Shark Tale
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Fast, fresh, funny action comedy set undersea.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 8 and Up
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Sexy stuff:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Shark Tale was written by Nell Minow
Parents need to know that the plot involves the death of one of the characters, the son and brother of two other characters. This may be upsetting to some viewers. The characters are all so vivid that there may be a Bambi-reaction; some viewers may want to become vegetarians like Lenny. There is also some mild peril and tension. In addition, the movie has some mildly crude humor and a bit of schoolyard language.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about why fame and fortune are so important to Oscar. Why is it so hard for him to realize that Lola is not sincere? They could also talk about why it is so hard for Oscar to see how Angie feels about him -- and how he feels about her. It is also worth discussing how sometimes people like Lenny can have a hard time feeling accepted and loved for who they are. What can friends and family do to support them?
Have you seen it? Review It!
More on Shark Tale
What’s the Story?
Oscar (voice of Will Smith) is a little fish who dreams of fame and fortune. When his blowfish boss, Sykes (voice of Martin Scorsese) says he needs the $5000 Oscar owes him, pretty receptionist Angie (voice of Renee Zellweger) gives him her family heirloom pearl, which Oscar sells, but then loses the money gambling. Sykes' Rasta-jellyfish henchmen (voices of Doug E. Doug and Ziggy Marley) take Oscar out to rough him up, but a mix-up occurs in which Sykes henchmen believe that Oscar has killed a shark, and the little fish returns home as the celebrated "The Shark Slayer." Oscar enjoys the high life until the sharks come searching for him. Meanwhile, shark Lenny (voice of Jack Black) runs away from home because he can't be a predator like his pop (voice of Robert De Niro) and the other sharks. Lenny teams up with Oscar. They decide stage a fight in which Oscar will pretend to kill Lenny, then the sharks will be too scared to come after Oscar. And Lenny can start a new life. But it's not a very good plan, as Lenny and Oscar soon find out.
Is It Any Good?
This hip-hop/mob action comedy set undersea is fast, fresh, fun, and finny ... er, funny. Okay, you watch the movie and see if you don't come out making silly jokes like that. This isn't a classic like Finding Nemo or Shrek, but it throws so much at you so fast you will be too busy enjoying yourself to notice.
The plot is nothing special, but the visuals are, with eye-popping color and wonderfully expressive fish faces, hilariously funny and surprisingly touching. The voice talent is top-notch and the animators have managed to bring the essence of the actors to the characters. Don Lido has De Niro's birthmark on his cheek and Oscar has Smith's eyes and mouth. There are dozens of gags and pop-cultural references and some bright musical numbers that keep things moving briskly, with a remake of the Rose Royce "Car Wash" song by Missy Elliot and Christina Aguilera a highlight.
Movie Details
Studio: Dreamworks SKG, Directors: Eric "Bibo" Bergeron, Vicky Jenson
Run time: 92 minutes
Theatrical release: 10/1/2004, DVD release: 2/8/2005
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild language and crude humor
Run time: 92 minutes
Theatrical release: 10/1/2004, DVD release: 2/8/2005
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild language and crude humor
Our Members Say
See all 37 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title off for age 6 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Excessive consumerism
- Negative role models
Undesireable in every way
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I rate this title iffy for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Negative role models
a movie for kids with a flirty dirty twist
well this movie is a hard one it has a little bit of questional gestures there is a song i like big butts older brother 14 started singing it and got in trouble this movie is a bout a fish who wants money and will do anythig he lies cheats and throws a party where a girl and him get all cozy i wuold say if your child is not a monkey see monkey do i would fast foward through some scenes
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I rate this title off for age 2 and give it
SUCKS
I really dont know how this got 4 stars, but i am sorry, this was the WORST movie i have ever seen, a complete waste of you time, I want that Hour and 30 mins of my life back, NOW.
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
Not bad.
I like Disco which is in the film but something flirty is that Lola fluttered her eyelashes at Oscar. It also has a little bit of crude humor when the old shark passes gas around everyone! Oscar also got a black eye.
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
This movie sucked. It wasent funny at all. Not worth anything so dont watch it. i dont think kid would even want to watch this movie cause It sucks really bad. I repeat DONT watch this movie.
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Lives in New York -
I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive consumerism
Great Movie for Kids
Shark Tale is one of the clean PG movies of today, but still has parental warnings. Sexual content is limited to the song "Gold Digger" playing while Angelina Jolie's character swings her hips and dances seductively. One character dies. And probably the coarsest language is "Who in the halibut?" Great movie. You should see it.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
We had an enjoyable evening!
We took our 4 year old to see the movie Saturday night. She enjoyed it, but remembered little about the plot. I felt that it had many twists and turns and snappy language making it difficult for her to "get it" the first time she saw it. (As every parent with a preschooler knows, they like to watch a movie MANY times before truly enjoying it!) The only thing that annoys me a little bit is the big push for fish to be "friends... not food." I am not a vegetarian!
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Funny for various ages and genders
My 6 year old girl and 11 year old boy both howled and enjoyed this, as did their 50-year-old mother. (Pre-readers will miss a lot of the wordplay humor in signs.) Great visuals, good message about Lenny's differences.
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I rate this title off for age 0 and give it
VERY Disappointing
This movie is NOT for small children. In fact, I have a hard time deciding who this movie is for. In one word this move was ghetto. Hip-hop? Maybe. I'm very disappointed that Will Smith (whom I adore) would make such a movie. The plot is weak, it's laden with sexual innuendo (Lola) and the general theme really emphasized all you DON'T want your small children to learn. I can appreciate the entertainment value of the movie - but not for very small children. I suppose this movie is for 11-13 year olds??
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Sharkum
Shark Tale is sweeet! 1 of the best movies I've ever seen.ONNNNNNNNNNNN!
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
Sexy, manipulative fish and mob humor for kids?
This movie was visually interesting, but my kids were dizzy by the end of it. There is so much adult humor and adult references that much of it was lost on the kids, and shocking to me. Furthermore, I don't think that a slinky sexy fish charcater, nor mob humor and mob character take-offs are appropriate or funny for my 6, 8, and 10 year olds. It was a frenetic movie with fast scene-changes, a culture icon-catering stereotypical take-off of nothing. I think it missed not only its audience, but a potential to reach sensitive kids.
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title off for age 0 and give it
Could have been so much better
The shark scenes with D'Niro's character were funny. As the movie wore on, the cliches wore on me. The fish were creepy looking (what kind were they anyway?) They looked too human to perceive them as fish. The messages were a little to mature for my 7 & 9 year olds.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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Ratings at a Glance
| 100% | of parents don't think the messages are positive |
| 100% | of parents don't feel there are good role models |
| 100% | of parents say they notice product placement |
| 100% | of parents say it has language their kids can't use |
| 100% | of parents say the sexual behavior isn't age appropriate |
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