IMDb > Shark Tale (2004)
Shark Tale
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Shark Tale (2004) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 59 | slideshow) Videos (see all 12 NEW)
Shark Tale (2004) -- When a son of a gangster shark boss is accidently killed while on the hunt, his would be prey and his vegetarian brother both decide to use the incident to their own advantage.
Shark Tale (2004) -- Featurette: Fishified World
Shark Tale (2004) -- When a son of a gangster shark boss is accidently killed while on the hunt, his would be prey and his vegetarian brother both decide to use the incident to their own advantage.
Shark Tale (2004) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
Shark Tale (2004) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
5.9/10   35,934 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Michael J. Wilson (screenplay) and
Rob Letterman (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Shark Tale on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 October 2004 (USA) more
Tagline:
In fall, a new school will rule. more
Plot:
When a son of a gangster shark boss is accidently killed while on the hunt, his would be prey and his vegetarian brother both decide to use the incident to their own advantage. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 13 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(105 articles)
Shark Tale Co-Director Finds A Monster in Paris
 (From Atomic Popcorn. 21 October 2009, 4:46 PM, PDT)

Director David Bowers Discusses Astro Boy
 (From ReelzChannel. 19 October 2009, 5:04 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Lifeless product of Hollywood groupthink, devoid of even the slightest inspiration more (266 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Will Smith ... Oscar (voice)

Robert De Niro ... Don Lino (voice)

Renée Zellweger ... Angie (voice)

Jack Black ... Lenny (voice)

Angelina Jolie ... Lola (voice)

Martin Scorsese ... Sykes (voice)

Ziggy Marley ... Ernie (voice)
Doug E. Doug ... Bernie (voice)

Michael Imperioli ... Frankie (voice)

Vincent Pastore ... Luca (voice)

Peter Falk ... Don Feinberg (voice)
Katie Couric ... Katie Current (voice)
David Soren ... Shrimp / Worm / Starfish #1 / Killer Whale #2 (voice)
David P. Smith ... Crazy Joe (voice)
Bobb'e J. Thompson ... Shortie #1 (voice)
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Sharkslayer (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated PG for some mild language and crude humor.
Runtime:
90 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS
Filming Locations:
Los Angeles, California, USA

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
For each international release, the role of the news reporter "Katie Current" was recast to a prominent female news anchor of that country: In the Australian version it is Tracy Grimshaw, former co-anchor of the Australian "Today" (1982) show; in the UK version it is 'Fiona Phillips', presenter of "GMTV" (1993); and in the Italian version it is Cristina Parodi, anchor-woman of "Verissimo". more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: Oscar throws Lennie through a Jaws Poster when faking Lennie's death, next time you see the Jaws poster it is fixed, and the time after it is broken again. more
Quotes:
[Oscar "kills" Lennie]
Lenny: Aaahhh! Curse you, Shark Slayer!
[falls into an abyss]
more
Movie Connections:
Spoofs Jaws (1975) more
Soundtrack:
Set It Off more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
85 out of 148 people found the following comment useful.
Lifeless product of Hollywood groupthink, devoid of even the slightest inspiration, 2 December 2004
4/10
Author: filmbuff-36 from Houston, TX

Had "Shark Tale" had even an iota of the wit and charm that seems to have little trouble finding its way into Pixar's creations, the movie might have been more enjoyable. At the least the filmmakers could have snuck in some funny social commentary through the veil of animation.

What we have instead is an urban, glib, lifeless product that is market-tested and ready for consumption. An empty ghetto-fabulous morality tale loaded with pop culture references and plenty of bling-bling but no heart.

Under the ocean, Oscar (voice of Will Smith) is a tongue-scrubber at a "whale-wash" and part-time hustler. He wishes for a better life, hoping to swim his way to the top of the fish social ladder, though his coworker Angie (voice of Renee Zellweger) thinks he should be happy with who he is, and tries to subtly drop hints that she's quite taken with him.

Meanwhile, great white shark and local crime boss Don Lino (voice of Robert De Niro) is planning to turn his family business over to his two sons, Frankie and Lenny. But Lenny (voice of Jack Black) is harboring some serious issues concerning eating other fish, and the godfather is worried his weak son with reflect poorly on him.

Oscar has problems. In debt to his boss Sykes (voice of Martin Scorsese), he soon ends up in hot water. However, fate runs him smack into Frankie and Lenny. During the scuffle, an anchor accidentally kills Frankie and Oscar is mistakenly given credit for the kill. Now a media celebrity for being a "shark slayer," Oscar rides his status all the way to the top, with Sykes managing his interests and the sharks fuming that their top spot in the food chain is quickly losing its power.

Situations soon escalate and Oscar and Lenny reach an agreement: if they fake a battle and Oscar emerges triumphant, he can keep his credibility as a shark slayer and Lenny can start a new life.

"Shark Tale" openly references "The Godfather" and "Jaws" at every opportunity, which in and of itself isn't too bad except that so little is made of the main plot itself that the whole move feels like a patchwork of other, better movies, just with a meaningless hip-hop attitude. The special effects are up to par but there's nothing really special about them. The audience needs a story and characters, not just choreographed dance sequences and goofy product placements.

All this might have been negligible had the movie actually been funny. This, sadly, is not the case. I only recorded one good laugh during the screening I attended, and that involved a shark voiced by Peter Falk whose flatulence had the expected effect on a henchmen. When a fart joke is the best you have to offer, then you've got serious problems.

The story also steals shamelessly from the 1942 Disney cartoon "The Reluctant Dragon," which featured a fixed battle between a loudmouth braggart knight and a pacifist dragon to keep the locals off both their backs. That story was at least short and cute, neither of which can be said about this debacle.

Along with the plot, voice acting is pretty lifeless as well. Smith gets to indulge his ego, playing his own persona on screen once again, this time in fish form. De Niro and Scorsese seem to be having fun spoofing their own tough guy roles, but that's about it from them. The biggest surprise is how much of a laid-back performance Black gives. His trademark manic desperation is nowhere to be seen, playing instead a shockingly normal character. Had he cut loose, the scenes he's in might have been more enjoyable. What's stranger is his hiding of his vegetarian leanings from his dad is handled like an allegory for a gay person coming out to his parents.

When is Hollywood going to realize it doesn't matter how many famous actors you get to do voices for your characters; if the story sucks, then no amount of acting talent is going to save it? There are three Academy Award winners in this cast, just don't use that as a benchmark for excellence.

This all amounts to another animated project from DreamWorks high on energy and low on inspiration. After "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmarron," "Road to El Dorado" and "Sinbad" all tanked, it's clear that the "Shrek" series is the only good thing the studio has going for it right now.

Of course, there's no escaping comparison to that other computer animated fish movie, either, and that's when this film looks most wanting. Where Pixar's "Finding Nemo" swam the full depths of the ocean, "Shark Tale" seems content to just tread water in the wading pool.

4 out of 10 stars. Pretty to look at, but any movie that tries to push this much "coolness" down your throat is just asking to be despised.

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One terrific and funny movie - great for adults! Rainer_fan
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I like how... PurplePhonez
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DreamWorks Introductions!!! SirBles
How old (or young) was Lenny meant to be? adaeze_mai
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