Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Shia LaBeouf | ... | Cody Maverick (voice) | |
Jeff Bridges | ... | Zeke 'Big Z' Topanga / 'Geek' (voice) | |
Zooey Deschanel | ... | Lani Aliikai (voice) | |
Jon Heder | ... | Chicken Joe (voice) | |
James Woods | ... | Reggie Belafonte (voice) | |
Diedrich Bader | ... | Tank 'The Shredder' Evans (voice) | |
Mario Cantone | ... | Mikey Abromowitz (voice) | |
Kelly Slater | ... | Kelly (voice) | |
Rob Machado | ... | Rob (voice) | |
Sal Masekela | ... | SPEN Announcer (voice) | |
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Ash Brannon | ... | Filmmaker (voice) |
Chris Buck | ... | Filmmaker (voice) | |
Brian Posehn | ... | Glen Maverick (voice) | |
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Dana Belben | ... | Edna Maverick (voice) (as Dana L. Belben) |
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Reed Buck | ... | Arnold (voice) |
This story follows a teenage rock hopper penguin named Cody Maverick from his hometown of Shiverpool, Antarctica, where all of the other penguins think he's nothing but a surfing fool, to the "Big Z Memorial Surf Off" on Pen Gu Island. Young Cody is determined to win the most important competition in the world of penguin surfing in honor of "Big Z," a deceased surfing legend whom he has idolized since childhood. But the waves in Pen Gu are different than in Shiverpool, and the competition is steep. The current champ, egotistical Tank Evans, isn't just about to let this little penguin knock him from first place without a fight. When Cody wipes out and encounters Geek, a recluse aging former surfer, living in the jungle, he learns some important lessons about life and surfing, and even teaches Geek a thing or two. Written by Anthony Pereyra (hypersonic91@yahoo.com)
As an old surfer, and a lover of penguins, I was totally PUMPED for this movie! So I went out to see it last night, and I laughed several times. One of the most awesome things to me, was how Big Z encompassed the ideal of just having fun and letting everything go while you surf. You've got to watch it to see that, but really, this movie is spectacular. The animation is great, the characters develop nicely, and the "documentary" format adds to the humor aspect of it.
I don't know about the comparisons to Happy Feet, but it seems rather weird to get all upset because there's another penguin movie out on the market. Bottom line, for me, is that this movie was very fun to watch, and I thought it had some classic bits of humor. It may be a bit too much for some younger kids, but it was great for me. I loved this movie!