Surf's Up (2007)
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A determined young penguin seeks to become a professional surfer by training with a legendary, reclusive mentor.
The story
Teenage rockhopper penguin Cody Maverick lives in Antarctica and dreams of becoming a professional surfer after meeting the legendary Zeke "Big Z" Topanga years ago. When a talent scout arrives in his home of Shiverpool to find contestants for a major competition on Pen-Gu Island, Cody is determined to participate. Despite poor conditions and a lack of skill, he manages to join the competition. Along the way, he befriends a fellow contestant, Chicken Joe, and encounters various rivals and allies. Cody's journey takes him to the island where he must navigate the challenges of the surf and the complexities of the competition to fulfill his lifelong dream.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Cody Maverick, a teenage penguin in Antarctica, dreams of professional surfing. After a scout arrives to find contestants for the Big Z Memorial competition, Cody joins the quest for Pen-Gu Island, befriending a fellow surfer, Chicken Joe. On the island, Cody meets Lani, a lifeguard, and his rival, the arrogant Tank "The Shredder" Evans. After a confrontation with Tank leads to Cody being injured, he is taken to a recluse named Geek. Cody eventually discovers that Geek is actually the legendary Big Z, who had hidden away after a career-ending realization. Big Z agrees to train Cody, and the two spend time together, with Big Z teaching Cody the true essence of surfing through various tasks and pranks. On the eve of the competition, Big Z reveals he faked his death to avoid facing his rival, Tank. Cody throws his old necklace into the sea and joins the final competition. In the final moments, Cody and Tank are thrown into the dangerous Boneyards. Big Z rescues Cody from a massive wave, and though Cody is disqualified along with Tank, he realizes he just wanted to have fun. Big Z reveals himself to the crowd, and they celebrate by surfing together.
- First release year
- 2007
- Runtime (minutes)
- 85
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ash Brannon; Chris Buck
- Writers
- Don Rhymer · screenplay; Ash Brannon · screenplay; Chris Buck · screenplay; Chris Jenkins · screenplay; Chris Jenkins · story; Christian Darren · story
- Cast and characters
- Shia LaBeouf · Cody Maverick; Jeff Bridges · Zeke "Big Z/Geek" Topanga; Zooey Deschanel · Lani Aliikai; Jon Heder · Chicken Joe; James Woods · Reggie Belafonte; Diedrich Bader · Tank "The Shredder" Evans; Mario Cantone · Mikey Abromowitz
- Genres
- animated; mockumentary; sports comedy
- Themes
- friendship; the meaning of winning
- Tone and mood
- laid-back; witty
- Setting
- Antarctica and Pen-Gu Island
- Premise and plot tags
- mockumentary; sports; animal characters
- Franchise connections
- Surf's Up
- Reception
- received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the animation, humor and unique mockumentary setup.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 79% · scale: approval rating · review count: 147; Metacritic · score: 64 · scale: 100 · review count: 26
- Awards and nominations
- Best Animated Feature · Academy Awards · 80th · nominated
- Production trivia
- The film's animation team motion-captured a physical camera operator's moves to achieve a hand-held feel.; The film features real-life surfers Kelly Slater and Rob Machado as their penguin counterparts.; The film is a parody of surfing documentaries like The Endless Summer and Step into Liquid.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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