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Shark Tale Details

2004 Certificate U
  • Rated:
  • 60
  • from 53,468 members

Will Smith brings hip-hop zest to the voice of Oscar, a fast-talking everyfish who rejects his life at the whale wash and longs for fortune and fame in this animated film from Dreamworks. A combination of FINDING NEMO and GOODFELLAS set in New York, here sharks are old-school gangsters who prey on the local citizenry and hang .. Read more

Starring Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renee Zellweger, Angelina Jolie
Director Eric 'Bibo' Bergeron, Vicky Jenson, Rob Letter
Genres Animated, Children, Comedy

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Shark Tale

Will Smith brings hip-hop zest to the voice of Oscar, a fast-talking everyfish who rejects his life at the whale wash and longs for fortune and fame in this animated film from Dreamworks. A combination of FINDING NEMO and GOODFELLAS set in New York, here sharks are old-school gangsters who prey on the local citizenry and hang out in the wreck of the Titanic. Martin Scorsese does the voice of Mr. Sykes, Oscar's blowfish boss, who owes head Shark Don Lino (Robert De Niro) a lot of clams. Don Lino wants to turn over his reign to his two sons, but youngest Lenny (Jack Black) is a closet vegetarian. The plot thickens when Oscar takes credit for the accidental death of Lenny's brother, and suddenly finds the fame and fortune he's been seeking, only it's based on the lie that he's 'the shark slayer'. It's tough not to like this spunky fish story, especially with Scorsese and De Niro verbally one-upping each other in some hilarious bits. Also noteworthy: a pair of hilariously mellow Rastafarian jellyfish (Ziggy Marley and Doug E. Doug) and Peter Falk as an old Tiger Shark who hangs around the Titanic crooning My Heart Will Go On. Renee Zellweger and Angelina Jolie are the females--one pure of heart, one a 'fish fatale' - battling over Oscar's affection. In addition to all that, there should be enough goofy humour, action, and goofing to keep the kids riveted.

Starring Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renee Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, Martin Scorsese
Director Eric 'Bibo' Bergeron, Vicky Jenson, Rob Letter
Studio DREAMWORKS HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time DVD: 1 hr 30 mins
Certificate Certificate U
Genres Animated, Children, Comedy
Language DVD: English
Hearing-impaired English
Released DVD: 11 Feb 2005
Production year: 2004
Format DVD
  • Critics' reviews (4) of Shark Tale

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  • 3 stars out of 5

    Thanks to the enormous success of Pixar movies such as Toy Story and Monsters Inc), a computer-animated feature needs to be extra special to really make a mark. It's not good enough to be merely average, which is why this family comedy from DreamWorks — the company behind the Shrek phenomenon — disappoints a little. A thinly disguised morality lesson, it tells the tale of a celebrity-obsessed fish (voiced by Will Smith) who masquerades as a shark-killing hero with the aid of a vegetarian great white (Jack Black). Overall, the film's entirely serviceable, kept buoyant by irreverent humour and some adult-friendly movie skits. However, unlike its closest companion, Finding Nemo, it gives the underwater world a humanised slant, ignoring its natural magic. Instead, the sea life looks rather charmless, but there is a certain “wow” factor in the cleverness of the “car wash” scenes. Luckily, the voice casting shows more imagination, with Robert De Niro's Mafioso shark and Martin Scorsese's crooked puffer fish both delightfully memorable.

    • Radio Times
  • 1 stars out of 4

    Brash animated film that stays in the shallows with its dull parody of Mafia movies and its belief that references to other movies (including, inevitably Jaws) are automatically hilarious.

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
  • Most helpful member's review of Shark Tale

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  • 64 out of 70 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars [Highly rated reviewer]

    superb.........

    this film is superb. Shark Tale has an all star cast which includes Angelina Jolie, Will Smith, Renee Zellweger, Martin Scorsese and Jack Black.

    the film follows a lowly fish called Oscar who is played by will smith, with aspirations of being rich and famous. Oscar has a lousy job, which is cleaning the back of a Whale's tongue, deep down in the Sea at the Whale Wash.

    On the other side of the reef, is the Great White shark family, headed by Robert De Niro's character, with Lenny played by Jack Black, who is his wayward son, who is trying to escape, from his family life.

    Oscar desperately wants to be known by everyone, and his chance comes when he is left to be eaten by Sharks, after not paying up to the head of them called Don Lino (Robert DeNiro). Oscar is mistaken for slaying a Shark, who came to gobble him up, after Don Lino's odd vegetarian brother Lenny (Jack Black) fails to eat him.

    When Oscar and Lenny's worlds intertwine, they find both a friendship and a way to solve their problems.

    Oscar is showered with fame and fortune as the 'Shark Slayer,' but after a while his story starts to sound a bit fishy, now he must get out of hot water to stay at the top.

    Renee Zellweger is the voice of the lonely friend of Oscar, who secretly holds a crush on him.

    Martin Scorsese is the voice of Sykes, Don Lino's pet boy.

    And Oscar's manager is voiced by Angelina Jolie, as Lola the cute at first girl, but mean inside fish.

    Ziggy Marley (Bob Marley's son) voices Ernie and Bernie.

    On the DVD bonus features, the 'Club Oscar' section features fish, sharks and hilarious little shrimp, dancing and raving.

    well worth renting out.

  • Most recent members' review of Shark Tale

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  • 5 out of 5 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 3 stars

    Technically competent ? limited enjoyment

    OK so it?s got some star talent appeal and the animation is pretty good. But the plot just fizzles out at the end and you don?t really feel drawn in to the story like you did in Finding Nemo or similar quality movies.

    The kids enjoyed it but only watched it once ? nuff said.

      • John Wilson from London - that's in England you know...
  • News and features

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    Shark Tale

    Half-termers hooked by Shark Tale

    • 26 Oct 2004

    Shark Tale has received a massive boost from half-term sales, helping it remain at the top of the UK box office chart. For a second week running the fishy gangster tale heads up the top ten. After taking £7.5 million in its first three days, the animation has continued strongly, reeling in £3.2 million last weekend. The newest cartoon from Dreamworks features the voices of Robert De Niro and Will Smith and has already proved a hit in the US, spending three weeks at the top. Its... Read more

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Rating breakdown

53,468 Member ratings
  • 100
4,272
  • 90
4,489
  • 80
7,612
  • 70
8,595
  • 60
10,735
  • 50
6,982
  • 40
4,767
  • 30
3,075
  • 20
1,980
  • 10
961

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    • Shark Tale
      Will Smith brings hip-hop zest to the voice of Oscar, a fast-talking everyfish who rejects his life at the whale wash and longs for fortune and fame in this animated film from Dreamworks. A combination of FINDING NEMO and GOODFELLAS set in New York, here sharks are old-school gangsters who prey on ...