Surf's Up (film)
| Surf's Up | |
|---|---|
 Promotional teaser poster for the film | |
| Directed by | Ash Brannon Chris Buck |
| Written by | Lisa Addario Christian Darren Don Rhymer Joe Syracuse |
| Produced by | Lydia Bottegoni (co-producer) Chris Jenkins |
| Starring | Shia LaBeouf Zooey Deschanel Jeff Bridges James Woods Jon Heder |
| Edited by | Ivan Bilancio |
| Music by | Mychael Danna (music score) Liza Richardson (music supervisor) |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates |  June 8, 2007 August 2, 2007 August 10, 2007 September 20, 2007 September 27, 2007 September 30, 2007 October 31, 2007 |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
- For the Beach Boys album, see Surf's Up. For the video game based on the film, see Surf's Up (video game).
Surf's Up is a computer-animated mockumentary film produced by Sony Pictures Animation, released on June 8, 2007[1] by Columbia Pictures. It is directed by Ash Brannon (the co-director of Toy Story 2) and Chris Buck (the director of Tarzan).
It is a parody of surfing documentaries, such as The Endless Summer and Riding Giants.
Surf's Up features the voices of Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder, Mario Cantone, James Woods, Rebecca Honig, Diedrich Bader, Rob Machado. Kelly Slater and Sal Masekela.
Plot
Surf's Up profiles teenage Rockhopper penguin Cody Maverick (Shia LaBeouf), an up-and-coming surfer, as he enters his first professional competition. Followed by a camera crew to document his experiences, Cody leaves his family and home in Shiverpool, Antarctica (a pun on Liverpool, England) to travel to Pen Gu Island for the Big Z Memorial Surf Off. Along the way, Cody meets surf stoner Chicken Joe (Jon Heder), promoter Reggie Belafonte (James Woods), surf talent scout Mikey Abromowitz (Mario Cantone), and lifeguard Lani Aliikai (Zooey Deschanel), all of whom recognize Cody’s passion for surfing, even if it sometimes goes too far. Cody believes that winning will bring him the admiration and respect he desires, but when he unexpectedly comes face-to-face with a washed-up old surfer named Geek (Jeff Bridges), Cody begins to find his own way, and discovers that a true winner isn’t always the one who comes in first.
Cast & Crew
Voice cast
- Shia LaBeouf as Cody Maverick
- Jeff Bridges as Big Z/Geek
- Brian Posehn as Glen Maverick
- Zooey Deschanel as Lani Aliikai
- Jon Heder as Chicken Joe
- Mario Cantone as Mikey Abromowitz
- James Woods as Reggie Belafonte
- Diedrich Bader as Tank "The Shredder" Evans
- Rebecca Honig as Mila Savanah
- Dana Benben as Mrs. Maverick
- Kelly Slater as "Himself"
- Rob Machado as "Himself"
- Sal Masekela as the voice of SPEN
- Brandon Anderson as the Narrator
Crew
- Directed by Ash Brannon and Chris Buck
- Produced by Chris Jenkins
- Co-producer Lydia Bottegoni
- Screenplay by Don Rhymer and Ash Brannon & Chris Buck & Chris Jenkins
- Story by Chris Jenkins and Christian Darren
- Music by Mychael Danna
- Edited by Ivan Biancino
Technical info
- Sound: DTS, Dolby Digital, SDDS (8 Channels)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- MPAA Rating : PG
Rating
This film is rated PG by the MPAA for mild language and some rude humor.
Soundtrack
The following music can be found on Sony's official film soundtrack.
| # | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Reggae Got Soul" | 311 |
| 2 | "Drive" | Incubus |
| 3 | "Stand Tall" | Dirty Heads |
| 4 | "Lose Myself" | Lauren Hill |
| 5 | "Just Say Yes" | Ken Andrews |
| 6 | "Forrowest" | Forro In the Dark |
| 7 | "Pocket Full Of Stars" | Nine Black Alps |
| 8 | "Into Yesterday" | Sugar Ray |
| 9 | "Big Wave" | Pearl Jam |
| 10 | "Wipe Out" | Big Nose |
| 11 | "Run Home (Instrumental)" | Priestess |
| 12 | "What I Like About You" | The Romantics |
| 13 | "You Get What You Give" | The New Radicals |
| 14 | "Hawaiian War Chant (Ta-Hu-Wa-Hu-Wai)" | Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys |
Two songs by Green Day, "Welcome To Paradise" and "Holiday," are used for background music in the film. However, neither song appears on the official soundtrack album. The former song was also used in the second trailer promoting Surf's Up. In the primary teaser trailer, the song "Get on Top" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers can be heard in the background.
Taglines
- In the coldest place on Earth, he's the hottest thing around.
- A Major "Ocean" Picture.
Critical reaction
Surf's Up has received positive reviews from critics, many of whom admitted to having had doubts about the film's premise.[citation needed] Some noted that in spite of it coming so soon after many movies featuring penguins (March of the Penguins, Madagascar, Happy Feet and The Wild), it was able to stand out on its own. It received 77% freshness on Rotten Tomatoes, and 81% from the Cream of the Crop on that site. This was an improvement from Open Season, Sony Pictures Animation's previous film, which received mixed reviews.
Promotion and merchandise
Beginning June 8th, McDonald's is issuing eight Surf's Up toys in their Happy Meals.
Also, Build A Bear stores are selling plush toys of the film's protagonist, Cody Maverick. Patrons can "build" their own Cody as well as dress him up in an array of surf-themed clothing and accessories in Build A Bear workshops or purchase Cody and accessories at the official site.
Trivia
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (June 2007) |
- This is Sony Pictures Animation's second film, the first one being Open Season
- Cody's name is a reference to Mavericks, a famous surfing spot.
- This is the second film that Jon Heder and Diedrich Bader star in together, the first one being Napoleon Dynamite.
- This is only the second animated film to feature Jeff Bridges, the first was The Last Unicorn in 1982.
- The dialogue was recorded with the actors together in the booth, unlike most animated films where they are recorded independently.
- Pre-production for Surf's Up began in the year 2002.
- At the beginning of the movie, Cody is asked if he has other talents. He responds, "Like singing and dancing?" This is a reference to the sucessful Happy Feet, another animated film featuring some penguins.
- SPEN is a parody of ESPN.
- Coni and Lani are the good penguins.
See also
External links
- Official Site
- Surf's Up at IMDb
- Surf's Up at Rotten Tomatoes
- New York Times
- MSN Movies
- Surf's Up Review at the Hollywood Snitch