Surf's Up is yet another example of the most common syndrome found among American computer-animated films these days: the technical aspects are lovely, but the story/theme content is nothing to speak of. With the misfortune of following in the footsteps of the superior Happy Feet, this new flick also features penguins, now just starting to wear out their welcome as movie subjects.

Still, the visual design of Surf's Up is very nice -- the birds have an appealing cartoon look, and I like the way the animators got creative in giving them distinguishing pattern designs where their black and white feathers meet (to enhance the surfers' island life feel). Also, as water is always the main go-to element for showing off animation skills, Surf's Up takes  advantage of the this opportunity.

On the downside, the movie is handicapped by the American stigma of cartoons being for kids, so the theme is from a template again (in this case, "winning isn't everything," which was already used by Cars last year -- in fact, the two share a few too many plot similarities for comfort, with Cars winning on more skillful story execution), and the pleasant island atmosphere is punctuated by a lot of lame kiddie jokes, much of them having to with potty humor. 

Meanwhile, a unique narrative approach yields mixed results -- the movie is "shot" as a mockumentary, which is creative but probably a little too sophisticated for its intended audience. Also, the filmmakers don't quite adhere to their own idea -- too many of the scenes don't come from a documentary angle, from certain action sequences like the requisite roller-coaster scene through the underground slides, to the intimate moments where the main characters are developed and freely converse.

An overall hodgepodge of good ideas, bad ideas, and hit-and-miss execution, Surf's Up feels like it had more potential to be a standout than was actually realized. (Capsule review)

(Released by Columbia Pictures and rated "PG" for mild language and some rude humor.)

Review also posted at www.windowtothemovies.com.