WSurf movies fall into three distinct genres:the surfing documentary - targeting the surfing enthusiast the 1960s beach party films - targeting the broader community fictional feature films with a focus on the reality of surfing
WAloha, Scooby-Doo! is a 2005 direct-to-video animated comedy horror mystery film, and the eighth in a series of direct-to-video animated films based upon the Scooby-Doo Saturday morning cartoons. It was produced and completed in 2004 by Warner Bros. Animation and was released on February 8, 2005 by Warner Bros. Family Entertainment, though it featured a copyright and logo for Hanna-Barbera Cartoons at the end. The film aired on Cartoon Network on May 13, 2005.
WApocalypse Now is a 1979 American epic psychological war film directed and produced by Francis Ford Coppola. It stars Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Frederic Forrest, Albert Hall, Sam Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne, Harrison Ford, and Dennis Hopper. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola and John Milius with narration written by Michael Herr, is loosely based on the 1899 novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, with the setting changed from late 19th-century Congo to the Vietnam War. The film follows a river journey from South Vietnam into Cambodia undertaken by Captain Benjamin L. Willard (Sheen), who is on a secret mission to assassinate Colonel Kurtz (Brando), a renegade Army Special Forces officer accused of murder and who is presumed insane.
WBack to the Beach is a 1987 American comedy film starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, directed by Lyndall Hobbs. The original music score is composed by Steve Dorff. The film generated a total domestic gross of $13,110,903. It received a "two thumbs up" rating from Siskel and Ebert.
WBeach Party is a 1963 American film and the first of seven beach party films from American International Pictures (AIP) aimed at a teen audience. This film is often credited with creating the beach party film genre.
WBeautiful Wave is a 2012 adventure coming-of-age drama film. The film was directed by David Mueller.
WBig Wednesday is a 1978 American coming of age film directed by John Milius. Written by Milius and Dennis Aaberg, it is loosely based on their own experiences at Malibu, California. The picture stars Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, and Gary Busey as California surfers facing life and the Vietnam War against the backdrop of their love of surfing.
WBlood Surf is a 2000 horror film directed by James D.R. Hickox. It was released in the United States on June 26, 2001 but was released earlier in some countries. The plot is about a pair of entrepreneurs who hit upon the idea of blood surfing: spreading chum in the water in order to attract sharks, then hopping on a surfboard and riding through the middle of the pack. As they are filming their promotional documentary, the fun gets interrupted by a 30 ft (9.1 m) long saltwater crocodile that begins snacking on everyone in the expedition. The film was the last film released by Trimark Pictures.
WBlue Crush is a 2002 sports film directed by John Stockwell and based on Susan Orlean's 1998 Outside magazine article "Life's Swell". The film stars Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez, Sanoe Lake and Mika Boorem. It tells the story of three friends who have one passion: living the ultimate dream of surfing on Hawaii's famed North Shore.
WBlue Crush 2 is a 2011 direct-to-video film directed by Mike Elliott and starring Sasha Jackson, Elizabeth Mathis, Ben Milliken, Chris Fisher, Gideon Emery, and Sharni Vinson. Despite the title, it is not considered to be connected to the 2002 film Blue Crush. Film reviews were generally negative.
WBlue Juice is a 1995 British drama film directed by Carl Prechezer and starring Sean Pertwee, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ewan McGregor, and Steven Mackintosh. It follows JC (Pertwee) as he attempts to reconcile his surfer lifestyle and loser friends with the pressure to grow up from his girlfriend (Jones). Blue Juice was set in Cornwall, and released in 1995 by FilmFour productions.
WBrice 3 is a 2016 French comedy film directed by James Huth and starring Jean Dujardin, Clovis Cornillac, Bruno Salomone and Alban Lenoir. It is the sequel to the 2005 film Brice de Nice, despite its name suggesting it is the third installment in the franchise.
WBrice de Nice is a 2005 French comedy film directed by James Huth, written by Huth, Jean Dujardin, and Karine Angeli, and starring Dujardin. It is set in France, centering on the character Brice of Nice originally created by Dujardin for a stage sketch. A sequel to the film, Brice 3, was released on 19 October 2016 with the slogan "Parce que le 2, je l'ai cassé!"
WChairman of the Board is a 1998 American comedy film directed by Alex Zamm, and starring Carrot Top in his only lead role in a feature-length film. In the film, a surfer and inventor named Edison inherits and runs a billionaire's company. It was poorly received by both critics and audiences. Both Carrot Top and Raquel Welch had received Razzie nominations for the 1999 Golden Raspberry Award for their roles in the film.
WChasing Mavericks is a 2012 American biographical drama film about the life of American surfer Jay Moriarity. The film is directed by Curtis Hanson and Michael Apted, and co-stars Gerard Butler, Elisabeth Shue, Abigail Spencer, and Leven Rambin.
WDrift is a 2013 Australian film about the birth of the surf industry in the 1970s. It was shot in Western Australia and co-directed by Morgan O'Neill and Ben Nott and starring Sam Worthington, Xavier Samuel and Myles Pollard.
WGidget is a 1959 American CinemaScope comedy film. It stars Sandra Dee, James Darren, Cliff Robertson, Arthur O'Connell and The Four Preps. in a story about a teenager's initiation into the California surf culture and her romance with a young surfer.
WGidget Goes Hawaiian is a 1961 American romantic comedy musical film starring James Darren, Michael Callan and Deborah Walley. Released by Columbia Pictures, the film is a sequel to the 1959 Sandra Dee "beach movie" vehicle Gidget. Dee was under contract to Universal for the rival series film Tammy Tell Me True (1961) and would not be released to Columbia to reprise her hit role.
WGidget Goes to Rome is a 1963 Columbia Pictures Eastmancolor feature film starring Cindy Carol as the archetypal high school teen surfer girl originally created by Sandra Dee in the 1959 film Gidget. The film is the third of three Gidget films directed by Paul Wendkos and expands upon Gidget's romance with boyfriend Moondoggie. The screenplay was written by Ruth Brooks Flippen based on characters created by Frederick Kohner. Veterans of previous Gidget films making appearances include James Darren as "Moondoggie", Joby Baker, and Jean "Jeff" Donnell as Gidget's mom, Mrs. Lawrence.
WJohnny Tsunami is a 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM). The film focuses on a young surfer from Hawaii who must adapt to new challenges when his father's job forces the family to move to Vermont. It was nominated in 2000 for the Humanitas Prize in the Children's Live-Action Category. The film was followed by a sequel, Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board, released in 2007.
WLilo & Stitch is a 2002 American animated science fiction comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 42nd Disney animated feature film, it was written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois in their directorial debuts. It features Daveigh Chase and Sanders as the voices of the title characters, and also features the voices of Tia Carrere, David Ogden Stiers, Kevin McDonald, Ving Rhames, Jason Scott Lee, and Kevin Michael Richardson. It was also the second of three Disney animated feature films that were produced primarily at the Florida animation studio in Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida. It was officially released on June 21, 2002, to positive reviews and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards.
WLords of Dogtown is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by Catherine Hardwicke and written by Stacy Peralta. The film follows a group of young skateboarders in Santa Monica, California during the mid–1970s. This is the first production made by both Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures.
WMeet the Deedles is a 1998 American comedy film directed by Steve Boyum in his directorial debut, and starring Paul Walker, Steve Van Wormer, A. J. Langer, John Ashton, Robert Englund, and Dennis Hopper. This was the first live-action film from DIC Entertainment.
WNorth Shore is a 1987 American action drama surf film about Rick Kane, a young surfer from a wave tank in Arizona, who heads to surf the season on the North Shore of Oʻahu to see if he has the skills to cut it as a pro surfer. As he progresses on his journey, he learns the qualities he possesses are not going to pull him through alone.
WPoint Break is a 1991 American action crime film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by W. Peter Iliff. It stars Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey, and the film's title refers to the surfing term "point break", where a wave breaks as it hits a point of land jutting out from the coastline.
WPoint Break is a 2015 action-thriller film directed and shot by Ericson Core and written by Kurt Wimmer which he co-produced with John Baldecchi, Broderick Johnson, Andrew A. Kosove, Christopher Taylor and David Valdes. An American-German-Chinese co-production, the film is a remake of the 1991 film of the same name. The film stars Édgar Ramírez, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Delroy Lindo and Ray Winstone, and was released in China on December 4, 2015 by China Film Group and in the United States on December 25, 2015 by Warner Bros. in 3D and RealD 3D. The film received negative reviews from critics, and grossed $133 million from a $105 million budget.
WDie Pro is a 2015 South African film directed by Andre Velts for kykNet. It is the first Afrikaans Surf Film to be produced. Die Pro is based on Leon de Villiers book also titled Die Pro. It was among the most anticipated Afrikaans Films at the Silwerskerm Film Festival alongside films such as Dis ek, Anna.
WPuberty Blues is a 1981 Australian coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Bruce Beresford, based on the 1979 novel of the same name by Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey, which is a protofeminist teen novel about two 15-year-old girls from the middle-class Sutherland Shire in Sydney. The girls attempt to create a popular social status by ingratiating themselves with the "Greenhill gang" of surfers, who have a careless attitude toward casual sex, drugs and alcohol over the course of one Sydney summer.
WRide is a 2014 American drama film written and directed by Helen Hunt. The film stars Hunt, Luke Wilson, Brenton Thwaites and Leonor Varela. The film had a limited release in theaters and was released on video on demand beginning on May 1, 2015 by Screen Media Films.
WRide the Wild Surf is a 1964 American romantic drama film. It was filmed in 1963 and distributed in 1964. Unlike the beach party movies of the era, this was a departure from the typical Hollywood approach to surfing as it was a drama, not a comedy. It is known for its exceptional big wave surf footage – a common sight in surf movies of the time, but a rarity in Hollywood films. Likewise, the film has only one pop song – the titular Jan and Dean track, which is heard once, at the end of the film.
WRide Your Wave is a 2019 Japanese animated film produced by Science SARU and directed by Masaaki Yuasa. The film premiered at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 10, 2019 and was released in Japan on June 21, 2019.
WRip Girls is a 2000 family drama Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM), directed by Joyce Chopra and starring Camilla Belle as a teenage girl named Sydney. The film's plot follows Sydney, her father and his wife, stepmom Elizabeth, who come to an island on Hawaii, where they find a closer relationship to each other while struggling with ideas of changes to the island. During her time on the island, Sydney makes new friends and learns the truth about her deceased mother. The film premiered on Disney Channel on April 22, 2000.
WA Scene at the Sea is a 1991 Japanese drama film written, edited and directed by Takeshi Kitano starring Claude Maki.
WThe Shallows is a 2016 American survival horror film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, written by Anthony Jaswinski and starring Blake Lively. In the film, a surfer gets stranded 200 yards (180 m) from shore and must use her wits and determination to survive a great white shark attack. Principal photography began in October 2015 in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia.
WShelter is a 2007 American romantic drama film produced by JD Disalvatore and directed and written by Jonah Markowitz. It stars Trevor Wright, Brad Rowe, and Tina Holmes. It was the winner of "Outstanding Film – Limited Release" at the 2009 GLAAD Media Awards, Best New Director and Favorite Narrative Feature at the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, and the People's Choice Award for Best Feature at the Vancouver Queer Film Festival. Shelter represents the feature directorial debut of Markowitz.
WSoul Surfer is a 2011 American biographical drama film directed by Sean McNamara, based on the 2004 autobiography Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton about her life as a surfer after losing her left arm in a horrific shark attack and her recovery. The film stars AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, and Lorraine Nicholson with Carrie Underwood, Kevin Sorbo, Sonya Balmores, Branscombe Richmond, and Craig T. Nelson.
W"SpongeBob SquarePants vs. The Big One" is the 11th episode of the sixth season and the 111th overall episode of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. The episode was written by Aaron Springer who also directed the storyboards, Paul Tibbitt, and Steven Banks, and the animation was directed by Andrew Overtoom and supervising director, Alan Smart. The episode was part of the series' tenth anniversary celebration in 2009. It features guest appearances by Johnny Depp as the voice of Jack Kahuna Laguna, Bruce Brown as the narrator, and Davy Jones as himself. It originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on April 17, 2009.
WSummer City is a 1977 Australian drama thriller film, filmed in Newcastle, Australia. The film also features Mel Gibson in his debut role.
WSurf II is a 1984 American independent comedy film written and directed by Randall M. Badat and starring Eddie Deezen, Linda Kerridge, Eric Stoltz, Jeffrey Rogers and Peter Isacksen. The plot revolves around Menlo Schwartzer, a maniacal mad scientist who creates a chemically altered soft drink which turns its drinkers into mutant zombie punks as part of a diabolical scheme to rid the beaches of surfers.
WSurf Nazis Must Die is a 1987 American post-apocalyptic action exploitation film directed by Peter George and starring Gail Neely, Barry Brenner, and Robert Harden. It was produced by The Institute, a production company formed by George, Craig A. Colton and Robert Tinnell, and distributed by Troma Entertainment, a company known for its low-budget exploitation films.
WSurf Ninjas is a 1993 American family comedy film involving martial arts, directed by Neal Israel and written by Dan Gordon. The film stars Ernie Reyes Jr., Rob Schneider, Nicolas Cowan and Leslie Nielsen. Surf Ninjas follows two teenage surfers from Los Angeles who discover that they are crown princes of the Asian kingdom Patusan and reluctantly follow their destinies to dethrone an evil colonel that rules over the kingdom.
WSurf Party is a 1964 beach party film directed by Maury Dexter and starring Bobby Vinton, Patricia Morrow, Jackie DeShannon, and Ken Miller. It is notable for the musical acts showcased onscreen, as well as for being the first direct imitation of AIP's hit Beach Party, which was released six months earlier. It also notable for being one of the few movies in the genre shot in black and white.
WSurf-Bored Cat is a 1967 Tom and Jerry short directed by Abe Levitow and produced by Chuck Jones. Animation was by Dick Thompson, Philip Roman, Ben Washam, Hal Ambro, Don Towsley and Carl Bell, with layouts by Don Morgan and backgrounds by Philip DeGuard. The cartoon's title is play on the word "surfboard".
WSurf's Up is a 2007 American computer-animated mockumentary comedy film directed by Ash Brannon and Chris Buck. It features the voices of Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder, Mario Cantone, James Woods, and Diedrich Bader among others. In production since 2002 at Sony Pictures Animation, it was the studio's second theatrical feature film. The film premiered in the United States on June 8, 2007, and was distributed by Columbia Pictures. It is a parody of surfing documentaries, such as The Endless Summer and Riding Giants, with parts of the plot parodying North Shore. Real-life surfers Kelly Slater and Rob Machado have vignettes as their penguin surfer counterparts. To obtain the desired hand-held documentary feel, the film's animation team motion-captured a physical camera operator's moves.
WSurf's Up 2: WaveMania is a 2017 American-Canadian computer-animated comedy film directed by Henry Yu. It is a sequel to the 2007 film Surf's Up. Produced by Sony Pictures Animation and WWE Studios with animation from Rainmaker Entertainment, the film received a direct-to-video release on January 17, 2017, on DVD and digital media.
WSurfer, Dude is a 2008 American comedy film directed by S.R. Bindler and starring Matthew McConaughey.
WThe Sweet Ride is a 1968 American drama film with a few surfer/biker exploitation film elements. It stars Tony Franciosa, Michael Sarrazin and Jacqueline Bisset in an early starring role. The film also features Bob Denver in the role of Choo-Choo, a Beatnik piano-playing draft dodger. Sarrazin and Bisset were nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer, Male and Female respectively.
WTeen Beach Movie is a Disney Channel Original Movie that premiered on July 19, 2013, on Disney Channel, starring Ross Lynch and Maia Mitchell. Directed by Jeffrey Hornaday, Teen Beach Movie was filmed in Puerto Rico. It was the only Disney Channel Original Movie to premiere in 2013.