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While
there are more multi-million dollar grossing CGI Animated kids flicks
on DVD and in cinemas than there are drug addled whores in Hollywood,
it's encouraging to see that not everyone is simply sitting on their
laurels and throwing together some flashy & cute CGI and a series
of lame visual gags.
For you see, Surf's Up is the first ever improvised CGI comedy ever.
Much like the work of Christopher Guest (For Your Consideration, A Mighty Wind), Surf's Up
takes the (somewhat risky) tack of allowing all the performers
improvise their scenes from fairly slim lined scene outlines. A risk
which, more often than not, could prove both costly and completely
ineffective. Luckily, directors Ash Brannon Chris Buck have assembled
not only some of the best comic performers for this piece - but also
some of Hollywood's best improvisers.
Surf’s Up
offers something new straight off the bat, with the usual kids movie
narrative thrown out the window in favour of a fairly spot-on Penguin
Surf Doco. The flick delves behind the scenes of the high-octane world
of competitive surfing, profiling teenage up-and-coming-surfer penguin,
Cody Maverick (voiced to teenage perfection by "IT" kid, Shia LaBeouf),
as he enters his first pro competition.
Followed by a camera
crew to document his experiences, Cody leaves his family and home in
Shiverpool (in Antarctica) to travel to the picture perfect PenGu
Island for the "Big Z Memorial Surf Off".
Along the way, Cody meets a variety of colourful characters including surf nut Chicken Joe (Napoleon Dynamite's
Jon Heder), surf promoter Reggie Belafonte (James Woods), spirited
lifeguard and love interest Lani Aliikai (the monotonal Zooey
Deschanel), and a washed up old surfer named Geek (Jeff Bridges) who
may be more than he appears to be.
There is just so much to like about Surf's Up.
The performances are superb, with LaBeouf proving once again why he
such hot property these days - the kid is downright hilarious, but so
utterly convincing at the same time. Bridges delivers as he always does
as the "father figure", while Heder's Chicken Joe churns out the laughs
like no other.
Not only does the film beam with originality on
the writing and performance front - but it looks amazing as well. Water
is traditionally the single hardest thing to animate in CGI-land,
yet what's on offer here, most would be hard pressed to be able to
distinguish it from the real thing. Just beautifully crafted in every
way possible.
But what kids flick would be complete without some cute and adorable side characters - because Surf's Up has
them as well. In fact, for mine, the little furball kiddie penguins
were the highlight. Heartbreakingly cute, completely relevant to the
story - and funny as hell.
While it may not have made the sort
of cash the folks over a Disney demand on every cinematic outing, it's
well ahead of Pixars last few releases in the race for quality, humour,
originality and overall enjoyment.
Well worth discovering on DVD - this is certainly one of my new favourites.
EXTRAS
Lot's
of stuff on offer here, which always seems to be the case with any
children's release (it often seems like the distributors completely
forget that the grown ups like a little extra value for their dollar
when it comes to DVD's as well...).
As usual we have a variety of Audio Commentaries, deleted scenes as well as some cool games for the kids.
The
real finds on this disc however have to be the Behind-The-Scenes
featurettes which take a look at the laid back process of recording the
material, a superb piece on the technology which allowed the film
makers to film within a 3D world with a real camera as well as short on
the efforts it took to make the water look so good.
To cap it all off, there are two hilarious animated shorts (The ChubbChubbs and ChubbChubbs Save Christmas) which, unlike most shorts tacked onto animated releases, are genuinely funny.
A winner in every aspect - and I know the year is young - but for mine, this is the release of 2008.
Conclusion:
Movie 90% Extras: 90%
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