There have been plenty of penguin movies the last few years…and “Surf’s Up” is one of the best.
The movie tells the story, in “mock-umentary” style, of young Cody Maverick, who leaves his home in Antarctica to follow his dream of becomming a champion surfer. When he gets to Hawaii he learns some nice lessons about friendship and why winning isn’t the most important thing.
Shia LaBeouf does the voice of Cody, part of a fantastic 2007 for the young star that also included the surprise hit “Disturbia” and the blockbuster “Transformers.” Jon Heder plays Chicken Joe, Cody’s new best friend, even though they don’t spend much screen time together. Other actors lending their voices include Jeff Bridges, James Woods and real-life surfing champion Kelly Slater. All are very good.
I laughed a lot throught the movie. Maybe not HUGE laughs, but “Surf’s Up” is funny from start to finish. And the animation is a “10.” Awesome waves, dude.
“Surf’s Up” is rated PG, but there’s nothing to worry about as far as the kiddies are concerned.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Surf’s Up” gets a B+. So wax-up your board and your DVD player, because “Surf’s Up” is here! And I bet you’ll agree with me that surfing penguins are better than dancing penguins.
Lights Camera Jackson (a.k.a. Jackson Murphy) began his career as a film critic/entertainment reporter in 2006 at the age of 7. Jackson has written nearly 1,000 reviews of new releases. All together he has seen more than 1,500 films. In 2010, Jackson became the youngest person to win a NY Emmy Award, for his on-air movie reviews on Time Warner TV station, Capital News 9.
LCJ appears every Friday morning on WGNA-FM . His movie reviews are also posted on his website, his YouTube channel and the popular website Cultjer.com. He is also a contributing writer for Jerry Beck’s AnimationScoop.com. Jackson hosts the weekly internet pop culture news show “LCJ LIVE” (every Sunday at Noon ET). And “The LCJ Q&A Podcast” features interviews with celebrities and filmmakers. Among those who have joined LCJ on the show are comedy legend Gilbert Gottfried, “Wallace & Gromit” creator Nick Park, Emmy-winning game show host Todd Newton and Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody.
Lights Camera Jackson has been co-starring in photographs with his favorite celebrities since he was 6 years old. “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest appeared in the first. Seacrest was a VIP guest at a local telethon. Jackson, a big fan of “Idol”, approached Seacrest during a break and asked for an autograph. The “Idol” star eagerly obliged. Jackson and Ryan then posed for this photo.
Since then Jackson’s collection of photos with stars from film, TV, stage and sports has grown to over 400. Every one represents a special moment in the life/career of Lights Camera Jackson and includes its own unique backstory.