Not enough to get your teeth into.

Rating: 5/10 (5 March 2006)

Despite having the benefits of a very talented cast and some of the best digital animators in the business, Shark Tale ultimately fails to reach the levels of success achieved by its contemporary, Finding Nemo.
Nemo had a sharp uncomplicated script that was primarily aimed at the kids, yet was funny and clever enough to amuse the adults as well. The characters were appealing without being too nauseating and the CGI was superbly executed  state-of-the-art, colourful and detailed without being too fussy.
Shark Tale, on the other hand, is... ahem... a different kettle of fish. It has a leaden script, hampered by a lack of really funny jokes and too many references to urban popular culture, most of which will go way over the heads of younger viewers. The characters are some kind of freakish amalgamation of human and fish  quite possibly the ugliest animated creatures ever (the fish resemble the actors providing the voices  a bad move!). The CGI is packed with detail but is far too brash and fails to convince the viewer that the story takes place in an underwater environment.
Sure there are the occasional funny moments  the two Rastafarian jellyfish and the shrimps made me chuckle  but these are too few and far between. What we are left with is a rather soulless affair that will struggle to find an audience when there is much better out there.