Movie Review - “Surf’s Up”
*** STARS
I am a sucker for a cartoon. I usually like most of the Hollywood offerings that don’t stink of money grubbing (”Arthur & The Invisibles”, “Happily N’ver After”). I have yet to see “Shrek the Third” because I am scared of the reviews it has received, but I am sure it will charm. I plan on being one of the first in line to see Pixar’s “Ratatouille”. This past weekend I decided to see the cute looking “Surf’s Up” to feed my cartoon appetite. I am glad I decided to see “Surf’s Up”, from it’s beginning to the end, it continued to win me over with it’s vibrant colors and characters.
I think families may be sick of the whole penguin craze which is why this movie hasn’t been the blockbuster many thought it would be. It is a shame though because “Surf’s Up” has a sweet and tender message with original characters. The movie’s biggest triumph is the awesome surfing action sequences. The scope and intense work it took to recreate the draw dropping waves and surfing action shots is mind blowing.
John Heder, Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, James Woods, and Zooey Deschanel give spunky, fun vocal performances. John Heder gives the best comedic voice performance as the stoner chicken Joe. The whole film wins you over with it’s breezy island feel and down to earth vibe. The way the cartoon is animated to look like a documentary film crew is filming it, is hilarious and a great format for this cartoon premise.
The little kids in your life will get a real kick out of this instant family classic. Disney has a lot to learn from Sony Picture’s Animation Studio. Earlier this year “Open Season” had the same fun personality and had me in stitches too. If you want to experience something fresh and different in animation then this is your cartoon.
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