Shark Tale#Soundtrack

In the Southside Reef, Oscar is a lonely bluestreak cleaner wrasse who, in his childhood, dreamed of being a tongue-scrubber at the local Whale Wash like his father until he was cruelly mocked for it. Since working at the wash, Oscar now wishes to be rich and famous to giving sense in his life, but owes money to his boss and the Whale Wash's owner, a pufferfish named Sykes. His best friend, an angelfish named Angie, offers him a pearl that was a gift from her grandmother to pawn and pay his debt. Meanwhile, Don Lino, the boss of a mob gang of sharks, orcas, sailfish, and octopuses, which Sykes works for, dislikes that his younger son Lenny is a vegetarian, and orders his older son, Frankie, to mentor Lenny.

Oscar brings the money from the pearl to a seahorse race to meet Sykes, but hears that the race is rigged and bets it all on a seahorse named "Lucky Day". A feisty redhead gold-digging lion fish named Lola sees this and seduces Oscar. Sykes is annoyed that Oscar bet the money, but he hopes that Oscar might win. Lucky Day eventually takes the lead, only to trip and lose short of the finish line, revealing that the race was rigged against him. Sykes loses his temper and orders his two Jamaican henchmen jellyfish, Ernie and Bernie, to punish Oscar for his actions. While the two repeatedly sting Oscar, Frankie notices the scene and urges Lenny to eat Oscar. Lenny instead frees Oscar and tells him to escape. Frankie is enraged and charges at Oscar, only to be killed when an anchor from above the surface falls on his neck. Blaming himself for his brother's demise, Lenny leaves.

Oscar takes credit for killing Frankie and rises in fame as the "Sharkslayer". He moves to a luxury apartment at the "top of the reef", while Sykes becomes his manager and forgives his debt. Meanwhile, Don Lino has everyone search for Lenny and the Sharkslayer. Oscar encounters Lenny who, aware of Oscar's lie, begs Oscar to let him hide at his place to avoid returning to his father. Angie soon finds out about Oscar's lie and threatens to tell everyone, but he and Lenny convince her to keep it a secret. Oscar and Lenny stage a fight where battle involving Oscar "fighting" off Lenny, thus cementing Oscar's notoriety and tricking the sharks into thinking that Lenny has been killed too, infuriating Don Lino. Lola, a golddigger lionfish that Oscar met back at the seahorse race, kisses Oscar on camera, making Angie jealous. That night, as Lenny disguises himself for his new undercover life as a dolphin, Oscar and Angie get into a heated argument, where she admits that she had romantic feelings for Oscar even before he became the Sharkslayer. A remorseful Oscar sadly reflects on his selfishness and dumps Lola, who beats him up in anger as payback.

Oscar visits the Whale Wash with gifts for Angie, only to discover that Don Lino has kidnapped her with Lola's help. Don Lino threatens to eat Angie if Oscar does not give up his act and surrender, but Lenny "eats" Angie to save her. He soon regurgitates her, inadvertently exposing his true shark self to Don Lino. Believing that he turned his son against him, an enraged Don Lino chases Oscar through the reef. Oscar flees to the Whale Wash, accidentally trapping Lenny in the machinery before also trapping Don Lino. Everyone cheers for Oscar, but he finally confesses the truth behind Frankie's death while urging Don Lino to respect Lenny's lifestyle. A regretful Don Lino reconciles with Lenny and accepts him. Oscar forsakes all the wealth he has acquired; becomes co-owner of the Whale Wash, now frequented by the gang members; and reconciles with Angie, beginning a romantic relationship with her and living happily in the reef. Lola arrives at the penthouse to apologize to Oscar, only to encounter his deranged hermit crab friend Crazy Joe instead.

{{Anchor|Cast}}

• Will Smith as Oscar, an insecure yet streetwise and comical bluestreak cleaner wrasse who works for the Whale Wash of Southside Reef and often concocts schemes to become rich, famous, and respected.
• Robert De Niro as Don Lino, a great white shark who leads a mafia consisting of sharks and other ocean carnivores, uses the Whale Wash as a legitimate business front, and wants his sons Lenny and Frankie to eventually succeed him and run his mafia together.
• Renée Zellweger as Angie, an angelfish and Oscar's best friend and co-worker at the Whale Wash, who harbors a secret crush on him.
• Jack Black as Lenny, Don Lino's second son, a vegetarian, and Frankie's younger brother, who becomes good friends with Oscar and Angie.
• Angelina Jolie as Lola, a femme fatale and gold digger lion fish, who is only interested in those who are rich and famous, in whom Oscar develops a romantic interest.
• Martin Scorsese as Sykes, a loan shark pufferfish and Oscar's boss at the Whale Wash.
• Ziggy Marley and Doug E. Doug as Ernie and Bernie, two Jamaican jellyfish and Sykes' enforcers, who torture anyone who crosses their boss with their stingers.
• Michael Imperioli as Frankie, Lenny's older brother and Don Lino's first son, who is embarrassed by Lenny's vegetarian views. He is eventually killed by an anchor, triggering most of the film's plot.
• Vincent Pastore as Luca, a teal octopus and Don Lino's "left-hand, right-hand man", with a tendency to state the obvious. Originally, Luca was going to be played by Kevin Pollak as shown in an early promotional card for the film.{{Cite tweet |user=JustySilverman |number=1738219285661515813 |title=Crazy how Columbo has a fart joke in the film. |access-date=10 November 2024 |date=23 December 2023}} Pastore was also going to play an orca character named Willie,{{Cite tweet |user=JustySilverman |number=1738219308654752149 |title=Your Shark Mafia (using Casino/Goodfellas cast so far) wouldn't be complete without the Soprano's crew. |access-date=10 November 2024 |date=23 December 2023}} who does not appear in the film.
• Lenny Venito as Giuseppe, a hammerhead shark and one of Don Lino's messengers.
• Peter Falk as Don Feinberg, an elderly leopard shark who leads another shark crime family inspired by the Jewish mafia.
• Katie Couric as Katie Current, a female sea bass who is the local reporter of the Southside Reef in the US release. As her name suggests, she is based on and modeled after Couric. At the time, Katie Couric co-hosted Today in America. In the Australian release, then-local Today co-host Tracy Grimshaw dubbed her lines, while{{cite news|last=LaPorte|first=Nicole|title=Inside Move: 'Shark' has local angle|url=https://variety.com/2004/film/news/inside-move-shark-has-local-angle-1117906248/|access-date=September 13, 2014|work=Variety|date=June 6, 2004|archive-date=September 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913203201/http://variety.com/2004/film/news/inside-move-shark-has-local-angle-1117906248/|url-status=live}} Fiona Phillips of the UK's GMTV provided the voice for the British release of the film{{cite web|title='Shark Tale' adds Britain's Fiona Phillips|url=http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2004/08/09/Shark-Tale-adds-Britains-Fiona-Phillips/UPI-81001092063020/|publisher=UPI|access-date=September 13, 2014|date=August 9, 2004|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062021/http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2004/08/09/Shark-Tale-adds-Britains-Fiona-Phillips/UPI-81001092063020/|url-status=live}} and Cristina Parodi of Italy's Verissimo provided the Italian version of the character.{{cite news|last=Ugolini|first=Chiara|language=it|title=I pesci di 'Shark tale' parlano italiano|url=http://trovacinema.repubblica.it/news/dettaglio/i-pesci-di-shark-tale-parlano-italiano/286087|access-date=September 13, 2014|work=La Repubblica|date=February 18, 2005|archive-date=September 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913213703/http://trovacinema.repubblica.it/news/dettaglio/i-pesci-di-shark-tale-parlano-italiano/286087|url-status=live}}
• David P. Smith as Crazy Joe, a deranged hermit crab who becomes Oscar's "financial advisor".
• Bobb'e J. Thompson, Kamali Minter, and Emily Lyon Segan as the Shorties, three delinquent young fish and friends of Oscar who love to spray graffiti. Two of them are cowfishes, and one is a Pennant coralfish.
• Shelley Morrison as Mrs. Sanchez, an elderly, grumpy weeverfish.
• Sean Bishop as an unnamed green sperm whale who attends the Whale Wash.
• Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott portray fish and jellyfish versions of themselves at the end of the film, singing "Car Wash".

Additionally, animator David Soren makes cameos as Horace, a shrimp and former enemy of Don Lino's, who escapes being eaten at a shark family meal courtesy of Lenny; a worm on a fishing hook whom Lenny also helps escape; and a starfish.

The film was officially announced and began production in 2002, under the title of Sharkslayer, with Vicky Jenson and Bibo Bergeron directing from a screenplay by Michael J. Wilson, as well as Mark Swift and Damian Shannon, who conceived the film's story. By September 2003, the film had been retitled Shark Tale, to make it sound less violent and more family-friendly.{{cite web|last=Desowitz|first=Bill|title=Sharkslayer Title Changed|url=http://www.awn.com/news/sharkslayer-title-changed|publisher=Animation World Network|access-date=September 8, 2014|date=September 30, 2003|archive-date=September 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908133740/http://www.awn.com/news/sharkslayer-title-changed|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Will Smith's Shark Movie Renamed|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news-article/will-smith.s-shark-movie-renamed|access-date=June 7, 2013|publisher=Contactmusic.com|date=October 1, 2003|archive-date=December 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213234227/http://www.contactmusic.com/news-article/will-smith.s-shark-movie-renamed|url-status=live}} Bill Damaschke, the producer of the film, explained the title change: "In the beginning, we set out to make a movie a little more noir, perhaps a little darker than where we've landed."{{cite news |date=August 10, 2004 |title=Shark Tale Preview |newspaper=Entertainment Weekly |url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,679505,00.html |url-status=dead |access-date=March 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055932/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,679505,00.html |archive-date=September 21, 2013}} Shark Tale is the first all computer-animated film produced at DreamWorks Animation's Glendale facility, which previously animated the studio's hand-drawn animated movies, as well as their first computer-animated film to not be produced by Pacific Data Images.

James Gandolfini was initially set to voice the kingpin shark Don Lino. When he later dropped out, with Robert De Niro took over the role.

The film was produced concurrently with Finding Nemo, another animated film set underwater, which was released a year and a half earlier. DreamWorks Animation's CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg, defended the film, saying that "any similarities are mere coincidence. We've been open with the Pixar people, so we don't step on each other's toes."{{cite news |last=Wloszczyna |first=Susan |title=DreamWorks hopes audiences hungry for 'Sharkslayer' |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2003-01-26-sharkslayer_x.htm |access-date=June 1, 2013 |newspaper=USA Today |date=January 26, 2003 |archive-date=April 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130428154812/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2003-01-26-sharkslayer_x.htm |url-status=live }}

Burger King featured ten different Shark Tale action figures within its' kids meals. Over 100 million The Coca-Cola Company products displayed Shark Tale on their packaging. Specially-marked pouches of Minute Maid and Hi-C offered consumers a free movie voucher with three proofs of purchase, or directed them to free limited-time Shark Tale downloads at howdoyouhangout.com.{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/130233994/|title=Minute Maid/Hi-C print ad|publisher=Newspapers.com|date=September 26, 2004}} Shark Tale was featured on over 40 million packages of General Mills products, while specially-marked cereal packages came with one of five Shark Tale mini video games inside. Great Clips sponsored a national sweepstakes awarding a trip to Shark Tale{{'}}s world premiere and other prizes, and promoted Shark Tale on Kasey Kahne's NASCAR race car. Hewlett-Packard, whose computers were used to create the film, sponsored online Shark Tale games and activities. Krispy Kreme carried Shark Tale-themed doughnuts.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

File:Estreno de la pelicula "Shark Tale" en la Plaza de San Marcos.JPG in Venice a day before the film's world premiere, where it was projected on the world's largest inflatable movie screen.]]

Shark Tale was initially scheduled for release on November 5, 2004, but was later moved up to October 1. This shift was reportedly made to avoid competition with Pixar's The Incredibles, which was released on the same weekend.{{Cite web |last=Graser |first=Marc |date=August 17, 2003 |title=Shark flees toon tussle |url=https://variety.com/2003/film/markets-festivals/shark-flees-toon-tussle-1117891024/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220113104126/https://variety.com/2003/film/markets-festivals/mouse-parks-on-shark-1117887417/ |archive-date=January 13, 2022 |access-date=January 18, 2022 |website=Variety }} The film had its worldwide premiere on September 10, 2004, in Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy. Screening as part of the Venice Film Festival, it marked the first time that Piazza San Marco was closed for a premiere of a major feature film. The film was projected on the largest inflatable screen in the world, measuring more than six stories tall and over {{convert|3,900|sqft|sqm}}. It required {{convert|20,000|cuft|m3}} of air to inflate and more than 50 tons of water for stabilization.{{cite press release|author1=DreamWorks Animation|title=DreamWorks Animation's 'Shark Tale' Swims Up the Venice Canals for World Premiere|url=http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/dreamworks-animations-shark-tale-swims-up-the-venice-canals-for-world-premiere-154197775.html|publisher=PR Newswire|access-date=August 24, 2014|date=September 2, 2004|archive-date=August 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826115517/http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/dreamworks-animations-shark-tale-swims-up-the-venice-canals-for-world-premiere-154197775.html|url-status=live}} The premiere was attended by 6,000 visitors,{{cite news |title=Shark Tale bares teeth at Venice |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3647106.stm |publisher=BBC News |access-date=August 24, 2014 |date=September 11, 2004 |archive-date=August 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826121140/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3647106.stm |url-status=live }} including Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro, and Michael Imperioli. Jeffrey Katzenberg, the executive producer of the film, explained that they "wanted to find a unique way to introduce this movie to the world. We needed a big idea. ... More than anything, we are in showbusiness. This is the show part."

Shark Tale was released on VHS and DVD on February 8, 2005. The DVD contained behind-the-scenes featurettes, games and activities, blooper reels, an audition for the whale Gigi, the Car Wash music video featuring Aguilera and Elliott, and a short film Club Oscar.{{Cite web |last=Desowitz |first=Bill |date=December 10, 2004 |title=Shark Tale Takes DVD Bait on Feb. 8 |url=https://www.awn.com/news/shark-tale-takes-dvd-bait-feb-8 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220204225418/https://www.awn.com/news/shark-tale-takes-dvd-bait-feb-8 |archive-date=February 4, 2022 |access-date=February 4, 2022 |website=Animation World Network }} The film was released on Game Boy Advance Video on November 17,{{Cite web |date=November 17, 2005 |title=GBA Video: Shark Tale |url=https://www.ign.com/games/gba-video-shark-tale |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220204231719/https://www.ign.com/games/gba-video-shark-tale |archive-date=February 4, 2022 |access-date=February 4, 2022 |website=IGN }} and on Blu-ray on February 5, 2019.{{cite news |title=Flushed Away and Shark Tale Heading to Blu-ray (UPDATED) |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=24810 |access-date=April 18, 2019 |work=Blu-ray.com |date=April 12, 2019 |archive-date=March 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321152433/https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=24810 |url-status=live }}

Shark Tale grossed $160.9 million in the United States and Canada and $213.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $374.6 million. It was the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2004.{{Cite web |title=Top 2004 Movies at the Worldwide Box Office |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/box-office-records/worldwide/all-movies/cumulative/released-in-2004 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220104035826/https://www.the-numbers.com/box-office-records/worldwide/all-movies/cumulative/released-in-2004 |archive-date=January 4, 2022 |access-date=January 15, 2022 |website=The Numbers }}

Shark Tale opened at #1 with $47.6 million, which was, at the time, the second-highest opening for a DreamWorks Animation film behind Shrek 2 ($108 million).Gray, Brandon (October 4, 2004). [https://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=1501&p=.htm "'Shark Tale' Slays Box Office Blahs"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211010132/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=1501&p=.htm |date=December 11, 2018 }}. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 19, 2012. It remained the #1 film in the U.S. and Canada for its second and third weekends.[https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=sharktale.htm "Shark Tale (2004) - Weekend Box Office Results"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329172530/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=sharktale.htm |date=March 29, 2019 }}. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 19, 2012.

{{Anchor|Critics|Critical response}}

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 35% based on 182 reviews, with an average rating of 5.20/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Derivative and full of pop culture in-jokes."{{Cite Rotten Tomatoes|id={{RT data|rtid|noprefix=y}}|type=m|title=Shark Tale|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}{{RT data|edit}}{{cbignore}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 48 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".{{cite Metacritic |id= shark-tale |type= movie |title= Shark Tale |access-date= February 22, 2021 }} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.{{Cite web |url=http://www.cinemascore.com/ |title=CinemaScore |publisher=CinemaScore |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809062201/http://cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date=August 9, 2019 |access-date=February 22, 2021}}{{cbignore}} Each film's score can be accessed from the website's search bar.

Roger Ebert gave the film two out of four stars, observing, "Since the target audience for Shark Tale is presumably kids and younger teenagers, how many of them have seen the R-rated Godfather and will get all the inside jokes? Not a few, I suppose, and some of its characters and dialogue have passed into common knowledge. But it's strange that a kid-oriented film would be based on parody of a 1972 gangster movie for adults." He also opined that younger viewers would have trouble enjoying a film about adult characters with adult problems, such as an elaborate love triangle and a main character wanting to clear his debt with loan sharks, and compared it to more successful fish-focused animated features like Pixar Animation Studios' Finding Nemo, which Ebert felt featured a simpler plot that audiences could more easily identify with.{{cite news |date= October 1, 2004 |first= Roger |last= Ebert |author-link= Roger Ebert |title= Shark Tale |work= Chicago Sun-Times |url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/shark-tale-2004 |access-date= July 9, 2020 |archive-date= March 31, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200331042332/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/shark-tale-2004 |url-status= live }} Richard Roeper commented that although the film was not on the same level as Finding Nemo, it was a film worth seeing.{{cite web |first= Richard |last= Roeper |author-link= Richard Roeper |title=Shark Tale - Critic Review - Ebert & Roeper |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/shark_tale/comments/?reviewid=1324624 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119231957/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/shark_tale/comments/?reviewid=1324624 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 19, 2012 |publisher= Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=August 2, 2012 |date=October 4, 2004 }}

Todd McCarthy of Variety was critical of the film's lack of originality: "Overfamiliarity extends to the story, jokes and music, most of which reference popular entertainment of about 30 years ago" noting that the script combines The Godfather and Jaws, with a dash of Car Wash. McCarthy calls Smith's character "tiresomely familiar", and Zellweger's "entirely uninteresting", but praises the vocal performance of Martin Scorsese.{{cite web |date= September 12, 2004 |last= McCarthy |first= Todd |author-link= Todd McCarthy |title= Shark Tale |url= https://variety.com/2004/film/awards/shark-tale-1200531140/ |website= Variety |access-date= April 19, 2020 |archive-date= January 16, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210116162327/https://variety.com/2004/film/awards/shark-tale-1200531140/ |url-status= live }} Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter said the film was not as good as Shrek, but called it "an overly jokey but often quite entertaining spoof that should please families everywhere."{{cite web |date=September 12, 2004 |last=Honeycutt |first=Kirk |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/reviews/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000628382 |title=Shark Tale |work=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041001154251/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/reviews/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000628382 |archive-date=1 October 2004 |url-status=dead |access-date=22 February 2022 }}

{{Anchor|Controversy}}

Shark Tale was criticized for perpetuating negative stereotypes of Italian-Americans in its antagonists.{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/29/nyregion/ok-what-about-sharks-is-so-italian.html |title= O.K., What About Sharks Is So Italian? |author= Vicki Vasilopoulos |website= New York Times |date= February 29, 2004 |access-date= November 12, 2020 |archive-date= October 29, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201029215717/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/29/nyregion/ok-what-about-sharks-is-so-italian.html |url-status= live }}{{cite web |date= April 2, 2004 |url= https://www.cbsnews.com/news/shark-tale-reels-in-criticism/ |title= 'Shark Tale' Reels In Criticism |website= CBS News |publisher= CBS/The Associated Press |access-date= October 26, 2020 |archive-date= October 29, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201029222624/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/shark-tale-reels-in-criticism/ |url-status= live }}{{cite news|title='Shark Tale' offensive to Italian Americans?|url=http://www.today.com/id/4627347|access-date=August 2, 2012|publisher=MSNBC|date=April 6, 2004|agency=Associated Press|archive-date=June 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624165601/http://www.today.com/id/4627347|url-status=live}} Politician Bill Pascrell said: "The prevailing message is negative and they have to be held out to dry for it. I'm a very proud Italian-American. When you stereotype me, it's like making fun of my grandparents". Columbus Citizens Foundation issued a statement condemning the stereotyping of people with Italian names as gangsters.{{cite web |title=DreamWorks Denies Ethnic Slurs in 'Shark Tale' |url=http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=6235838 |website=Reuters |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040916191643/http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=6235838 |archive-date=2004-09-16 |date=Sep 14, 2004 |url-status=dead }} Dona De Sanctis, deputy executive director of the Order Sons of Italy in America, said: "We were very concerned about this type of stereotyping being passed on to another generation of children." John Mancini, the founder of the Italic Institute of America, protested the movie, stating: "We're concerned about what preteens are learning from the outside world. They don't associate other groups as criminals, they only know Italians as gangsters. Our goal here is to de-Italianize it." The protest was coordinated by the Italian American One Voice Coalition of New Jersey. DreamWorks reacted by changing the name of Peter Falk's character from Don Brizzi to Don Feinberg. However, Mancini demanded that everything Italian—character names, the mannerisms, the forms of speech—be dropped.

Lenny, a shark voiced by Jack Black, spends the film coming to terms with his vegetarianism, a trait deeply ostracised by his carnivorous family. Since the film's release, many have taken this as an allegory for homophobia and self-acceptance—particularly in the context of Lenny's family environment, rife with "alpha male" types who mock his refusal to eat seafood.{{Cite web |last=Michael |date=2022-03-28 |title=Stale Take: Shark Tale's Lenny Was A Gay Italian Vego Icon Who Would've Loved NSW's Newtown |url=https://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainment/shark-tale-lenny-italian-gay-vegetarian/ |access-date=2024-12-07 |website=PEDESTRIAN.TV |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=The Outing of an Animated Shark {{!}} Arts {{!}} The Harvard Crimson |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2004/10/8/the-outing-of-an-animated-shark/ |access-date=2024-12-07 |website=www.thecrimson.com}} The American Family Association, a Christian conservative organization, found fault with this aspect, suggesting that it was designed to "brainwash" children into supporting gay rights.{{cite web |date=April 19, 2007 |last=Berkowitz |first=Bill |title=Still Cranky After All These Years|url=http://old.mediatransparency.org/story.php?storyID=189 |website=Media Transparency |access-date=May 7, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111223134516/http://old.mediatransparency.org/story.php?storyID=189 |archive-date=December 23, 2011 |quote=In 2004, the AFA went after the movie 'Shark Tale,' because the group believed the movie was designed to brainwash children into accepting gay rights.|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |date=November 17, 2004 |last=Ed |first=Vitagliano |title=Something's Swishy About Shark Tale |url=http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/11/afa/172004c.asp |website=AgapePress news |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20041118130216/http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/11/afa/172004c.asp |archive-date=2004-11-18 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |date=Nov 24, 2004 |first=Sam |last=Felder |title=Is There Something Fishy About "Shark Tale"? |url=https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/is-there-something-fishy-about-shark-tale |website=Americans United |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20150919062748/https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/is-there-something-fishy-about-shark-tale |archive-date=2015-09-19 |quote=Make no mistake. This is not a joke or a parody. The AFA is serious. |url-status=dead }}

{{Table section needs prose|date=September 2023}}

The film was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 77th Academy Awards, but lost to Pixar's The Incredibles, along with Shrek 2, another film produced by DreamWorks Animation.

{{Infobox album

| name = Shark Tale: Motion Picture Soundtrack

| type = soundtrack

| artist = Various artists

| cover = Shark Tale Soundtrack.jpg

| alt =

| released = September 21, 2004

| recorded = 2004

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = {{hlist|R&B|hip hop|soul}}

| length = 50:33

| label = {{hlist|Geffen|DreamWorks|UMG Soundtracks}}

| producer = {{hlist|Timbaland|Jam & Lewis|Ron Fair|Missy Elliott|The Underdogs|Dre & Vidal|The Trak Starz|Hans Zimmer}}

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title =

| next_year =

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Shark Tale: Motion Picture Soundtrack

| type = soundtrack

| single1 = Car Wash

| single1date = August 29, 2004

}}

}}

Shark Tale: Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on September 21, 2004. The soundtrack features newly recorded music by various artists, including Christina Aguilera, Mary J. Blige, India.Arie, Bobby Valentino, Sean Paul, Timbaland, The Pussycat Dolls, Ludacris, Missy Elliott, and Justin Timberlake, as well as "Some of My Best Friends Are Sharks", the film's closing theme composed by Hans Zimmer.

Janet Jackson and Beyoncé initially planned to record a duet for the film's soundtrack. Jackson's frequent collaborator Jimmy Jam, who had recently worked with Beyoncé for The Fighting Temptations soundtrack, commented, "Obviously we'd love to have the involvement of Janet and Beyonce, who we just worked with on Fighting Temptations. They've already expressed interest", adding "There are a lot of opportunities with an animated piece to work with some different people."{{cite web |url=http://channels.netscape.com/ns/celebrity/hollywoodexclusive.jsp?column=/becksmith_jsp/content/hol20031231.htm |title=Beyonce, Janet, Will Music For 'Shark's Tale' |work=Netscape |date=December 31, 2003 |access-date=December 28, 2013 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20040922063056/http://channels.netscape.com/ns/celebrity/hollywoodexclusive.jsp?column=%2Fbecksmith_jsp%2Fcontent%2Fhol20031231.htm |archive-date=September 22, 2004 |df=mdy-all }} Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation, had appointed Jackson's producers Jam & Lewis to be involved with the soundtrack, though the duo only ended up producing only one song for the film, with Jam saying "We worked for DreamWorks before on the Bryan Adams song for Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and the Boyz II Men tune for The Prince of Egypt, and Katzenberg is a fan of what we do. He thought we would be perfect to do the music for Shark Tale."

{{Track listing

| total_length = 50:33

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = Three Little Birds

| note1 = Sean Paul and Ziggy Marley

| writer1 = Bob Marley

| extra1 = Stephen Marley

| length1 = 3:37

| title2 = Car Wash (Shark Tale Mix)

| note2 = Christina Aguilera featuring Missy Elliott

| writer2 = Norman Whitfield (additional lyrics by Missy Elliott)

| extra2 = Missy Elliott, Ron Fair

| length2 = 3:50

| title3 = Good Foot

| note3 = Justin Timberlake and Timbaland

| writer3 = Timberlake, Timothy Mosley

| extra3 = Timbaland

| length3 = 3:57

| title4 = Secret Love

| note4 = JoJo

| writer4 = Samantha Jade, Jared Gosselin, Phillip White

| extra4 = White, Jared

| length4 = 4:00

| title5 = Lies & Rumours

| note5 = D12

| writer5 = DeShaun Holton, J. Rotem, Denaun Porter, O. Moore, V. Carlisle, Rufus Johnson, M. Chavarria

| extra5 = Denaun Porter

| length5 = 4:20

| title6 = Got to Be Real

| note6 = Mary J. Blige featuring Will Smith

| writer6 = David Foster, David Paich & Cheryl Lynn

| extra6 = Andre Harris, Vidal Davis

| length6 = 3:33

| title7 = Can't Wait

| note7 = Avant

| writer7 = Damon E. Thomas, Antonio Dixon, Harvey W. Mason, Eric Dawkins, Steven Russell

| extra7 = The Underdogs

| length7 = 3:44

| title8 = Gold Digger

| note8 = Ludacris featuring Bobby Valentino and Lil' Fate

| writer8 = Alonzo Lee, Shamar Daugherty, Christopher Bridges, Bobby Wilson, Arbie Wilson

| extra8 = The Trak Starz

| length8 = 3:47

| title9 = Get It Together

| note9 = India.Arie

| writer9 = Drew Ramsey, Shannon Sanders, India Arie Simpson, Dana Johnson, Mel Johnson

| extra9 = India.Arie, Sanders, Ramsey

| length9 = 4:54

| title10 = We Went as Far as We Felt Like Going

| note10 = The Pussycat Dolls

| writer10 = Bob Crewe, Kenny Nolan

| extra10 = Ron Fair

| length10 = 3:51

| title11 = Digits

| note11 = Fan 3

| writer11 = Allison Lurie, Paul Robb, David Clayton-Thomas, Fred Lipsius

| extra11 = BitCrusher

| length11 = 3:41

| title12 = Sweet Kind of Life

| note12 = Cheryl Lynn

| writer12 = James Harris III, Terry Lewis, Cheryl Lynn, Bobby Ross Avila, Issiah J. Avila, Tony Tolbert, James Q. Wright

| extra12 = Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis

| length12 = 3:59

| title13 = Some of My Best Friends Are Sharks

| note13 = Hans Zimmer

| writer13 = Hans Zimmer

| extra13 = Hans Zimmer

| length13 = 3:25

}}

{{main|Shark Tale (video game){{!}}Shark Tale (video game)}}

A video game based on the film was released on September 29, 2004, for Microsoft Windows, Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Game Boy Advance.{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/09/29/shark-tale-ships|title=Shark Tale Ships|last=Adams|first=David|date=September 29, 2004|website=IGN|publisher=Ziff Davis|access-date=September 18, 2015|archive-date=December 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211041201/http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/09/29/shark-tale-ships|url-status=live}} Published by Activision, Edge of Reality developed the console versions of the game, while Vicarious Visions developed the Game Boy Advance version, and Amaze Entertainment developed the Microsoft Windows version. The cast from the film didn't reprise their roles in the game, except David P. Smith reprising his role as Crazy Joe.

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite news|last=Ball|first=Ryan|title=Kim Possible Wins WIN Awards|url=http://www.animationmagazine.net/events/kim-possible-wins-win-awards/|access-date=June 1, 2013|newspaper=Animation|date=November 3, 2003|quote=The first annual Kiera Chaplin Limelight award was presented to Vicky Jenson, co-director of DreamWorks' animated blockbuster Shrek and the upcoming Shark Tale (formerly Sharkslayer).|archive-date=October 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020034311/https://www.animationmagazine.net/events/kim-possible-wins-win-awards/|url-status=live}}

{{cite web|url=http://www.awn.com/news/dreamworks-sets-sharkslayer|last=Godfrey|first=Leigh|title=DreamWorks Sets Up For Sharkslayer|publisher=Animation World Network|date=April 2, 2002|access-date=August 23, 2015|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924021154/http://www.awn.com/news/dreamworks-sets-sharkslayer|url-status=live}}

}}

{{Commons category}}

{{Wikiquote}}

• {{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20050214094741/http://www.sharktale.com/}} (Archived from the original)
• {{Official website|http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/sharktale/}} at DreamWorks
• {{IMDb title|0307453|Shark Tale}}

{{Vicky Jenson}}

{{Rob Letterman}}

{{DreamWorks animated films}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Portal bar|2000s|Film|United States|Animation|Cartoon|Comedy|Animals}}

Category:2004 children's films

Category:2004 computer-animated films

Category:2004 comedy films

Category:2004 American animated films

Category:2000s buddy comedy films

Category:2000s English-language films

Category:American buddy comedy films

Category:American children's animated comedy films

Category:American computer-animated films

Category:Animated buddy films

Category:Animated films about fish

Category:Animated films about talking animals

Category:Cultural depictions of actors

Category:2004 directorial debut films

Category:2004 films

Category:DreamWorks Animation films

Category:DreamWorks Pictures films

Category:Films about lying

Category:Animated films about sharks

Category:Films directed by Bibo Bergeron

Category:Films directed by Rob Letterman

Category:Films directed by Vicky Jenson

Category:Films produced by Bill Damaschke

Category:Films set in the Atlantic Ocean

Category:Films scored by Hans Zimmer

Category:Films with screenplays by Michael J. Wilson

Category:Films with screenplays by Rob Letterman

Category:Sea adventure films

Category:American crime comedy films

Category:Underwater civilizations in fiction

Category:Vegetarianism in fiction

Category:Films produced by Janet Healy

Category:Film controversies

Category:Race-related controversies in film

Category:Race-related controversies in animation

Category:LGBTQ-related controversies in animation

Category:LGBTQ-related controversies in film

Category:English-language buddy comedy films

Category:Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award–winning films