new fish tale trying too hard to "find" an audience

Rating: 3/10 (20 October 2004)

It is commonly known that Pixar and Dreamworks have been duking it out for quite awhile. Pixar, with the big splash, Finding Nemo, and Dreamworks with their big hit, Shrek, have been trying to out do the other for years now. But this time, Dreamworks has crossed a line. Spinning off of one the biggest animated under the sea flicks, Dreamworks' picture Shark Tale falls short of mimicking any of the charm portrayed in the clown fish's folley. Mixed with pop culture slurs and a soundtrack with a bass beat, it is all too apparent that the creators were targeting the teens and children of today by bribing them with big star names and a popular soundtrack. While the story line is a bit miffed, the animation is something to really scoff at. Compared to the precision and quality portrayed in Nemo, the animated quality in this shark flick belongs back in the deep blue, where it should stay forever. There were some high points of entertainment, like the cliché mofia fish scenes and the shark disguised as a dolphin, but other than that.. this one was a BIG flop that should have just stayed in the seaweeds.