'Surf's Up' Movie Review: Showbiz Penguins

"Surf's Up" is another attempt to capitalize on penguin cuteness surfing to a favorable wave. The laid-back mockumentary format of the movie generates good laughs that make up for its lame premise. The cuddly animals with human problems plot don't exactly take you anywhere new, but its light-and-breezy comedy treated like an ESPN-style documentary feature effectively plays on some film techniques to provide good humor and some literally impressive waves.

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Despite the presence of the penguins for the nth time in the big screen, "Surf's Up" provides a certain appeal that sustains good fun with its original take on the material to make it a little fresh. The project's "penguinness" seems more opportunistic than necessary (taking advantage of their sheer charm and fame as a cinematic favorite); but the movie's treatment in making them move, talk, and interact like humans in the showbiz world becomes such a pleasant and amusing enough take on its theme about friendship and what winning is all about.

"Surf's Up" becomes a charmer with a friendly, potty humor, and genuine sense of fun with its behind-the-scenes look at the annual Penguin World Surfing Championships and its newest participant, the up-and-coming Cody Maverick (Shia LaBeouf). It celebrates the sport, while spoofing its disciples and the showbiz industry altogether through a reality show that is filled with totally-like-fried-chicken gags.

The movie cleverly tells the jaunty sports story from the perspective of a reality-show film crew -- on hand telling the story behind the penguin world's human-like surfing championship games. The storyline tend to be half-baked at times and the gags doesn't seem entirely original, but the film is easy to look at with its hilarious mimicking of those "cool summer surf documentaries." Overall, its offbeat humor is enough for both the kids and the adults to enjoy.

On the technical side, the film has the meticulously hyper-real textures and breathtaking vistas maximized by the clever use of focus, angles, and splendid CGI effects. The interactions with the "documentary cameramen" make this flick seem more intimate as a consistently funny, CG-animated surfing penguin movie.

The originality of its documentary format coupled with a standout look simulating waves and surfing in brilliant tones and shades of lighting unfurls ingeniously crafted kinetic surf scenes. The realistically animated water sequences promote the beautifully rendered blue waters, marine visuals, and impressive waves where the penguins and the rest of the animal characters pose like humans from Hollywood. Moreover, the movie keeps the witty wisecracks of the considerably one-dimensional characters for them to still work and give the needed warmth often missing in such an animated cinematic offer. Furthermore, its reality sports show treatment keeps up with the remarkable job of approximating the vintage film stock look in some of its scenes.

Beautifully animated and terrifically acted, Directors Ash Brannon and Chris Buck features a beautifully animated and terrifically acted penguin movie. The voice work, the sports mockumentary look, and the board scenes go together for such an enjoyable ride. The voice performances of Shia LaBeouf (Cody Maverick), Jeff Bridges (Big Z/Geek), Joh Heder (Chicken Joe), Zooey Deschanel (Lani Aliikai), James Woods (Reggie Belafonte), Diedrich Bader (Tank Evans), Mario Cantone (Mikey Abromowitz), and the rest of the characters bring up the animation into a good-hearted, old-fashioned, and easy to enjoy animated movie that provides good clean fun for the family.