the action.
However, the documentary concept is not presented as strongly later in the film as it is in the beginning. Because of this, things tend to mellow out during the second act, sometimes to the point that it seems as if the film just reverts back into a state of natural storytelling and abandons the concept altogether. It becomes rather slow, but a short running time and quick visits to more action-oriented scenes tend to make these moments more bearable than expected.
Speaking of action, the animation is really nothing short of spectacular. Character movement is lively, fluid, and believable, and the world of Pen Gu just might be mistaken for simple rendered footage of some far off tropical paradise. Your effects are standard as well: sand particles fly, vegetation spices up the place, fire effects are well-done, the lighting is appropriate in various scenarios. But, being that this is a surfer movie, your most memorable footage will obviously come from the shots featuring water. No beating around the bush with it: the water looks beautiful and... well, like water, and the ocean's beauty is not wasted in any of the surfing sequences, not even at the very end where we are fed one of the most gorgeous and symbolic ending shots in animated film history, hands down. The surfers also handle these waves like pros whilst throwing in little tricks and moves that would make a seasoned surfer proud.
In summary, Surf's Up is definitely a refreshing and welcome change of pace amidst this blockbuster summer of sequels. It doesn't take itself too seriously and handles its rather oddball, yet original concept extremely well. Backed with a good story, wonderful characterization, and amazing animation, I certainly welcome more penguin features in the future. Now, go see it.
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