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| | Oscar tells a big white lie to liven up his daily existence at the local Whale Wash. But the lie backfires and he finds himself up against the meanest, scariest shark in town...
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Here's what our members thought of this title. 5 stars = very good, 1 star = poor.
 |  | The story of what happens when one little fish tells a great white lie...
Finding Nemo meets Goodfellas, Carwash, The Odd Couple and maybe even Three Amigos in Shark Tale, the latest computer animated offering from Steven Spielberg hit factory Dreamworks, the studio that gave us Shrek. The stars are out in force for this underwater comedy adventure, led by Will Smith, Jack Black, Renee Zelwegger and Angelina Jolie, ably supported by Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese, with unaccredited cameos from the likes of Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott. Not too shabby, we think.
"This is certainly one of the most extraordinary casts ever assembled for any kind of movie – animated or live action," says co-director Vicky (Shrek) Jenson. Besides the familiar vocal patterns which add so much personality to the movie, there are, of course, the shimmering visuals, minutely detailed and gorgeous with a sharp sense of humour that mirrors the snappy, upbeat screenplay.
An inventive undersea comedy that gives new meaning to the phrase "sleeping with the fishes", Shark Tale takes us deep into the world of the saltwater Mafia, wise guy sharks who chomp first and ask questions later. When the son of the local Don (De Niro) is accidentally killed by a dropped anchor, whale washing bottom feeder Oscar (Smith) is mistaken for the killer and is only too happy to play along with the lie. The trouble being that besides the cash and adulation that come from his fame, the "sharkslayer" tag doesn’t exactly endear him to the local crime syndicate. Help comes in the unlikely form of the Don’s surviving son, Lenny, a sensitive soul with a secret of his own. "Lenny is a vegetarian," reveals voice star Jack Black. "Not because he doesn’t like the taste of meat, but because he’s a humanitarian – a ‘fishitarian’ in this case."
Torn between an honest, decent life with loyal, long suffering angelfish Angie (Zellwegger), and a shallow but fun time with sexy, gold-digging lion fish Lola (Jolie), Oscar has to figure out what he wants from life before something big and toothy decides to end his forever. "Shark Tale is the story of a little fish who tells a big lie so he can get what he thinks he wants in life – fame, fortune and respect… even love," says co-director Bibo (Road to El Dorado) Bergeron. "But all he has to do is open his eyes and see that everything he wants was there all along. The good life is right in front of him - he just doesn’t see it. I think that’s something everyone can relate to."
The closer you watch the movie, the greater the rewards. First you’re most likely to notice the similarities between the various fish and the movie stars voicing them. "They captured my essence in the character," says Black, "[but] I think they went overboard with that pot belly. I gave the animation team a strict talking to about trimming that down." As it turned out, the crew chose to ignore his concerns. "We loved Lenny’s belly," says Jenson. "You just want to tickle it." Really it’s uncanny what the filmmakers have achieved here. Scorsese’s sneaky puffer fish boasts eyebrows so bushy they rival his own; Peter Falk’s underworld shark has a glass eye; and Jolie’s lion fish Lola, with her luscious lips and flowing dorsal fin, is an absolute knockout. For a fish. "I don’t know how they did it, but they made her very sexy, and they did it beautifully," said Jolie. "The way she looked went beyond my expectations. She’s a little wicked and all sparkly and red… and I got lucky because I got to be her."
Slickly packaged, cool as a (sea) cucumber and Oscar nominated to boot, Shark Tale is a stunning computer generated hit ideal for repeated family viewings. Funny, exciting and surprisingly sweet, the movie comes complete with a message, though we’re not exactly sure what it is. Either it’s about the importance of being true to yourself, or it’s a warning not to deceive fish. Either way, though, it’s a great movie.
TM and (c) 2005 DreamWorks Animation LLC and DreamWorks LLC. All Rights Reserved
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