Shark Tale tells the story of Oscar (Will Smith), the little nobody fish who desperately wants to be somefish but keeps screwing up and Lenny (Jack Black), the shark with a heart who simply can't kill.
Oscar lives in Southside Reef, a sort of underwater New York, which lives in constant fear of the neighbouring sharks.
A bit of a wannabe geezer, Oscar slightly works at the Whale Wash, but is generally a bit of a slacker, however, his bestmate and secret admirer, Angie (Renee Zellweger), covers for him and is always there to help him out.
Desperate for a break and to free himself from his lowly position - not quite plankton - he portrays all the characteristics of a fishy Del Boy.
But just when his luck seems to have run out, after a catastrophic bet on the seahorses, a chance freaky encounter with a couple of sharks gives Oscar the notoriety he's always craved, as the reef-saving 'Shark Slayer'.
But one of those sharks, Lenny, isn't quite all there in sharking terms, he can't even bring himself to eat a shrimp - despite their excruciatingly annoying voices - and realises he's nothing like the other great whites (Mafioso with fins) but instead a disappointment to his dad, the Don (Robert De Niro).
But after the freaky encounter, Oscar and Lenny become unlikely buddies as they act out their mutually beneficial plan.
The whole ensemble of characters are brilliant, with the rasta henchmen/jellyfish - one played by Bob Marley's son, Ziggy - and the saucy Angelina Jolie as Lola the fishy strumpet - being particularly amusing.
It's short, it's sweet (but not so sweet that you won't fancy a good sushi afterwards) and so long as you like Will Smith in Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air mode, you'll love this slick, colourful offering.
Vic Saggers
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