Surf's Up DVD Review

You may feel like you're all penguined-out after March of the Penguins and Happy Feet, but before you dismiss this latest flick about the flightless birds, check out Kidzworld's review of Surf's Up!

Surf's Up - Not Your Average Penguin

Cody Maverick (voiced by Shia LaBeouf) is a young penguin living in Shiverpool, Antarctica with his mom and bully of a big brother. During the day he's a fish sorter, but in his free time, Cody surfs. As a kid he was visited by champion surfer Big Z and has dreamt of following in his footsteps ever since. When a talent scout from Pen Gu Island arrives one day, Cody realizes his chance at stardom has arrived!

Surf's Up - Fast Friends

Upon his arrival at the Penguin World Surfing Championship on Pen Gu, Cody meets many new friends, including Chicken Joe (voiced by Jon Heder) - the only chicken in the contest. He also spots a cute lifegaurd named Lani who he falls head over tail feather for. Eager to impress his new compadrés, Cody jumps at the chance to surf against the leading champion, Tank Evans. Unfortunately for Cody, he crashes and burns and has to be rescued by his new crush! After hitting his head on the reef, he wakes up in someone's surf shack, disoriented and disheartened.

Surf's Up - Unique Perspective

Surf's Up is not your average penguin flick. While it's targeted at a bit of a younger audience, the movie is shot in a documentary style, following Cody around on his journey to achieve greatness. The competition is covered by the fictitious SPEN (Sport Penguin Entertainment Network) and features commentators Kelly Slater and Rob Machado (voiced by the actual surfers!). The documentary team follows Cody through all his highs and lows and is on hand to document his reunion with a long-lost friend.

Surf's Up - DVD Features

If you still haven't got your penguin fix, the Surf's Up DVD is loaded with extras. The DVD includes two "ChubbChubbs" short films, deleted scenes, three different games, audio commentary, and a behind-the-scenes look at how the film was made. One of the best features is All Together Now: The Surf's Up Voice Sessions, which shows all of the voice actors doing their thing in the sound studio. You can grab your widescreen or full-screen version of the DVD on October 9, 2007.

Surf's Up - Bottom Line

Surf's Up takes a wornout theme and puts its own spin on it. The unique documentary perspective will keep you interested in the story and you're bound to be impressed by the awesome CGI. Take your younger sibs to see this one - they'll love it.

Surf's Up Rating:

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