Surf Bored

Today, I caught up a bit with last week's new movies and saw Surf's Up. The premise is this was a computer-animated documentary film, about an Antarctic penguin who travels north to participate in a surfing competition. It's a novel idea, a legitimately different style of movie from that which animation is usually used.

The problem is, the filmmakers fail to stay true to that vision for the whole of the movie. About half the time, they're really working it to good effect. There are good jokes commenting on documentary style (particularly the trappings of reality television). There are some truly amazing bits of animation done in creating "8mm home video from the 60s" style video clips.

But the problem seems to be that all that material is appealing and funny to adults. And the filmmakers seem to know that, and know that in America, for good or ill, animation is for children. They could have let the movie all be like that, and be really funny, distinct, and clever... or they could go the commercial route and toss in the stuff to appeal to kids.

Thus comes the other half of Surf's Up, a procession of the animated kids' film cliches that keep popping up all over the place. An over-the-top action/adventure sequence that involves fast motion through a sweeping set (an underground lava floe, in this case -- a place the "documentary crew" could not possibly have set up cameras to film the action). Lots of cheap jokes about poop and other bodily functions. Some pop song taken from the last five years of top 40 radio taking over the soundtrack about every four minutes. Stuff you've seen before, are well past tired of, and that compromises the integrity of the "documentary" concept of the movie.

It's a real shame, because in the moments when the film is being true to itself, it really works, and is really clever. And then it reverts to a Shrek the Third caliber of derivative boredom. Which really wouldn't be so disappointing if you weren't occasionally seeing that glimpse of what could have been so great.

Some brilliant animation work, particularly in delivering the most realistic CG water yet created, gives the eye a little to be distracted with in the moments the movie sags, but unfortunately, it still all adds up to a C- for me.

I really wish I could see the version of this film that wasn't compromised for the kiddies.