Surf's Up [Blu-ray] [2007] [US Import]

.... with an absolutely first class sound track. Every moment is a pleasure. Laugh out louds galore, fabulous cast - Jeff Bridges, Shia Le Beouf, James Woods, Zoe Deschanel, all having huge amounts of fun. Amazing surfing shots because it can all be done with CGI, and that soundtrack... what's not to like? Definitely a desert island movie. (For those that don't know this Brit reference, there has been a show on BBC radio since 1942, for God's sake, where the interviewee picks his or her 8 favourite pieces of music for if and when they are marooned on a desert island. I do the movie version, and Surf's Up is at no. 3.)

This is the surfer's equivalent of Cars. A kids' movie which appears to be made by dyed in the wool surf enthusiasts.The film follows the adventures of an ambitious young penguin who is talent spotted to compete in a prestigious competition on an exotic island. Shot in a 'mockumentary' style it may be tough going for younger children. Certainly my 4 year-old's attention quickly wandered although my 8 year-old has since revisited the film and appeared to enjoy it.The hero penguin Cody is following the footsteps of his childhood hero Big Z and the competition is a memorial to Z who apparently died competing on this shore. He is up against established champ and all round bad guy 'Tank' Evans, a penguin who likes to surf dirty and is obsessed by the trophy. He befriends a stoner chicken and a cute penguin lifeguard and proceeds to humiliate himself in the first stage of the competition. Cody takes himself off into the jungle to reflect on his woes and befriends a mysterious hermit-like penguin who eventually teaches him how to surf. This penguin turns out to be Big Z who realised he was losing his edge and faked his death so that he could go out on a high. Of course he brings Cody up to a standard where he can compete against Tank and Cody returns to the competition although the outcome isn't quite what you'd expect.The surfing scenes are lovingly shot and look pretty impressive. The film takes a pop at agents and commercialism and many of the jokes fly way above a child's head. The film is well voiced and animated and there is an engaging storyline. For a teenager or an adult, the documentary style adds to the humour. For a child it slows down the action and makes the film more difficult to understand. I liked it but if you're looking to entertain very young children then look elsewhere.

Very underrated animated film, one of the funniest movies I've ever seen & whilst the idea of a Penguin surfing may seem a bit ridiculous & childish, well this movie doesn't half pull it off well. It is made in sort of a mockumentary style, similar to Modern Family or the Office. Great movie for adults & kids, with a positive uplifting story & lots of funny bits in between.

It was an ok film, not one of my favourites. I bought it for my 3 year old who quickly lost interest and it didn't exactly keep my interest either.

One of the best surf films out there, fun and gets you stoked, if you're a surf fan with kids, it's a must!

Bought for someone else who requested it

Great film

We loved this film!