Cody riding

Sony's film Surf's Up, a mockumentary about surfing penguins, is one of the 2007 nominees for the best animated feature Academy Award. While the film is visually impressive throughout, it's likely that the filmmakers' work on the water scenes, including the many surfing action shots, is what earned the film its Oscar nomination.

This image, which shows the film's main character, Cody, riding a big wave, demonstrates how the filmmakers were able to create extremely realistic waves.