Bill the Butcher just sent in his review for SHARK TALE:
Shark Tale (2004) -PG-
Directed by: Bibo Bergeron, Vicky Jenson, Rob Letterman
Written by: Rob Letterman, Damian Shannon, Mark Swift, Michael J. Wilson
Starring the Voices of: Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Renée Zellweger, Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Katie Couric, Doug E. Doug, Peter Falk, Michael Imperioli, James Madio, Ziggy Marley, Vincent Pastore
As Thin as a Shark’s Fin: Dreamwork’s Animation has Become the Pop Culture Pixar
By Bill the Butcher
Dreamworks’ animation seems to continue to rip off of Pixar (currently owned by Disney), left and right. In 1994, Jeffery Katzenberg left Disney to form Dreamworks with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen. It is rumored that he took the idea of Pixar’s A Bug’s Life with him, and made Antz. In my opinion, Antz is a much deeper film where the ant colony represents a communistic society that the hero must overcome. A Bug’s Life had a bit more flimsy plot, with the hero ant trying to save his colony from grasshoppers.
Since Antz, Dreamworks’ animation has gone downhill, from Shrek and it’s sequel, to their new film, Shark Tale, coming out after the success of Pixar’s Finding Nemo . Full of pop culture references that don’t fit in, bright glitzy eye candy for the kids, and an easy to follow, albeit flimsy plot, Shark Tale may entertain the children for 90 minutes, but it shows how much of a shoddy trend Dreamworks is setting, trying to keep up with the creativity of Pixar.
Set in an underwater New York City, Times Square and all, Shark Tale follows Oscar, a lowly fish who works at a Whale wash. He always seems to be down on his luck and broke. The city of fish is terrorized by sharks, who are made out to be like the mafia.
Luckily, Oscar winds up in the right place at the right time, as an anchor falls on a shark who’s chasing him, son of Don Lino the infamous head of the sharks, and kills him. Some other fish happen to see Oscar there, and he takes credit for killing the shark, and now becomes the infamous “sharkslayer.�
I will give Shark Tale its props for being one of the most politically correct animation films in recent memory. It attempts to display many different ethnicities through it’s fish, from the Will Smith voiced Oscar representing black culture, along with his father having an afro, to the sharks representing the mafia cultureâ€â€
I can’t stand Will Smith. He’s just so… irritating. Cannot agree more that it’s a cheap shot at emulating Shrek. Wish they’d make sexier MALE fish though. It’s always about the girls, no matter what lifeform they take on.
Again, a couple of spoofing real-life stuff but it’s so subtle you have to pay attention to catch them sometimes.
Can’t believe Hans Zimmer is responsible for the score! Good grief.
Anyway, it’s just one of those movies to watch with the kiddos but with a heightened sense of awareness of the characteristics of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. Ah, Mr. De Niro…
Yeah, Will Smith used to be the coolest motherfucker when he was on Fresh Prince, but he started to suck badly once his movie career took off.
This looks like the biggest rip off of Finding Nemo…i mean…big ocean…main charcater is a fish…ffs…what a unorignal copy. i guess kids dont give a shit either way. :
[quote=“Usurper”]
This looks like the biggest rip off of Finding Nemo…i mean…big ocean…main charcater is a fish…ffs…what a unorignal copy. i guess kids dont give a shit either way. :[/quote]
It was like that “Antz vs. Bug’s Life” period.
angelina jolie in fish form is all the hott you need… but then again… angelina in ANY form would be goo denough for me 
Grab the money.
Grab the money and RUN!
The other day, my little brother wanted to rent this. I know my mom would kill me if I rented what I was wanted to rent ( Closer) so I said what the hell , and got Shark Tale. Oh Lord , this is what went through my mind :
- This is the black Finding Nemo ( Not to sound racist , the whole Will Smith factor)
- Woah , check out those Scorsese eyebrows…
- That sharks’s totally fucking gay.
I’m surprised kids dont notice the rip-offness.
AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO IS SICK AND TIRED OF ALL THIS FUCKING ANIME BULLSHIT!!!
SHARKTALE: DIE!
SHREK: DIE!
FINDING NEMO: DIE!
ICE AGE: DIE!
ROBOTS: DIE!!!
fuck! why wont people use all those millons of dollars to make a good movie instead of all those celebrity voices
I liked it actually. wouldnt say it was the best by any means, but i definitely thought it was more clever than it was recognized to be. there were tons of underlying jokes (as there always are in childrens films).
Yeah I’m sick of kiddy films with their dumb ass plots and automatic 50 million dollars, especially when all the small theaters are so eager to fill all their screens with this shit. They don’t even try to make them good anymore. What happened to the Lion Kings or Aladdin, now its fuckin shrek and nemo with all these stupid innuendo jokes and in your face obnoxious actors. Talk about role models. God I hate the way the world is turning out thanks to advertising and marketing.