Better second time around.

Rating: Null/10 (30 October 2004)

Okay...call me easily amused but there is something hilarious about a shark cross-dressing as a dolphin. I mean just the idea of a Great White named "Lenny" using a scarf to cover up his gills and the fact that he has no blow hole, plus spray painting his dark gray color to a friendlier blue shade and then he's like, "Tadaaa!!! I'm Sebastian the whale washing dolphin". It kills me.
Also the animators were so funny with the way they took footage of the various actors' studio recording sessions and made the fish characters take on the characteristics of the actors. There is a scene where Angie the Angelfish, as voiced by Rene Zellweger, vents her frustration at Will Smith's character saying, "Sometimes I just want to take your dumb...dummy head and Nyuhhhhh" and the animated fish mimics putting him in a headlock and punching him in the head repeatedly. With the accentuated facial expression when this is done combined with Zellwegers voice it is so adorable all while still being funny that I have watched the animation online several times and still laugh at it.
Oh...did I mention you can see that scene and others at www.sharktale.com (duh)?
Having viewed Shark Tale twice now I think I can see why some adults may find it a bit much to take. First and foremost there are themes that are touched upon that can be a little sensitive when thought about in the arena of the real world. And...just to be helpful and name a few *smile*: a. career and economic failure. b. being taken for granted by a loved one. c. the laws of sexual attraction. d. issues of self control in regards to gambling and money. e. organized crime f. passion and revenge g. using people (fish) for their money h. sadism i. cross-dressing (well...a shark posing as dolphin) j. "passing" as someone you are not in order to get ahead. k. Social acceptance for being..."different". (see item i.) j. youth vandalism (i.e. young graffiti spraying 'hood fish) k. Mental Illness (unstable hermit crab)...etc.
Now all of this actually comes off funny if you don't focus on it. However if you actually have issues with any of the above and just aren't carried away with the rest of the show...it could all get you all grumpy. It seems a lot of the reviewers of the movie got hooked up on some of those subjects.
What can I say...obviously I watched it and I could see these sometimes thorny issues poking out.
It seems a ten year old I know liked it all very much and thought it was better than Saving Nemo. I think that the more you know about the effort the whole team put into it and with repeated viewings this movie can be easily appreciated in it own way. Also, it helps to keep an open mind and just go with the flow, Mon.