Shark Tale
The brief
DreamWorks' attempt to ride Pixar's wave feels like a knockoff from the jump, with Will Smith's motormouth fish Oscar delivering rapid-fire quips that land about half the time. The underwater gangster movie premise has potential, but the execution drowns in pop culture references and celebrity voice work that screams "look how famous our cast is!" instead of serving the story. Jack Black brings genuine charm as the vegetarian shark, but even he can't save the frantic energy that mistakes loud for funny. Perfect for parents who need 90 minutes of colorful distraction for kids under 8, or anyone with nostalgic fondness for mid-2000s animated misfires.
The verdict
If you have young kids who love colorful animation and don't mind celebrity voice casting over storytelling substance, this is a perfectly serviceable 90-minute distraction with some genuine laughs courtesy of Jack Black's vegetarian shark. If you expect the wit and craft of Pixar or prime DreamWorks, you'll find this underwater gangster comedy drowning in pop culture references and manic energy that mistakes loud for funny.
Watch with
- 👨👩👧👦 Perfect for families with kids under 10
- ⚠️ Adults might find the humor grating
Heads up
- Cartoon violence and chase sequences (moderate)
- Mild gangster movie parody elements (brief)
Credits
- Director
- Vicky Jenson
- Cast
- Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renée Zellweger, Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Ziggy Marley, Martin Scorsese
Official synopsis
'Oscar is a small fish whose big aspirations often get him into trouble. Meanwhile, Lenny is a great white
The Double
Make a night of it
Pair this with Brother Bear (2003)
Both animated tales of unlikely friendships bridging natural predator-prey divides.
Total runtime: 1h 30m + 1h 25m = 2h 55m
