Surf's Up

Rating: 5/5

A truly one of a kind children's film, Surf's Up is one of my personal favorite animated movies.

16 year old Cody Maverick (Shia LaBeouf) is a penguin living in Antarctica, who dreams of becoming a professional surfer. Unfortunately for him, it doesn't appear his goal can become a reality. However, when a camera crew making a documentary about the upcoming Big Z Memorial Surfing Competition arrives in Antarctica looking for surfing competitors, Cody finally sees his hopes for a career as a surfer potentially becoming a reality.

When Cody arrives at Pengu Island, he is completely overwhelmed and excited about the prospect of participating in a real surfing competition. When Cody meets the top competitor Tank (Diedrich Bader), he quickly realizes that he is not nearly as skilled in the sport of surfing as he once thought. With the help of local lifeguard Lani (Zooey Deschanel) and fellow surfing contestant Chicken Joe (Jon Heder), Cody will do his best to redeem himself in the eyes of the competition.

Surf's Up is without a doubt one of the most unique children's films made by a big name studio. For one, the concept of it being a documentary is brilliantly executed, but it is also truly creative and its jokes rarely, if ever, fall flat. I can honestly say that I there are very few films intended for children that have made me laugh as much as Surf's Up has. It is a movie that is more than enjoyable for any age, and I have yet to find an adult who doesn't love this film as much as I do. There are even times in Surf's Up where I found myself laughing at jokes that if they were made in any other movie, I most likely wouldn't have found it nearly as humorous.

What I really admire the most about Surf's Up is how accurate their portrayal of a documentary is. The way the "interviews" are conducted are spot on, and how they show past events that influenced the documentaries are exactly how I have seen them in the real life films of the genre Surf's Up is emulating. It is so wonderfully well done, that if you look passed the talking penguins, it is quite easy to forget that you are watching an animated film, and not a legitimate documentary.

Surf's Up is one of the best exhibitions of the importance behind good casting for voice acting. Shia LaBeouf doesn't necessarily have a distinctive or unique voice, but his acting skills effortlessly come through his cartoon character. Zooey Deschanel has one of the more recognizable voices in the film, and her soft, quirky tone is a great blend alongside Jon Heder's slow drawl, and the gravelly vocals of Jeff Bridges. There is a wide assortment of characters assembled for the cast, and I don't know if you would ever find a live action film where you'd see all the actors together, but put their voices to animation and it miraculously works.

Surf's Up may not be as popular as the majority of the animated films put out by Disney and Pixar, but it deserves just as much recognition. It is quick witted, innovative, and in my opinion, a must see film for viewers of all ages.