What Is It?
New to DVD 2/7/05, it’s latest “sort of” kids movie from
Dreamworks (the company, and even one of the directors, who brought you
“Shrek”.) The film
is a computer animated re-telling and embellishment of the
“The Brave Little
Tailor.” This time The Giants are sharks and the sharks are a parody
of “The Godfather”
complete with Robert De Niro, and Martin Scorsese) The Giant slaying little
guy is a fish (Will Smith). Where the sharks are mafia, the fish are all
inner-city hip hop, and every sign and billboard is a pun.
How Was It?
When I first saw the adds, I was afraid it was going to be a “Hip-ified
Finding Nemo.” I was
very wrong. It was in fact a “Hip-ified
A Bugs Life.” (Though
I do seem to remember seeing a vegetarian shark some where before.) The animation
was fine, the acting was fine. Still, the trendy factor was so high that
this film will need “freshness dating”.
Is It Good For Kids?
Most younger kids will like this movie. It fast, colorful, and has a lot
of music, most of which they hear on the radio and at the mall. Still, like
“Shrek,” There are
a lot of “almost to adult for kids” moments. There is cartoon violence,
and though corrected at the end, lying is a the major point of the film.
Parents may have to explain to younger children that the lies turned out
to be bad after all. You can check
www.ScreenIt.com
for a complete break down of elements shown on the screen.
Some parents might also be bothered by the fact that most the “hip
hop” culture for the film is the real main stream hip hop culture. Though
it doesn’t seem to use an offensive lyrics in the film, they almost
all come for artists who are less than good examples. How about Spiritual
Issues? There is only one direct reference to spirituality. The Mafia Sharks
are religious during the funeral of the Don’s son. It’s just seems
sad to me that the only reference to being religious comes from the “Bad
Guy.”
Secondly, The vegetarian shark has a scene where he confesses his difference
to Oscar, the fish. Later Oscar emplanes to the shark’s dad, that he
should love his son even though he is different. (Included in the differences
are the way he dresses and who he picks for friends.) Though there is nothing
directly evil or even untrue about the statements in the direct context of
the movie; the words and sentiment are very close to the modern tolerance
movement. The scene is not as blatant as the Ice Man scene in
“X-Men 2", some parents
may see the vegetarian shark’s confession as a “Coming Out”.
(That also may be part of the intended humor of the confession.)
If you chose to share this film with your family, you will probably want
to discus the fact that we do need to just be tolerant of other peoples tastes
and preferences (like food and clothing) but when people are doing things
that the Bible forbids, it is still sin. We should love that person, but
not just “accept” there actions.
What Is Your Recommendation?
I do not thing there is enough good here, morally or as entertainment, to
recommend watching this film. Beyond that, it is hard to swallow the movies
secondary message“It’s not right to lie just to get rich and
famous”from the two main actors. Oscar the Fish is played by Will Smith
(who first came to fame telling kids that “Parents Just Don’t
Understand”) and the vegetarian shark is Jack Black (who became a house
hold name with his movie
“School of Rock”
where it’s good to lie to your parents and school, because they will
be happy when they see how “cool” you are at the end.) I would
go back to the less trendy, more entertaining “A Bugs Life” for
kids, or “Jonah A Veggie Tales Move,” for the whole family.
Thought, the best part of the Shark Tales DVD... it had a very extensive pre-view for the up coming “Wallace And Grommet” movie.
