Shark Tale

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2:12

Shark Tale

PG

2004

1h 30m

Kids & Family

Comedy

Adventure

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

35%

Tomatometer

181 Reviews

47%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Underachiever Oscar (Will Smith) is a pint-sized fish with grand aspirations. When mob-connected great white shark Frankie (Michael Imperioli) is accidentally killed, Oscar concocts a story with Frankie's peace-loving brother Lenny (Jack Black) that it was he who murdered the shark. Suddenly hailed "Sharkslayer" by his aquatic brethren, Oscar has bigger fish to fry when Frankie's father, mob boss Don Lino (Robert De Niro), dispatches his henchmen to track down his son's killer.

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Critics Consensus

Derivative and full of pop culture in-jokes.

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Bob Longino

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Oct 9, 2023

D+

This is a loud, visually busy, offensive in its obviousness and virtually empty computer-animated film from DreamWorks.

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David Stratton

At the Movies (Australia)

Jul 29, 2015

4/5

I laughed quite a lot during this film.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Dec 28, 2010

4/5

Fast, fresh, funny action comedy set undersea.

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Mat Brunet

AniMat's Review (YouTube)

Feb 23, 2024

3/10

Out of all of the movies by DreamWorks Animation, I’d place Shark Tale among the weakest features they’ve made. If not, then THE worst.

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James Mottram

The List

Apr 22, 2019

3/5

As it is, it's an adequate time-killer that benefits from an impressive voice cast... Best of the bunch is Martin Scorsese as puffer-fish Sykes, sounding like he's sucked on helium.

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Rachel Wagner

rachelsreviews.net

Mar 11, 2019

F

It's awful and is without a doubt one of the worst mainstream animated films of the last 20 years.

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Derick C

@RT27486417 Sep 4, 2026

My childhood, wanting the sequel!

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Madie R

@MRoss94 Sep 1, 2026

There are a few entertaining moments, but they're buried beneath a movie that feels more interested in celebrity appeal than storytelling. "Just tell me, Oscar, 'cause I'm curious - why do you think she's interested, huh? Do you think, for one minute, that she would even be WITH you if you weren't the rich and famous Shark Slayer?" Verdict: A dated, noisy animated comedy with a decent premise buried under celebrity casting and exhausting pop-culture references. Shark Tale isn't completely without charm, but nostalgia is doing most of the heavy lifting.

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Taylor O

@brantosaurus Aug 20, 2026

I wish I could say this film slaps like will smith at the Oscar’s. But it does not.

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Julian R

@RT90963270 Aug 20, 2026

I bet my holy spirit, it was the most fantastamazing film of all time because of lots of pop culture & music.

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Cassie M

@Betch Aug 13, 2026

This wasn't good, but wasn't bad. It was just kinda.. there... I felt nothing watching this honestly. The dialoug was terrible at times, and im pretty sure it implies that Lenny, the shark, is gay? Like... WHAT? Personally, I'm bisexual, but... ??? Why? And the racial stereotypes... OH THE STEREOTYPES.. I fucking hated it.

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freddie T

@Splatface101 Aug 4, 2026

I have only saw this movie once and that was on a coach ride they had a mini TV but I gotta say this movie is MID I like Jack Black but the animation was not very good and most of the jokes I do not like. And it has Will Smith in it. I do not like Will Smith.

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Rob Letterman

Director

Bibo Bergeron

Director

Vicky Jenson

Director

Will Smith

Oscar

Robert De Niro

Don Lino

Renée Zellweger

Angie

Shark Tale: Official Clip - Oscar vs. Lenny

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Shark Tale: Official Clip - Frankie Dies

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Shark Tale: Official Clip - Fish Hook Opening

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Shark Tale: Official Clip - Squeaky Shrimp

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Shark Tale: Official Clip - Shark Mafia

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Shark Tale: Official Clip - Meeting Lola

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Shark Tale: Official Clip - Car Wash Dance

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Shark Tale: Official Clip - Seahorse Race

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Shark Tale: Official Clip - Whale Washing

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Shark Tale: Official Clip - Gangster Shark Chase

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2:12

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Synopsis

Underachiever Oscar (Will Smith) is a pint-sized fish with grand aspirations. When mob-connected great white shark Frankie (Michael Imperioli) is accidentally killed, Oscar concocts a story with Frankie's peace-loving brother Lenny (Jack Black) that it was he who murdered the shark. Suddenly hailed "Sharkslayer" by his aquatic brethren, Oscar has bigger fish to fry when Frankie's father, mob boss Don Lino (Robert De Niro), dispatches his henchmen to track down his son's killer.

Director: Rob Letterman, Bibo Bergeron, Vicky Jenson
Producer: Bill Damaschke, Janet Healy, Allison Lyon Segan
Screenwriter: Michael J. Wilson, Damian Shannon, Mark Swift
Distributor: DreamWorks SKG
Production Co: DreamWorks SKG, Pacific Data Images (PDI)
Rating: PG (Some Mild Language|Crude Humor)
Genre: Kids & Family, Comedy, Adventure, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 1, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $160.8M
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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