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Managed to get tickets for Shark Tale over the weekend and it is interesting to note that Dreamworks beat Pixar to the big screen in the animation-movie battle. The incredibles would be released in 2 weeks time. Shark Tale marks the Dreamworks fourth animated feature (following Antz, Shrek, and Shrek 2). Anyways, here's my take on the movie.

The story practically begins when Oscar (Will Smith), a working-class fish with fame and fortune on the brain, owes his boss, Sykes, big time. Deep in debt, Oscar is taken out to pasture by Sykes’ Jamaican jellyfish goons (hilarious guys!). Enter Lenny, a vegan shark out on a mission to be toughened up by his brother Frankie on behalf of his shark mob boss dad, Don Lino (Robert De Niro). One thing lead to another, and suddenly it appears as if Oscar has slain Frankie. Consequently, all of this brings Oscar the fame and fortune he desires, but at the cost of his friendship with Angie (Renee Zellweger), a fish who wants to be more than just friends. Complicating matters, Lenny comes looking for a place to hide from his father, and Oscar is compelled to help to keep his secret safe.

Most audience will be compeled to compare this movie with Pixar's Finding Nemo. This movie however is totally different in the sense that it is geared more towards mature audiences. Kids will love the eye-candy of the underwater universe with it's coral recreation of New York's Times Square and its' population of colourful school of fishes. The quality of the animation is pretty good but not to the par of that of Shrek or Finding Nemo. One thing to note however, the animators put in alot of 'Easter Eggs' such as Coral Cola (Coca Cola), GUP (GAP) and more.. look out for it. There's nothing much about the storyline as it is pretty straight forward and predictable which should keep the more younger audience entertained. Yup, this show has a little of everything for everyone, Mafia Shark's humour, lovable fishes, moral lessons to learn, and entertaining characters.

IMHO, this movie is a letdown for me as the storyline does not have the depth to it. The audience does not have the sense of connection to the main character like other animation has (e.g. Woody, Shrek...). The writers should have dwell abit more time with the characters. The lack of depth lead to the missing 'special' something that audience feel in other Pixar movies and makes this movie 'forgetable'. In comparison, Shark Tale lacks way behind other animation such as Toy Story, Shrek, Bug's Life... but comparable to Ice Age. Overall, an entertaining movie for those who wants a quick laugh and a light movie session.

Ratings (Scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the highest)

Cast : 4
Sound : 3
Picture : 3
Storyline: 2.5

OVERALL : 3.1