Cartoon folly

Surf’s Up’s unique elements won’t keep parents from squirming | Megan Basham

It isn't clear what demographic Sony had in mind for their surfing penguin mockumentary, Surf's Up (rated PG for mild language and some rude humor). But one thing is for sure, they couldn't have been thinking of children.

Despite an innovative approach and top notch voice-over work from its cast, many of Surf's Up's jokes are too subtle for children to appreciate. Others draw laughs for entirely the wrong reasons, as in one fairly explicit scene where one penguin urinates on another. Kids may giggle, but parents will be left squirming.

The film isn't without its charms—amongst a field of reheated sequels and overt ripoffs, Surf's Up deserves credit for finding a new way to illustrate an old children's story saw. An unseen documentary crew follows Cody Maverick (Shia LeBeouf), a young wave-rider from his hometown of Shiverpool, Antarctica, to a surfing championship on tropical Pen-Gu island.