Shark Tale is an entertaining animated movie with a star-studded cast, including Will Smith, Robert de Niro and Rene Zelwegger. The main characters are supported and sometimes carried by an eclectic crew of supporting actors. Katie Couric as Katie Current helps move the film from one scene to another with an almost comic caricature of herself. Martin Scorsese is wonderful as Sykes, though his character is never fully developed. The pace of the film is fairly rapid, moving from one scenario to another but never fully delving into any. I would have to say that the best part of the film is the sound track, featuring Christina Aguilera, Ludikrus, Missy Elliott and Justin Timberlake.

Another bright spot features Doug E. Doug and Ziggy Marley as a pair of Jamaican jellyfish henchman who with their quick banter and asides nearly steal the show from the lead character voiced by Will Smith.

Unfortunately this film lacks depth. The characterizations are a little shallow for an adult audience and many of the best lines go over the head of the younger folks. The bad guys aren't quite bad enough, the good guys are questionable in their appeal and the ending just a little too pat. All that aside, the show was entertaining, moving along quickly, carried in many places by the music. In my opinion, the show was worth watching mainly for the animation. The characters in many places appeared backlit, even glowing, the backgrounds detailed and varied. In particular, the “bad girl” of the film voiced by Angelina Jolie stood out for the beauty of the animation. She shimmered and shimmied across the screen, upstaging bad guys and good guys alike. Oscar, voiced by Will Smith never quite makes it as the hero and Robert de Niro as Lino is just a little too stereotypical to be believable.

The emotional scenes are so underplayed that they evoke no emotion other than irritation and a wish for the film to move on. The film is saved in the end by a music video style sequence, featuring Missy Elliott and Christina Aguilera with a re-make of “Car Wash.”

Would I recommend this movie? Yes, with some reservation, if you are looking for something to see as a family with your 7-14 year-old. The language and some of the references are a little adult at times, but they are few and far between and most of them go over the heads of the younger kids. The animation and music will ensure that adults and young adults are entertained but this is not a great film. In fact, I expect fully expect it to come out on video or DVD around Christmas. Shark Tale, for a movie about the deep, just a little too shallow.

Shark Tale

Rated (** 1/2 out of *****)

Synopsis: (Courtesy of Dreamworks Pictures) Oscar is a fast-talking little fish whose big dreams have a habit of landing him in hot water. Lenny is a great white shark with a sensitive side…and a secret—he’s a vegetarian. When a great white lie turns Oscar into an improbable hero and the truth about Lenny makes him an outcast, these two become the most unlikely of friends.

“Shark Tale” stars the voices of Academy Award® nominee Will Smith (“Ali”) as Oscar, a hustler who has always been able to fin-agle his way out of trouble, until now; two-time Academy Award® winner Robert De Niro (“Raging Bull,” “The Godfather, Part II”) as Don Lino, a great white shark at the top of the Reef’s food chain; Academy Award® winner Renée Zellweger (“Cold Mountain”) as Angie, the beautiful angelfish who harbors a secret crush on Oscar; Academy Award® winner Angelina Jolie (“Girl, Interrupted”) as the femme fatale, Lola, a cross between a lion fish and a dragonfish, who uses her feminine wiles to get what she wants; Jack Black (“School of Rock”) as Don Lino’s son Lenny, a great white shark who is a closet vegetarian; and multiple Oscar®-nominated director Martin Scorsese (“Gangs of New York,” “Goodfellas”) as Sykes, a puffer fish who is full of hot air and never misses an opportunity to make a few extra clams.

Rounding out the main cast are: Doug E. Doug and Ziggy Marley as Bernie and Ernie, two Rastafarian jellyfish with a stinging sense of humor; Michael Imperioli (“The Sopranos”) as Don Lino’s oldest son, Frankie, a chip off the old shark; Vincent Pastore (“The Sopranos”) as Luca, an oily octopus, which makes him the perfect right-hand, left-hand, right-hand, left-hand man; veteran actor Peter Falk (“Columbo”) as Don Ira Feinberg, a shark who is long in the tooth, but still has plenty of bite left; and Katie Couric (TV’s “The Today Show”) as the Reef’s top anchorfish, Katie Current.

“Shark Tale” is directed by Vicky Jenson, Bibo Bergeron and Rob Letterman from a screenplay by Michael J. Wilson and Letterman. The producers are Bill Damaschke, Janet Healy and Allison Lyon Segan, with Jeffrey Katzenberg serving as executive producer.

The Shark Tale Soundtrack will feature selections from the score by Hans Zimmer, as well as songs from such multi-platinum and Grammy-winning artists as Christina Aguilera, featuring Missy Elliott, performing a new version of the disco classic “Car Wash”; Mary J. Blige, featuring Will Smith, doing “Got To Be Real”; Justin Timberlake and Timbaland performing “Good Foot”; and the film’s Ziggy Marley partnered with Sean Paul on “Three Little Birds,” the song made famous by Marley’s father, Bob Marley. In addition, there are songs from JoJo, D12, Ludacris, India.Arie, and others.