Surf's Up by Paul Bullock

Penguins, as anyone who’s witnessed the antics of Feathers McGraw in The Wrong Trousers will know, are diabolical geniuses. How else can you explain their remarkable rise from animal kingdom laughing stock to Hollywood’s bird of choice in films such as Happy Feet and March of the Penguins? Surf’s Up, the latest step in their Bond-villain-esque quest for world domination, seemed like it would be just as big a hit as its predecessors. But the black and white blighters hadn’t counted on that most dangerous of foes: the American cinemagoer, who gave the film a big thumbs down at the box-office when it was released in June.

A simple case of penguin fatigue? Perhaps not. Despite boasting the usual feel-good story about a young animal triumphing against the odds (this time set against the bodacious backdrop of the beach), Surf’s Up is quite unlike most recent animated features. Films like Shrek and Shark's Tale struck box-office gold by using postmodern jokes and pop culture references to appeal to adults and teens as well as kids. Here though, directors Ash Brannon and Chris Buck seem to have paid the price for making a silly, charming little children’s film that keeps such postmodernism to a minimum and - heavens be!! - is aimed primarily at children.

That‘s not to say there‘s nothing for discerning adults to enjoy here. In fact, this is arguably the most professional and cinematic CG ‘toon of recent years. Brannon and Buck have not only mastered the difficult technological challenges the film throws up (realistic-looking sea, sand, feathers), but also infused it with real artistic flair. The brooding blackness of the Antarctic clashes stunningly with the lush tropics of surfer’s paradise Pen Gu Island, while the bluey-green hue of the surf itself has an almost poetic beauty to it, something enhanced by Mychal Danna‘s score, which wouldn‘t sound out of place in an Oscar-winning drama.

As if inspired by this, Brannon and Buck have put together a cast of past, present and future award winners. James Woods shines as a smarmy Don King-esque promoter, while Zooey Deschanel puts her breathy vocal talents to good use as love interest Lani (is it wrong to think she’s cute even as a penguin?). But it’s Shia LeBeouf as hero Cody and Jeff Bridges’ Dude-like surfing sage Big Z who steal the show. Sounding like a comedy double act who’ve been together for years, the pair riff off one another perfectly, meaning their dialogue sounds fresh and spontaneous unlike the vocal work produced by more well-known stars in the likes of Shark‘s Tale and Madagascar.

Yet, it still doesn’t look good for Surf’s Up. If the film was going to succeed anywhere, it was in the US. Here, where surfing culture is relegated mostly to a few windy summer days in Cornwall, it may prove too alien for the kids to get in to and too low-key to get adults off their couches. But the ones that do go along will more than get their money’s worth. This is a charming, sweet-natured and occasionally very funny little tale that really is the best non-Pixar-created US animation of the last few years. It‘s just a shame that the under whelming US box office will render it a failure…