Shark Tale (2004)
Directed by Bibo Bergeron
Oscar is a small fish whose big aspirations often get him into trouble. Meanwhile, Lenny is a great white shark with a surprising secret that no sea creature would guess: He's a vegetarian. When a lie turns Oscar into an improbable hero and Lenny becomes an outcast, the two form an unlikely friendship.
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3 films that influenced Shark Tale
What critics say influenced Shark Tale
That, at least, means the movie has a broader audience appeal than the general animated film (and a lot of the references to films like "The Godfather" certainly back up that notion).
"Shark Tale's" most inspired joke casts the sharks who menace that world as the equivalent of gangsters, complete with all the trappings of the mob as depicted in "The Godfather," "Goodfellas," "Scarface" and "The Sopranos."
Well integrated 1970s musical selections can make a film pop, but "Shark Tale's" use of the theme from "The Godfather," "Car Wash" and "Movin' On Up" merely make it feel dated.
Adults will relish the send-up of "The Godfather" films, "GoodFellas" and "The Sopranos."
Shark Tale is as much a "rip-off" of Finding Nemo as Goodfellas was of The Godfather.
Screenwriter Michael J. Wilson ("Ice Age") trots out unfunny film references ("Jerry Maguire") and rehashed plot lines ("Trading Places," "Nemo") with deadening results.
In 1998, DreamWorks animation and Disney-distributed Pixar released competing movies set in an anthill, both centered on a misfit ant with a special relationship with the ant princess (Antz and A Bug’s Life).
Back in 1998, animation studios Pixar (Toy Story, Monsters Inc) and Dreamworks ( Shrek) went head to head with rival insect pics Antz and A Bug's Life, with Pixar eventually declared the winner in terms of critical acclaim and box office (although, to all right thinking people, Antz was a lot funnier).