Film Preview: Surf’s Up (2007)

Trailers (Due to age, may no longer be available)

Posters (Due to age, may no longer be available)

Poster Rating: B-; C; C-; C-

Review: Trying to keep its "real world is an ocean world" theme, the makers of this poster do their best to entice viewers. Showing the penguins only from the neck down, each supposedly displaying some sign that points to their character, helps the poster work at least minimally well.

The second poster is far less interesting than the first, only featuring a wave and three chracters with surf boards. It is completely unnecessary.

Further and further these posters slide into obscurity. The third one just features characters standing on a beach. There’s nothing impressive, original or interesting about it.

For a movie that did poorly at the box office, they sure have tried to market the hell out of the film. This is one movie that just won’t die, though many wish it would. The new poster is no more interesting than the third poster, nor does it provide anything majorly new except characters surfing. What a concept…

Trailer Rating: B-; C-; C

Review: While audiences won’t be turned away by the penguins, we can only hope the Academy’s fascination with them ends here. We already have one undeserving penguin film with an Oscar, let’s hope this one wipes out because it looks like little more than a cheesy surfing movie starring penguins.

The more we see these trailers, the more they look the same. Capitalizing on the same types of humor that have sold every other animated film in recent years, Surf’s Up makes for disappointing entertainment. The trailer proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the film is going to be more like Robots than Toy Story in the quality department.

Every possible injurious effect in the film seemed like it was crammed into the second teaser trailer. It certainly doesn’t give anything away the way the first full length trailer did, but it was nothing amazing, either.

Oscar Prospects:

If the Academy continues its Antarctic trajectory, this will be among the nominees for the Best Animated Feature award. If not, then its crude, juvenile humor will likely propel it towards the wasteland of also-rans.