Synopsis

Teenage penguin surfer Cody Maverick leaves his Antarctic home to compete in the Big Z Memorial Surf Off on Pen Gu Island. Hoping victory will earn him fame and respect, Cody finds himself challenged by a ruthless champion and guided by an unlikely mentor. Along the way, he learns that enjoying the ride and helping others can matter more than winning.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film is presented as an animated mockumentary, using handheld camerawork, interviews, backstage footage, and an unseen documentary crew to parody surfing films such as The Endless Summer and Riding Giants.

• Sony's original surfing-penguin concept was reworked after the filmmakers decided that a documentary-style approach gave the idea a stronger identity.

• To make the surfing footage feel authentic, animators received advice from professional surfers Kelly Slater and Rob Machado, who also appear in cameo voice roles.

• A real camera operator's movements were motion-captured to help create the film's loose, uneven documentary look.

• The voice performers were encouraged to improvise. Several actors recorded together in the same room, an approach that is less common in animated productions.

• Zooey Deschanel used a sandbag while recording scenes involving Lani's squid, while James Woods reportedly threw objects at the filmmakers during his character's aggressive moments.

• The line about whether Cody can sing and dance references Happy Feet, another penguin-centered animated film released in 2006.

• John Heder, rather than Jeff Bridges, supplied the burp heard from the character Geek.

• The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and later received a sequel, Surf's Up 2: WaveMania, in 2017.