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“Surf’s Up 2: WaveMania” follows surfer penguin Cody Maverick as his childhood dream comes true when The Hang 5, a world famous surf crew known for their extreme stunts and personalities, visits his island.
After the events of “Surf’s Up,” Cody (Jeremy Shada) and Lani (Melissa Sturm) have settled down on their island where they now teach surfing to the local kids. When Chicken Joe (Jon Heder) turns up, talking about how great life is since winning the big contest, Cody tries to put on a brave face, but deep down inside, he can’t but help reflect on the fact that it was almost him who won, had he not saved Joe’s life. Right before Joe is scheduled to leave on tour to Madagascar, the world famous surf crew known as The Hang 5, visits his island. Known for their exceptional stunts and brash personalities, they inform the island’s inhabitants that they are looking for a new team member as one of their own is getting ready to retire. Up for the challenge, Cody, Lani, Chicken Joe, and Cody’s arch nemesis, Tank (Diedrich Bader), join them on a new adventure to a mysterious island where it is rumored to host the biggest waves in the world.
Once on the island, however, each character is faced with overcoming their own personal fears and through The Hang 5, they learn that teamwork is more important than individual achievement. As the crew moves across the island, they must battle mother nature, hidden temples filled with deadly boobie traps, huge lava lakes, and most important of all, their own egos, if they are to survive the final test: surfing a gigantic wave through a jagged inlet, while thunder and lightning surrounds them from the skies above.
Kids who enjoyed the first movie will surely enjoy “Surf’s Up 2: WaveMania,” and for those youngins familiar with the world of WWE, they will undoubtedly have a ball with the voices of WWE Superstars John Cena, Undertaker, Triple H, Paige and Mr. McMahon. The movie never panders to its young audience, instead, it allows them to join in on the adventures and have fun with Cody and the crew as they go from one exciting adventure to the next, all the while, learning the importance of friendship, and teamwork. While the original “Surf’s Up” was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 2008 Academy Awards, “Surf’s Up 2: WaveMania” most certainly won’t reach that level of recognition but when you’re a kid, and you just want to have fun, who cares?
Available on DVD & Digital HD Tuesday, January 17th
