Shark Tale Synopsis: This mafia movie, set in the world of saltwater fish is the story of what happens when the son of the shark boss (Gandolfini) of a fish crime family is killed, and a bottom-feeder named Oscar (Smith) is found at the scene of the crime. Hoping to win favor with the enemies of the ganglord, the fast-talking hustler poses as the killer known as the "sharkslayer", but soon learns it's a dangerous game in a world where the big fish generally eat the little fish... (Scorsese plays a puffer fish: Black plays a shark) Shark Tale is Dreamworks latest entry to its spotty but prolific short history. You might think it's just another Finding Nemo, because it's about fish. The good news for Dreamworks is that short of being set in a reef, the similarities between Oscar's and Marlin's stories are nil. The good news for Pixar is that they are in no danger of being overcome by Dreamworks' quality. I hate to deride any work in this genre - it is a long, painful labor of love over many years, and the results can be dismissed in an instant. It always starts with the writing, and there is where Dreamworks fails its hard working animators.

Shark Tale has hip hop and funk numbers, with the older fish dancing as painfully fake as their real life bodies would, crass commercialism, and forgettable kid characters in a movie supposedly written for them. Nemo was a cool, gutsy kid with resources and real child anxieties, vulnerability, and heroism. It's not fair to compare, but it can't be helped, what with the fish and all. The animation is good, the performances are good, but it's between Nemo and this that we can easily draw the distinction between movie and classic. It's mostly worth seeing, but it's disposable. Cast and Credits: Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Renée Zellweger Directed by:Rob Letterman, Bibo Bergeron, Vicky Jenson Produced by:Bill Damaschke, Janet Healy, Allison Lyon Segan Official Web Site: www.sharktale.com