AN OVERT SOCIAL AGENDA MAKES THIS SHARK'S TALE SMELL FISHY

Rating: 5/10 (3 October 2004)

Excellent animation. Great cast. Fun music. Engaging story. However, the overt purpose of this film appears to tell children that they MUST accept homosexuality as normal, and in this movie, even desirable. There are many great movies with the good moral of accepting others who are different. This tale crosses the line by a specifically effeminate character who wears "different" clothes, hangs out with "different" friends, and is repulsed by that which is normal to the other sharks. Of course there is no direct mention of sexual preference in the movie. The 'victim' is a vegetarian shark. But don't be fooled by the analogy; the very precise use of gay stereotypes in the Lenny character leads me to believe this movie has a very specific pro-gay acceptance moral. The characters who don't accept Lenny for "who he is" are vilified as unintelligent, ferocious looking, but cowardly bigots. This reads agenda with a capital A.
For those readers who are now seething in hatred towards me, don't misunderstand: I ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD NEVER TREAT ANYONE ELSE WITH HATRED OR LACK OF HUMAN DIGNITY, NO MATTER WHETHER OR NOT WE AGREE WITH THEIR BEHAVIOR OR SOCIAL "PREFERENCES". But I refuse to let Hollywood force me to tell my children what is acceptable social/moral behavior and what is not. For those of us who believe that sexual behavior is a choice and that not all "morals" or "preferences" are equally good for our children and society, this shark's tale smells too much like spoiled tuna.