Surf's Up 2: Wavemania is a 2017 sequel to the 2007 animated feature Surf's Up.
Picking up two years after the surfing competition in the first movie, Cody Maverick has since fallen into obscurity and still covets success and fame. But when the legendary Hang 5 surfing team come searching for recruits, Cody is determined to become their newest member, as he, Lani, Chicken Joe and Tank accompany them on an action-packed adventure to the infamous Trenches.
The film was co-produced by Sony Pictures Animation and WWE Studios, and as such, features the voices of many WWE wrestlers.
This movie provides examples of:
- Aesop Amnesia: Cody Maverick once again has to accept that winning isn't everything and learn the value of friendship, both of which he already learned in the first movie.
- The Big Guy: Undertaker, which Chicken Joe point blank calls him at one point.Paige: Is everyone okay?
Chicken Joe: Yep. Just me and the big guy. - Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Most of the supporting characters from the first film, such as Reggie Belafonte and Mikey Abromowitz, are completely absent in this one. Zeke "Big Z" Topanga is only briefly mentioned near the beginning — though his current whereabouts are not brought up at all — and his role as Cody's childhood hero is retconned entirely in favor of the latter idolising the Hang 5 instead.
- Convection, Schmonvection: Near the end of their journey, the group have to traverse a vast lava pit inside an active volcano, and per Cody's suggestion, resort to hang-gliding across it to the other side. The intense heat that would be rising off the lava doesn't affect them at all as they fly over, not even damaging their crudely made gliders, and the only danger shown is when Chicken Joe nearly falls directly into it, though he's saved by the Undertaker at the last moment.
- Disproportionate Retribution: After putting up with Tank's bullying for the entire journey, Cody picks the worst possible time to retaliate by attacking Tank while they're flying over the lava pit, risking both their lives and Chicken Joe's just for the sake of a petty rivalry. The rest of the group don't take this well, and even Tank is shocked that Cody would resort to this.
- Flashback with the Other Darrin: The opening scene shows an interview with Cody that took place during the surfing contest in the climax of the first film, with his current actor Jeremy Shada voicing him instead of Shia LaBeouf.
- Happy Ending Override: At the end of the first film, Cody is perfectly content to let Joe win the final race, and has learned to truly value his friendships and passion for surfing beyond winning. At the start of this film, Cody is now a sad, washed up has been desperately banking off his past success, and is once again obsessed with becoming a winner.
- Heel–Face Turn: After Cody saves Tank Evans during the finale, Tank apologizes for how he's acted and the two seem to be cool with hanging out with each other from that point on.
- Ink-Suit Actor: The Hang-5 are basically their WWE voice actors as Penguins -even down to the names.
- Mr. McMahon, voiced by Vince McMahon, who serves as the leader of the crew.
- J.C., voiced by John Cena who does his "You can't see me" schtick, along with wearing his camouflage shorts & green wrist bands.
- Hunter, voiced by Triple H, aka Hunter Hearst Helmsley, who has his hair, does his water spit routine, and wears his elbow bands with the H on them.
- Paige has her voice actor's Power Diva gimmick, as well as what appears to be dark eye shadow around her eyes, playing on her goth image.
- Finally The Undertaker, voiced by The Undertaker who's the biggest example of this trope. He has his voice actor's tattoos, hat, hair, says his famous "Rest in Peace" phrase, sleeps underground with his coffin-shaped surf board acting as the lid, as well as being able to survive injuries that should be more serious, if not fatal. He's introduced as the Hang-5's enforcer, which was true of Taker backstage, as the locker room leader who many wrestlers went to for advice.
- Karma Houdini: While Cody is criticized for stooping to his level, Tank himself is never called out by anyone for how he treats Cody for the majority of the movie.
- Lighter and Softer: Compared to the first film, the sequel's animation and humour are noticeably more exaggerated and goofier, and the more mature pathos and writing are simplified to a more family-friendly standard.
- Minimalist Cast: Cody, Lani, Tank and Chicken Joe are the only returning characters from the first film, and are now joined by the Hang 5. No other characters have dialogue, and due to the lower budget, there are also far fewer background extras, making the island look significantly less populated compared to the original.
- Never Trust a Title: In-universe, "Wavemania" was the name of a surfing competition that Cody attended as a child, where he first saw the Hang 5. Despite it being the film's subtitle, this event is only featured in a single flashback, and has no plot relevance to the main story.
- Non-Standard Character Design: Due to being directly modelled after their voice actors, the Hang-5 have noticeably more exaggerated, human-like features — they all have visible pecs, actual hair on their heads and their wings are made to resemble buff, muscular arms — compared to the more realistic but anthropomorphic designs of the original cast.
- Retcon: In the original Surf's Up, Cody only ever talks about idolizing Big Z, and it's clearly shown that his interest in surfing began when he briefly met the latter as a child. In this film, Cody now claims that the Hang 5 have been his lifelong idols and it's always been his dream to join them, and he never even mentions Zeke.
- Series Continuity Error:
- During Cody's mid-contest interview in the prologue, the weather in the background is bright and sunny, even though it was a major point of tension that the final contest in the first film was on a gray, stormy day. Even more jarringly, this same montage also uses actual footage from the original film's climax, clearly showing the much darker weather.
- Several lines of dialogue throughout the film imply that Cody was born and bred on Pengu Island, despite the fact that the original film began by showing where he grew up in Shiverpool, Antarctica — which goes completely unmentioned here — and he only travelled to Pengu to compete in the surfing tournament.
- Share the Male Pain: While trying to cross a rope stretched across a gorge, Cody and Tank get into an altercation that ends with Tank losing his balance and getting the rope caught between his legs. The male members of the Hang 5 all react accordingly.
- Shout-Out: RTL is short for "Ride The Lightning". Remind you of anybody?
- The Smurfette Principle: Paige is the only female of the WWE stars.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Since the first film, Cody has become far more abrasive and self-centered, and has only gets worse when presented with the opportunity to potentially join the Hang 5.
- Two Girls to a Team: Paige and Lani are the only female members of the main cast.
- Uncertain Doom: Although Zeke revealed himself at the end of the original movie, the sequel's first act once again takes place during the "Big Z Memorial". Whether Zeke has actually died between films, or the same festival is still being celebrated despite everyone now knowing that he's alive, is not clarified.
- Vague Age: The Hang 5 are all shown to be grown adults in the flashback to Cody's childhood — set at least a decade prior to the film's events — but look exactly the same in the present day with no visible aging. While Mr. McMahon is implied to be older than the rest, given his plan to retire from surfing, whether the rest of the group are in a similar age range to each other note is not clarified.