Screen Scene: “Surf’s Up”
By Amy Crocker
June 6, 2007 9:45 p.m.
“Surf’s Up”
Directors Ash Brannon and Chris Buck
Sony Pictures Animation
(Out Of 5)
Since 2005, when audiences fell in love with a wobbling seabird in the documentary “March of the Penguins,” penguins are the new Hollywood “˜it’ animal. Starring in 2006’s “Happy Feet” and enjoying a prominent role in “Madagascar,” (2005) penguins are back in the animated “Surf’s Up,” a film that takes this penguins-on-film trend back to its documentary roots.
“Surf’s Up” stories the events leading up to the Big Z Memorial Surf Off, one of the biggest competitions in the world of penguin surfing. In the running for the title is Cody Maverick (Shia LaBeouf, who is everywhere these days), the young penguin hero from a working class iceberg; his friend Chicken Joe (Jon Heder), who is the only non-penguin entered; and the mean and tattooed Tank (Diedrich Bader), who is out for his tenth trophy. A camera crew follows the characters around “Survivor” style and interviews them about their motivations and feelings about the competition and about each other.
Television shows like the very popular “The Office” use interviews to let the audience connect to the inner lives and thoughts of characters. So it is not surprising that mainstream movies have caught on to this obsession with seeing what makes people tick.
“Surf’s Up” stays true to the reality show format; characters and their relationships are given far more attention than plot. And this is a nice shift from typical animated family fare: semi-elaborate stories for stereotypical characters to wander through. People ““ or penguins, in this case ““ are usually much more interesting than events. And mixing the action with commentary and “archival footage” gives new, more human perspectives on the rather ordinary underdog tale.
Skipping the typical narrative form in favor of documentary style means the generic characters can be more cleverly brought to life by the stories of family, friends and neighbors. For example, the character of “the girl,” a lifeguard penguin named Lani, can roll her eyes and cluck her beak at the camera, bringing color to the black-and-white bird. The documentary style also lets the writers add jokes with a simple on-screen interview, often capturing characters for no reason other than a funny perspective or ridiculous observation. Rob Machado and Kelly Slater voice professional penguin surfers and their presence serves as an inside joke to surfers.
Meanwhile, “Surf’s Up’s” popular, punk soundtrack, which includes songs from Green Day and Incubus, actually succeeds in making the film seem cooler. The familiar songs are unexpected, but not out of place, giving a modern feel to the penguin surfing documentary.
But for all the clever storytelling and modern touches, “Surf’s Up” stays in shallow waters. While we are given fun insights into characters, they are still defined by their role (the villain, the underdog, the girl) and they don’t stray far from the trodden path. “Surf’s Up” is feel-good family fun that happens to be about surfing. But just like surfers ride wave after wave and never tire of the experience, these happy, simple plots still amuse, film after film after film.
““ Amy Crocker
E-mail Crocker at [email protected]
