Dreamworks' head of marketing should've gotten co-writer credit

Rating: Null/10 (1 October 2004)

(This review contains spoilers)
Could somebody please tell Dreamworks Animation that if they want to be
respected on the same level as Pixar, they need to stop being so insecure about whether their films will sell, and give their artists more breathing room? I'm not talking about PDI, the guys that produced Shrek, I'm talking about the Dreamworks Animation guys who made that Sinbad movie with Brad Pitt, then (like Disney) permanently switched to 3-D animation and are now releasing Shark Tale.
Many will compare Shark Tale to Finding Nemo, a rather unfair comparison since aside from both being CG-animated underwater stories involving sharks somehow, the films have very little in common, in terms of both plot and aesthetic decisions. In fact, Shark Tale has the demeanor of a Pretty Good film that's been taken away from the artists, repackaged by marketing and forced down the public's throat by too many damn movie stars.
Every aspect of this film feels forced, from the voice casting to the character design to the corporate "it's hot cause we tell you it is" music to the excessive fish puns (all of which are of the "I get it, but I ain't laughing" variety) to the fact that the film's title was changed in post-production from the perfectly appropriate "Sharkslayer" to the safer, dumbed-down "Shark Tale". With the exception of Lenny (Jack Black), the face of every major character, and a few of the minor ones too, is made to look exactly like its voice actor's face strapped to a fish, which is about three steps away from selling your soul and freedom to imagine entirely. Even Shrek didn't stoop so low as to put Eddie Murphy's face on a donkey. Donkey just looks like a donkey, end of story! The characters in Shark Tale, meanwhile, look like 3-D caricatures blown up to the big screen. Jack Black, usually a comic force to be reckoned with, feels wasted here, as he jettisons his usual persona for a dumb Horshack imitation. Hey, why not actually hire Ron Palillo, the guy who PLAYED Horshack? He's still alive, and could probably use the work...but oh yeah, the kids have never heard of him, and we need stars, so screw that.
You see, back in the days of Pinocchio and Snow White, with occasional exceptions (like Ukelele Ike as Jiminy Crickett) nobody knew or cared who did these characters' voices, because they were attracted to the characters themselves, not the actors behind them. None of the voice actors in Shark Tale do less-than-adequate jobs, but with the exception of Robert DeNiro (who's just a Really Great Actor, period) none of them really contributed anything truly endearing to their characters, that a lesser-known actor wouldn't have. I certainly can't say the same for Finding Nemo, in which the voices, if not perfect, were damn close.
Uh-oh, Will Smith's character just realized that even though he gained wealth and fame, he lost the thing in his life that REALLY mattered! Cue Alicia Keys! (or the biggest Alicia Keys clone we can get to record a new song for the soundtrack).
I admit, the film does contain a few funny moments, enough to make it worth renting (on half-price Tuesday of course) when the DVD comes out. But just when the film is starting to get good (the climactic showdown/chase scene is surprisingly well done) the movie ends by pulling the worst blow of them all: Not only is there a Christina Aguilera/Missy Elliot duet over the end credits, THEY ACTUALLY DESIGNED FISH THAT LOOKED LIKE THOSE TWO TO SING IT IN THE FILM, LIKE A LIVE PERFORMANCE! IT'S NOT A LIVE PERFORMANCE, YOU JERKS - IT'S ANIMATED, NO ONE WITH ANY BRAINS AT ALL WILL BUY IT! Think about it for a second - Christina Aguilera comes in to record her vocals for MAYBE an hour, on a song that she didn't write and isn't producing, and then some poor unseen animator is told "Oh yeah, you have to design and animate a Christina Aguilera fish. Do it or you're fired." The sequence causes dumb kids to buy more Christina albums under the premise that she's magical enough to turn into a fish or something, and that animator is left nameless, and pondering just why and how his life got to that sad, sad, SAD point.
Keep in mind that Pixar, for their lead roles, have cast the likes of Dave Foley, Albert Brooks and Craig T. Nelson, three good comedic actors without a single live-action megahit to their names. While Shark Tale fills every available moment with lame corporate music (gotta sell the soundtrack, and kids won't listen to instrumental scores, right?) Finding Nemo contained only one song, and it was a slightly-redone version of the lounge classic "Beyond the Sea." Is it cool? Pixa doesn't worry about not being cool, be cause Pixar just IS cool.
Dreamworks Animation tries too hard to be cool, and thus fails miserably.
One and a half stars.

Tony Goldmark

My two cents, keep the change.