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Arun Nair's Answer
# Cody's name is likely a reference to Mavericks, a famous surfing spot. It is also a possibly reference to the NBA basketball team the Dallas Mavericks, of which directors Ash Brannon and Chris Buck are fans.
# This is the second animated film to feature Jeff Bridges in 25 years, the first was The Last Unicorn.
# In the first appearance of SPEN Sports, there is a line "And now to dodgeball", in reference to Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and its ESPN 8: the Ocho joke.[citation needed]
# The dialogue was recorded with the actors together in the booth, unlike most animated films where they are recorded independently. The voice-actors were also encouraged to ad-lib their scenes where appropriate.
# At the beginning of the movie, Cody is asked if he has any "other skills besides surfing?" He responds, "Like what? Like singing and dancing?" This is a reference to Happy Feet, another animated feature film with penguins, another reference to Happy Feet is when you see an egg roll along the ice and a penguin chasing it and saying "Come to daddy", when Memphis is teaching Mumble to walk after his hatching. It's also noted that Happy Feet and Surf's Up were in productions during the same time.
# SPEN is a parody of ESPN. It stands for "Sports Penguin Entertainment Network". It is also a play on the scientific family name for penguins, Spheniscidae.
# Big Z/Geek is depicted as having dark brown feet in the film, whereas in nearly all printed or promotional material he is depicted with bright orange feet. It is unknown if the coloration was a last minute change for the film.
# Originally SPEN was to have on-screen announcers appear as a walrus named Chunk and a seal named Rock. They were replaced in the film when Kelly Slater and Rob Machado signed on. However, the characters can still be found in the various Surf's Up video games, with Sal Masekela making an on-screen appearance in Chunk's guise.
# A black and white photograph of Big Z is shown in Cody's telling of the history of surfing. The text in the corner reads: "Surfing for me, it's something that's completely unstructured. It's the rhythm of the world. It's the physical connection to the Universe." -Zeke Topanga
# "Surf's Up" is also the title of an episode of Even Stevens, which Shia LaBeouf also starred in.
# The character of "The Geek", is likely based on Jeff Bridges' character, "The Dude" in The Big Lebowski.[citation needed]
# Mikey uses the line "I feel a little light headed" in one scene. That line was also used by Elliot in Sony Animation Pictures' first movie Open Season.
# Early in the movie, Cody remarks about the lack of waves in Shiverpool, "You should have been here yesterday...", a common surfing aphorism lamenting poor surfing conditions.
# Chicken Joe's and Cody Maverick's ill-fated fathers share the same name (Bob).
# UFOs are placed all around the movie in various scenes or stills like "Z is for Zurfing" and when viewers are introduced to Chicken Joe's late father. This is revealed in one of the Easter eggs on the DVD.
# The character of "Chicken Joe" is apparently a reference to one or both of the Williams brothers from Sheboygan, WI, featured in the 2003 documentary Step Into Liquid.
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