Powell Peralta: The Search for Animal Chin (1987)

The Search for Animal Chin is a 1987 skateboarding film featuring the Bones Brigade. It is one of the first skateboarding films to have a plot, rather than simply a collection of skateboarding stunts and music videos.

An early version of the screenplay by John Smythe, titled "The Rollersurfing Quest for Animal Chang", was damaged by some ranch dressing. Producer Stacy Peralta misread the name of the title character "Animal Chang" as "Animal Chin", and liked the name so much that the title and the character's name were officially changed.

Synopsis

The Bones Brigade travels around California, Nevada, and Hawaii to different skate spots in search of a wisened old man, Won Ton "Animal" Chin. The movie is of the old-school nomadic, skate-everything-in-your-path genre with interludes of stopping to rip-up a big ramp, pool or kicker. After much searching and skateboarding, they locate a large ramp in the desert. They also find a Chinese character on the inside of the ramp's spine. They conclude that in searching for Mr. Chin, they may have found his spirit.

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