Shark Tale *** (voice of Will Smith, Robert De Niro) – Classic Movie Review 1556

Will Smith voices Oscar, a young little fish working as a whale cleaner, in this pacey and amusing Oscar-nominated 2005 animated feature from DreamWorks Animation, the makers of Antz and Shrek.

But Oscar is involved in the death of the shark son of sea gangsterMob boss Don Lino (Robert De Niro), who is accidently killed while on the hunt. Found at the death scene, his would-be prey Oscar decides to take advantage of the situation and makes it look like he killed the finned mobster. But he soon realises this claim has deadly serious consequences and isn’t going to be to his advantage after all.

Though admittedly not quite as appealing as Antz, Shrek or Finding Nemo, it’s still very bright and lively, and will ensure that no one sleeps with the fishes. Smith’s hip character is great fun, De Niro has a whale of a time in the send-up of his screen image, and Jack Black amuses as Lenny, the peaceful vegetarian shark brother of the deceased.

Renée Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Martin Scorsese, Ziggy Marley, Doug E Doug, Michael Imperoli, Vincent Pastore and Peter Falk are also in the astounding voice cast. The directors are Bibo Bergeron, Rob Letterman and Vicky Jenson, with the screenplay by Letterman and Michael J. Wilson.  It was Oscar nominated as Best Animated Feature Film of the Year.

Unusually now for an animation, De Niro and Scorsese, Smith and Black, and Smith and Zellweger actually recorded their dialogue together.

Jack Black and producer Jeffrey Katzenberg launched it at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and at the press conference apologised for director Barry Levinson’s 2003 film Envy.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1556

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com/