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.
.Deleted line(s) 33,35 (click to see context) :
* AnAesop:
** [[BrainsVersusBrawn Brains over brawn]].
** Never underestimate the little guy. Pearl, Dylan and Cordelia and the rest of the inhabitants of the Reef, all call out Pi for training with Nerissa to fight Troy, for they believe he's as good as dead. As you probably expect, Pi proves them wrong and manages to inspire them to face that mean shark and finally get rid of him.
** [[BrainsVersusBrawn Brains over brawn]].
** Never underestimate the little guy. Pearl, Dylan and Cordelia and the rest of the inhabitants of the Reef, all call out Pi for training with Nerissa to fight Troy, for they believe he's as good as dead. As you probably expect, Pi proves them wrong and manages to inspire them to face that mean shark and finally get rid of him.
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-->--'''[[spoiler: Thornton]]''', '''Opening Lines'''
''The Reef'' (also known as ''Animation/TheReefSharkBait'' in certain parts of the world) is a 2006 computer-animated South-Korean film produced by WonderWorld, Studios, DigiArt and FXDigital.
The movie follows the life of a young orange fish named Nemo, erh Pi (short for Pisces), whose parents tragically die when they are caught in a net. Having no one in the world except for his - supposedly - crazy aunt Pearl, he sets on a journey with two dolphins, erh porpoises, Meg and Percy, to reach the Reef. Upon arriving (fully as an adult), he bumps into Dylan, a CowardlyLion fish who becomes his best friend (and turns out to be his cousin) and Cordelia, a beautiful pink angelfish who poses as a model for ''"Magazine/NationalGeographic"''. Pi instantly falls in love with her. Unfortunately for him, a mean tiger shark called Troy has also set his eyes for Cordelia and abuses our protagonist whenever he spots these two together. After a hard beating (where Pi and Cordelia enjoyed a romantic night staring at the stars), Pi decides that he's had enough of Troy's bullying and asks Nerissa, an old sea turtle who's rumored to be a wizard, to teach him martial arts to finally defeat Troy and win Cordelia's heart. Yap, you read the description just right. And you are probably wondering what the people associated with the film were thinking when they were producing it. We don't know either.
''The Reef'' (also known as ''Animation/TheReefSharkBait'' in certain parts of the world) is a 2006 computer-animated South-Korean film produced by WonderWorld, Studios, DigiArt and FXDigital.
The movie follows the life of a young orange fish named Nemo, erh Pi (short for Pisces), whose parents tragically die when they are caught in a net. Having no one in the world except for his - supposedly - crazy aunt Pearl, he sets on a journey with two dolphins, erh porpoises, Meg and Percy, to reach the Reef. Upon arriving (fully as an adult), he bumps into Dylan, a CowardlyLion fish who becomes his best friend (and turns out to be his cousin) and Cordelia, a beautiful pink angelfish who poses as a model for ''"Magazine/NationalGeographic"''. Pi instantly falls in love with her. Unfortunately for him, a mean tiger shark called Troy has also set his eyes for Cordelia and abuses our protagonist whenever he spots these two together. After a hard beating (where Pi and Cordelia enjoyed a romantic night staring at the stars), Pi decides that he's had enough of Troy's bullying and asks Nerissa, an old sea turtle who's rumored to be a wizard, to teach him martial arts to finally defeat Troy and win Cordelia's heart. Yap, you read the description just right. And you are probably wondering what the people associated with the film were thinking when they were producing it. We don't know either.
to:
''The Reef'' (also known as
The movie follows the life of a young orange fish named
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''The Reef'' (also known as ''Animation/TheReefSkarkBait'' in certain parts of the world) is a 2006 computer-animated South-Korean film produced by WonderWorld, Studios, DigiArt and FXDigital.
to:
''The Reef'' (also known as ''Animation/TheReefSkarkBait'' ''Animation/TheReefSharkBait'' in certain parts of the world) is a 2006 computer-animated South-Korean film produced by WonderWorld, Studios, DigiArt and FXDigital.
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Changed line(s) 20,21 (click to see context) from:
''The Reef'' (also known as ''The Reef: Skark Bait'' in certain parts of the world) is a 2006 computer-animated South-Korean film produced by WonderWorld, Studios, DigiArt and FXDigital.
to:
''The Reef'' (also known as ''The Reef: Skark Bait'' ''Animation/TheReefSkarkBait'' in certain parts of the world) is a 2006 computer-animated South-Korean film produced by WonderWorld, Studios, DigiArt and FXDigital.
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Not to be confused with the [[Film/TheReef the horror film]] from 2010.
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** BrainsOverBrawn.
to:
** BrainsOverBrawn.[[BrainsVersusBrawn Brains over brawn]].
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* BrainsOverBrawn: One of the aesops of the movie. If you can't beat a bully with your strength, you can use your brains - and the sea - against him.
to:
* BrainsOverBrawn: BrainsVersusBrawn: One of the aesops of the movie. If you can't beat a bully with your strength, you can use your brains - and the sea - against him.
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* CoolMentor: Nerissa to Pi. Despite his old age, he can fight off squids and other predators with ease.
to:
* CoolMentor: Nerissa to Pi.CoolOldGuy: Nerissa. Despite his old age, he can fight off squids and other predators with ease.
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* MinionsWithAFInVillainy: Despite claiming otherwise, Eddie and Bart only hang out with Troy, because he threatens them he will eat them if they fail him.
to:
* MinionsWithAFInVillainy: MinionWithAnFInEvil: Despite claiming otherwise, Eddie and Bart only hang out with Troy, because he threatens them he will eat them if they fail him.
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* UnusualAnimalCompanion: After both of his parents die, Pi is adopted by a swarm of porpoises, even though porpoises eat fish.
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* UnusualAnimalCompanion: UnusualAnimalAlliance: After both of his parents die, Pi is adopted by a swarm of porpoises, even though porpoises eat fish.
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[[quoteright:279:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/unnamed_704.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:279:]]
->''"If you'll indulge for a moment my rhyming motif\\
I'd like to tell you of a place called the Reef.\\
The entire coral kingdom is a delight to the senses\\
Alas, that is not where our story commences.\\
We are used to Blue Water, this water would spook us\\
It's the color of phlegm, but possibly mucus.\\
And the salty sea spray that wafts on the breeze\\
Is like the stuff that comes out of your nose when you sneeze.\\
In this polluted ominous swill\\
There's one little fish of unusual skill\\
Who would one day meet the most incredible fate\\
Full of fighting, romancing, becoming live bait.\\
I know it boggles the mind and it beggars belief\\
But that's the lad we would one day see.\\"''
-->--'''[[spoiler: Thornton]]''', '''Opening Lines'''
''The Reef'' (also known as ''The Reef: Skark Bait'' in certain parts of the world) is a 2006 computer-animated South-Korean film produced by WonderWorld, Studios, DigiArt and FXDigital.
The movie follows the life of a young orange fish named Nemo, erh Pi (short for Pisces), whose parents tragically die when they are caught in a net. Having no one in the world except for his - supposedly - crazy aunt Pearl, he sets on a journey with two dolphins, erh porpoises, Meg and Percy, to reach the Reef. Upon arriving (fully as an adult), he bumps into Dylan, a CowardlyLion fish who becomes his best friend (and turns out to be his cousin) and Cordelia, a beautiful pink angelfish who poses as a model for ''"Magazine/NationalGeographic"''. Pi instantly falls in love with her. Unfortunately for him, a mean tiger shark called Troy has also set his eyes for Cordelia and abuses our protagonist whenever he spots these two together. After a hard beating (where Pi and Cordelia enjoyed a romantic night staring at the stars), Pi decides that he's had enough of Troy's bullying and asks Nerissa, an old sea turtle who's rumored to be a wizard, to teach him martial arts to finally defeat Troy and win Cordelia's heart. Yap, you read the description just right. And you are probably wondering what the people associated with the film were thinking when they were producing it. We don't know either.
Despite being a critical and commercial failure, it garnered a sequel titled ''"The Reef: High-tide"'' which was released in 2012.
----
!!''The Reef: Shark Bait'' contains examples of:
* AdvertisedExtra: Max, the crab, features prominently in many posters and DVD covers of the movie, despite not playing a major role.
* AffablyEvil: Mostly Eddie.
* AlwaysABiggerFish: Portuguese Man O'War are strong enough to weaken Troy, [[spoiler: but not for long]].
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Dylan is openly against his mother's antics, the way she dresses and flirts outside the house and her belief that the pearl his late husband gave her is magical. By the end of the film, he grows a bone and fully accepts her.
* AnAesop:
** BrainsOverBrawn.
** Never underestimate the little guy. Pearl, Dylan and Cordelia and the rest of the inhabitants of the Reef, all call out Pi for training with Nerissa to fight Troy, for they believe he's as good as dead. As you probably expect, Pi proves them wrong and manages to inspire them to face that mean shark and finally get rid of him.
* AncestralName: Pi is short for Pisces. His mom is named Piper and his father Pike. All three of their names start with "Pi".
* AntiSmotherLoveTalk: One of the things Dylan has forbid his mother is showing publicly her love.
* AnimalTalk: Most of the animals in the film talk to each other, even those that belong to different classes.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: When Cordelia learns that Pi trains with Nerissa to fight Troy, she calls him out for his stupidity. Pi then confronts her and asks her why she agreed to marry Troy, even though she doesn't love him. Cordelia replied that it's because he promised her he would leave Pi and the Reef alone. Once he hears that, he asks her why she doesn't trust him in the same vein as Troy.
* ArtisticLicenceMarineBiology:
**Mostly on the size of the characters. Troy the tiger shark and Thornton the walrus should be larger, at least compared to Pi and Cordelia.
** Walrus tend to live in the seasonally ice-covered northern waters of Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia, not in the tropical waters of the Reef.
** Troy, a tiger shark, is in love with Cordelia, an angelfish. Even ignoring the fact that sexual attraction between these two species would be impossible in RealLife, one can wonder about the whole reproduction thing.
*** Same thing applies to Cordelia and Pi, who may be both fish, but of different breed (Pi is an orange wrasse).
** It's never explained how Pi, who is an orange wrasse, is related to Pearl, who is a purple elongate surgeonfish.
** Speaking of which, wrasses and elongate surgeonfish are [[ExplosiveBreeder explosive breeders]], yet both Pi's parents and Aunt Pearl only managed to raise one kid.
* AssholeVictim: Troy loved to bully the fish of the reef and beat the crap out of Pi whenever he spotted him, but him [[spoiler: being dragged on the surface inside a net while [[VillainsWantMercy pleading for his life]] can give any viewer the shivers]]. [[spoiler: Although the sequel shows he survived and he's now locked in a cage, while humans put him into torturing]].
* BigBad: Troy, a ThreateningShark who pines over Cordelia and loves to terrorize the residents of the Reef in his free time.
* BigDamnHeroes:
** [[spoiler: Percy and his mother come at the very best moment to help Pi in his fight against Troy]].
** When Troy is about to eat a helpless Nerissa, the trio marlins and Thornton come to the rescue.
* BigNO: Troy yells one [[spoiler: before he's dragged over the surface inside a net.]]
* BrainsOverBrawn: One of the aesops of the movie. If you can't beat a bully with your strength, you can use your brains - and the sea - against him.
* TheBully:
** Troy acts more like your typical high-school bully, rather than the ferocious predator you'd expect. Though there's a scene showcasing a large amount of fish skeletons and Troy luring there, indicating he just ate a school of fish.
** Troy's henchmen love to bury Dylan's face in a lobster's hole whenever they visit the Reef.
* CallingTheOldManOut: When Thornton tells Pi that his story is actually made up, Pi is justifiably angry at him and calls him out.
* CampGay: Buddy and Lou. It's never stated, but it's pretty clear from their mannerisms.
* CharacterDevelopment:
** Although Pi was brave from the start, he tended to act temperamental, resulting in plenty of [[CurbStompCushion Curb Stomp Cushions]] between him and Troy. After a TrainingMontage with Nerissa, he learns to notice the environment and not to rush into foolish actions.
** Dylan let Bart and Eddie abuse him whenever they spotted him and was openly ashamed by his mother's divination arts. By the end of the film, he grew a bone, finally punished his bullies for all these times they buried his head into a lobster's hole and hugged his mother, fully embracing her crazy antics.
* CheerfulChild: Pi and Percy when they were little.
* ChekhovsGun:
**The net! Once it grabs you, you never return to the ocean! [[spoiler: Pi lures Troy into following him inside a net and escapes in the last moment]].
** Marriage proposals in the fish kingdom are done through a pearl. If a female fish accepts the pearl that a male fish hands her, they are married for life. It's the reason why Aunt Pearl likes to stare at the pearl of her late husband, why Nerissa is so protective of his own pearl and it becomes a PlotPoint in the film [[spoiler: when Cordelia tells Troy she will accept his pearl, on condition he leaves Pi and the Reef alone]].
* ChekhovsSkill: When Pi's parents die and he is adopted by a group of porpoises, they teach him how to leap out of the water. Pi finds this skill useful when [[spoiler: he fights Troy, for it helps him escape the net and not to be trapped in, unlike his rival]].
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Aunt Pearl. Everyone thinks she's nuts for believing she possess divinatory abilities, but [[spoiler: it turns out she does!]]
* CloudcuckoolandersMinder: Dylan to his mother.
* TheCloudcuckoolanderWasRight: [[spoiler: Pearl's pearl is indeed magical]].
* CoolMentor: Nerissa to Pi. Despite his old age, he can fight off squids and other predators with ease.
* CurbStompCushion: Pi's early fights with Troy can be summarized like this: Pi rushes in front of Cordelia to protect her, Troy slaps him with his tail, Pi loses his senses. The end.
* DamselInDistress: Pi thinks Cordelia is one when he sees Troy lurking behind her. [[spoiler: Turns out Troy had no intention to eat her, but he nevertheless never leaves her alone]].
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Turns out Nerissa has one. [[spoiler: He used to live on the Reef, until one day humans kidnapped his wife. When he asked for help, nobody acted. It was then that he left and chose to live in a deserted shipwreck, away from the fish he thought friends. The only thing remaining from his missing wife was the pearl Nerissa has gifted her]].
* DavidVersusGoliath: The entire movie is about Pi, a small orange wrasse, confronting Troy, a massive ThreateningShark and [[spoiler: coming victorious]].
* DespairEventHorizon: Troy ruins the romantic date Pi and Cordelia enjoyed by slapping Pi so hard he loses his senses. Cordelia then comforts Pi as the current leads him to Nerissa's shipwreck.
* {{Determinator}}: Pi is determined to save Cordelia from Troy's jaws. It's possible he feels this way since he failed to save his parents from the fishnet.
* DevastatingRemark: When Cordelia agrees to accept Troy's pearl (in the Reef, accepting a pearl means you and your gifter are married for life) so Troy will finally leave Pi alone. All Pi can do is say an exhausting no.
* DistressedDude: During their final battle, Troy slaps Pi so hard, a bunch of huge rocks start falling on him.
* ADogNamedDog: Pi is short for pisces.
* DownerBeginning: The film delivers us to Boston's polluted waters, filled with all types of mutant fish, where we meet a young Pi and his parents. Surely, that's not a place one should raise their children. Additionally, in the next five minutes, a fishnet arrives to drag both of Pi's parents away.
* TheDreaded: Troy is this for the inhabitants of the Reef, being a ThreateningShark and all that.
* FamedInStory: The story of Pi's fight with Troy becomes legend, and Pi himself is elevated to the status of folk hero.
* {{Foil}}: Pi to Dylan. Pi is an orange wrasse, brave and adventurous and always eager to explore new places. Dylan is a blue elongate surgeonfish, more timid and neurotic in comparison who wants to appear cool. He's also embarrassed by his mother's affections, whereas Pi doesn't mind.
* ElectricJellyfish: Portuguese Man O'War. One sting to a small fish, and it's a goner.
* EurekaMoment: When Pi spots the fishnet during his fight with Troy...
* FaceOfAThug: Troy and his henchmen. The mutant fish in Boston also count, even though they don't stay for long.
* FeatherFingers: From the little we see of the pelican, he seems to have these.
* FiendishFish: The mutant fish which inhabit Boston. Polluted water is not good for your skin, kids.
* ForDoomTheBellTolls: The background music when Troy and Pi [[spoiler: are trapped inside the fishnet]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Pay attention to the fishnet at the beginning of the film. And the one at Flat Bottom. They will come handy in [[spoiler: the ending]].
* FunnyOctopus: The one at the beginning that is seen driving a car and the other the inks Pi and Percy when they peep at him.
* {{Gasshole}}: One of the marlins.
* GeniusDitz: Aunt Pearl who believes she possesses divination powers and that her pearl is magical. [[spoiler: And she's proven right]].
* GenreBusting: It's an action-martial-arts-animal-comedy-packed film.
* GratuitousFrench: Max, Cordelia's manager, whose entire character is modeled after French stereotypes, like his whiskers resembling a French mustache and wearing a shell as a beret.
* GuileHero: Nerissa is pretty strong, but he wins most of his battles through his wits and that's the lesson he wants to teach to Pi.
* HumansAreCthulhu: Played with. Fish know that humans hunt them, plus they have only seen humans wearing their scuba diver equipment, so they are umfamiliar with their real features. Yet, they don't mind when they are visiting the Reef and they eagerly pose when they show their cameras.
* InterspeciesFriendship: Different kinds of fish get along, with the exceptions of the ones which prey on fish, like sharks or pelicans.
* KarmaHoudini: The fishermen who caught Pi's parents.
* {{Keet}}: Pi and Percy as kids.
* LaserGuidedKarma: For all the torment the fish of the Reef and Pi suffered in the presence of Troy, it's pretty relieving when [[spoiler: he's caught in a net]].
* MeaningfulName: Pi's name is short for Pisces.
* MemeticBadass: Pi becomes one InUniverse, due to his victory over Troy.
* MightMakesRight: Troy's philosophy.
-->'''Troy''': I'm a tiger shark, baby. I own whatever I take. And I take whatever I want.
* MrExposition: Dylan when Pi arrives to the Reef.
* LoveAtFirstSight: Pi doesn't need to give Cordelia a second look and he's instantly mesmerized by her beauty.
* MinionsWithAFInVillainy: Despite claiming otherwise, Eddie and Bart only hang out with Troy, because he threatens them he will eat them if they fail him.
* MoodWhiplash: Right from the beginning.
* NiceGirl: When Cordelia is not photoshooting for ''"Magazine/NationalGeographic"'', she spends her time helping the inhabitants of the Reef.
* NoCartoonFish: Averted. The fish there are stylized to appeal cute to the younger audience.
* OceanOfAdventure: A fight under the sea.
* OhCrap: When Pi's father hears that a net is approaching.
* PapaWolf: Shown briefly when Pi's father hears of a net approaching and grabs his family to save it. He manages to free his son, but him and his wife are too big to escape.
* ParentalSubstitute: After both of Pi's parents are caught in the fishnet, Pi is adopted by a wandering porpoise named Meg and becomes part of the herd.
* ParentsAreWrong: Since Pi's father dislikes Aunt Pearl for (supposedly) being crazy, he refuses to leave Boston, even though, as his wife claims, its polluted waters might mutate Pi, just like all the other fish there (who most of them are freaks of nature). Boston indeed turns out to be a dangerous inhabitant, just not for the reasons Pi's mother thought...
* PinkMeansFeminine: Cordelia is a pink angelfish working as a model for human magazines.
* PlotTriggeringDeath: Even though said death happened years before the actual events of the film. After both of Pi's parents are captured in a fishnet, Pi has to leave the polluted waters of Boston and go on migration with a herd of porpoises to go live with his Aunt Pearl on the Reef.
* {{Pun}}:
** When Pi tries to impress Cordelia, he lifts to pebbles to show his strength and says "Check out these ''mussels''!". Turns out that the pebbles were actually mussels.
** After Dylan and Pi witness Nerissa fighting off a gang of squids, Dylan exclaims "''Turtle''ly awesome!"
** When Aunt Pearl takes Pi and Dylan for a walk, they bumped into Dr. Tang, whom Aunt Pearl describes as "a very prominent ''sturgeon''".
* PunnyName: Pi is short for Pisces and he's a fish.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Nerissa. Given he's a turtle (who are reported to live up to 150 years), it makes sense.
* RedHerring: Downplayed. When Pi spots Troy lurking behind Cordelia, he thinks he wants to eat her, being a ThreateningShark and all that, and rushes to help her. Cordelia turns to face him, with a frightened look on her face, Pi speeds, and Troy... gives her a kiss on the cheek, taking aback both Pi and first-time watchers. Of course, Troy's intentions aren't any better...
* RedOniBlueOni: Pi is the red oni to Dylan's blue oni. Even their colors match!
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Pi and Percy when they were kids.
* SapientEatSapient: Nearly every form of animal life, aquatic or otherwise, is capable of speech with one another.
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Gender-inverted. Pi is the energetic half of Cordelia's meek half.
* ShoutOut:
** When Cordelia photoshoots for ''Magazine/NationalGeographic'', Max compares her to Creator/AudreyHepburn, but "only better, with flakes".
** Just the mere fact that Cordelia has appeared on the cover of ''Magazine/NationalGeographic''.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Only three characters who played a major role in the film are females. The protagonists, bad guys and and other recurring character are all males.
* StargazingScene: Pi and Cordelia enjoy one before Troy arriving and ruining.
* TheStinger: After the credits are shown, we get a last scene with Thornton, [[spoiler: where we discover that he was the narrator all along]], having staged a play to retell Pi's heroic deeds.
* SwordfishSabre: Not swordfish, but the marlin trio love to fence whenever they are given the chance.
* ThoseTwoGuys:
** Bart and Eddie.
** Buddy and Lou, the CampGay crab and sawfish.
** To a lesser extent, Aunt Pearl and her starfish.
* ThreateningShark: The BigBad of the movie.
* ToiletHumor: After Edd and Bart shove Dylan in a lobster's hole, Dylan [[{{Squick}} starts to pee]].
* TooDumbToLive:
** The entire conflict could have been avoided had Pi's father thought of turning left or right when he heard of that goddamn net!
** Sure, Troy! It was a great idea to [[spoiler: chase Pi with a net enclosing you. Nothing bad would happen]].
* UnusualAnimalCompanion: After both of his parents die, Pi is adopted by a swarm of porpoises, even though porpoises eat fish.
* VillainsWantMercy: [[spoiler: While he's being dragged to the surface inside a net, Troy pleads for his life and begs the fish around him to save him, before letting out a BigNO.]]
* WhatMeasureIsANonCute: The good guys are colorful tropical fish, whereas Troy, the villain, is an ugly, drably-colored shark with sharp teeth.
* YouHadUsWorriedThere: No-one believes that Pi can successfully fight and beat Troy, [[spoiler: but he proves them wrong]].
----
->''"The townsfolk said "Pi, you can't possibly win\\
He will swallow your head and pick his teeth with your fin",\\
But Pi was determined, he refused to despair.\\
I know it's all true, for you see, I was there.\\"''
-->--'''Closing lines'''
[[caption-width-right:279:]]
->''"If you'll indulge for a moment my rhyming motif\\
I'd like to tell you of a place called the Reef.\\
The entire coral kingdom is a delight to the senses\\
Alas, that is not where our story commences.\\
We are used to Blue Water, this water would spook us\\
It's the color of phlegm, but possibly mucus.\\
And the salty sea spray that wafts on the breeze\\
Is like the stuff that comes out of your nose when you sneeze.\\
In this polluted ominous swill\\
There's one little fish of unusual skill\\
Who would one day meet the most incredible fate\\
Full of fighting, romancing, becoming live bait.\\
I know it boggles the mind and it beggars belief\\
But that's the lad we would one day see.\\"''
-->--'''[[spoiler: Thornton]]''', '''Opening Lines'''
''The Reef'' (also known as ''The Reef: Skark Bait'' in certain parts of the world) is a 2006 computer-animated South-Korean film produced by WonderWorld, Studios, DigiArt and FXDigital.
The movie follows the life of a young orange fish named Nemo, erh Pi (short for Pisces), whose parents tragically die when they are caught in a net. Having no one in the world except for his - supposedly - crazy aunt Pearl, he sets on a journey with two dolphins, erh porpoises, Meg and Percy, to reach the Reef. Upon arriving (fully as an adult), he bumps into Dylan, a CowardlyLion fish who becomes his best friend (and turns out to be his cousin) and Cordelia, a beautiful pink angelfish who poses as a model for ''"Magazine/NationalGeographic"''. Pi instantly falls in love with her. Unfortunately for him, a mean tiger shark called Troy has also set his eyes for Cordelia and abuses our protagonist whenever he spots these two together. After a hard beating (where Pi and Cordelia enjoyed a romantic night staring at the stars), Pi decides that he's had enough of Troy's bullying and asks Nerissa, an old sea turtle who's rumored to be a wizard, to teach him martial arts to finally defeat Troy and win Cordelia's heart. Yap, you read the description just right. And you are probably wondering what the people associated with the film were thinking when they were producing it. We don't know either.
Despite being a critical and commercial failure, it garnered a sequel titled ''"The Reef: High-tide"'' which was released in 2012.
----
!!''The Reef: Shark Bait'' contains examples of:
* AdvertisedExtra: Max, the crab, features prominently in many posters and DVD covers of the movie, despite not playing a major role.
* AffablyEvil: Mostly Eddie.
* AlwaysABiggerFish: Portuguese Man O'War are strong enough to weaken Troy, [[spoiler: but not for long]].
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Dylan is openly against his mother's antics, the way she dresses and flirts outside the house and her belief that the pearl his late husband gave her is magical. By the end of the film, he grows a bone and fully accepts her.
* AnAesop:
** BrainsOverBrawn.
** Never underestimate the little guy. Pearl, Dylan and Cordelia and the rest of the inhabitants of the Reef, all call out Pi for training with Nerissa to fight Troy, for they believe he's as good as dead. As you probably expect, Pi proves them wrong and manages to inspire them to face that mean shark and finally get rid of him.
* AncestralName: Pi is short for Pisces. His mom is named Piper and his father Pike. All three of their names start with "Pi".
* AntiSmotherLoveTalk: One of the things Dylan has forbid his mother is showing publicly her love.
* AnimalTalk: Most of the animals in the film talk to each other, even those that belong to different classes.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: When Cordelia learns that Pi trains with Nerissa to fight Troy, she calls him out for his stupidity. Pi then confronts her and asks her why she agreed to marry Troy, even though she doesn't love him. Cordelia replied that it's because he promised her he would leave Pi and the Reef alone. Once he hears that, he asks her why she doesn't trust him in the same vein as Troy.
* ArtisticLicenceMarineBiology:
**Mostly on the size of the characters. Troy the tiger shark and Thornton the walrus should be larger, at least compared to Pi and Cordelia.
** Walrus tend to live in the seasonally ice-covered northern waters of Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia, not in the tropical waters of the Reef.
** Troy, a tiger shark, is in love with Cordelia, an angelfish. Even ignoring the fact that sexual attraction between these two species would be impossible in RealLife, one can wonder about the whole reproduction thing.
*** Same thing applies to Cordelia and Pi, who may be both fish, but of different breed (Pi is an orange wrasse).
** It's never explained how Pi, who is an orange wrasse, is related to Pearl, who is a purple elongate surgeonfish.
** Speaking of which, wrasses and elongate surgeonfish are [[ExplosiveBreeder explosive breeders]], yet both Pi's parents and Aunt Pearl only managed to raise one kid.
* AssholeVictim: Troy loved to bully the fish of the reef and beat the crap out of Pi whenever he spotted him, but him [[spoiler: being dragged on the surface inside a net while [[VillainsWantMercy pleading for his life]] can give any viewer the shivers]]. [[spoiler: Although the sequel shows he survived and he's now locked in a cage, while humans put him into torturing]].
* BigBad: Troy, a ThreateningShark who pines over Cordelia and loves to terrorize the residents of the Reef in his free time.
* BigDamnHeroes:
** [[spoiler: Percy and his mother come at the very best moment to help Pi in his fight against Troy]].
** When Troy is about to eat a helpless Nerissa, the trio marlins and Thornton come to the rescue.
* BigNO: Troy yells one [[spoiler: before he's dragged over the surface inside a net.]]
* BrainsOverBrawn: One of the aesops of the movie. If you can't beat a bully with your strength, you can use your brains - and the sea - against him.
* TheBully:
** Troy acts more like your typical high-school bully, rather than the ferocious predator you'd expect. Though there's a scene showcasing a large amount of fish skeletons and Troy luring there, indicating he just ate a school of fish.
** Troy's henchmen love to bury Dylan's face in a lobster's hole whenever they visit the Reef.
* CallingTheOldManOut: When Thornton tells Pi that his story is actually made up, Pi is justifiably angry at him and calls him out.
* CampGay: Buddy and Lou. It's never stated, but it's pretty clear from their mannerisms.
* CharacterDevelopment:
** Although Pi was brave from the start, he tended to act temperamental, resulting in plenty of [[CurbStompCushion Curb Stomp Cushions]] between him and Troy. After a TrainingMontage with Nerissa, he learns to notice the environment and not to rush into foolish actions.
** Dylan let Bart and Eddie abuse him whenever they spotted him and was openly ashamed by his mother's divination arts. By the end of the film, he grew a bone, finally punished his bullies for all these times they buried his head into a lobster's hole and hugged his mother, fully embracing her crazy antics.
* CheerfulChild: Pi and Percy when they were little.
* ChekhovsGun:
**The net! Once it grabs you, you never return to the ocean! [[spoiler: Pi lures Troy into following him inside a net and escapes in the last moment]].
** Marriage proposals in the fish kingdom are done through a pearl. If a female fish accepts the pearl that a male fish hands her, they are married for life. It's the reason why Aunt Pearl likes to stare at the pearl of her late husband, why Nerissa is so protective of his own pearl and it becomes a PlotPoint in the film [[spoiler: when Cordelia tells Troy she will accept his pearl, on condition he leaves Pi and the Reef alone]].
* ChekhovsSkill: When Pi's parents die and he is adopted by a group of porpoises, they teach him how to leap out of the water. Pi finds this skill useful when [[spoiler: he fights Troy, for it helps him escape the net and not to be trapped in, unlike his rival]].
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Aunt Pearl. Everyone thinks she's nuts for believing she possess divinatory abilities, but [[spoiler: it turns out she does!]]
* CloudcuckoolandersMinder: Dylan to his mother.
* TheCloudcuckoolanderWasRight: [[spoiler: Pearl's pearl is indeed magical]].
* CoolMentor: Nerissa to Pi. Despite his old age, he can fight off squids and other predators with ease.
* CurbStompCushion: Pi's early fights with Troy can be summarized like this: Pi rushes in front of Cordelia to protect her, Troy slaps him with his tail, Pi loses his senses. The end.
* DamselInDistress: Pi thinks Cordelia is one when he sees Troy lurking behind her. [[spoiler: Turns out Troy had no intention to eat her, but he nevertheless never leaves her alone]].
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Turns out Nerissa has one. [[spoiler: He used to live on the Reef, until one day humans kidnapped his wife. When he asked for help, nobody acted. It was then that he left and chose to live in a deserted shipwreck, away from the fish he thought friends. The only thing remaining from his missing wife was the pearl Nerissa has gifted her]].
* DavidVersusGoliath: The entire movie is about Pi, a small orange wrasse, confronting Troy, a massive ThreateningShark and [[spoiler: coming victorious]].
* DespairEventHorizon: Troy ruins the romantic date Pi and Cordelia enjoyed by slapping Pi so hard he loses his senses. Cordelia then comforts Pi as the current leads him to Nerissa's shipwreck.
* {{Determinator}}: Pi is determined to save Cordelia from Troy's jaws. It's possible he feels this way since he failed to save his parents from the fishnet.
* DevastatingRemark: When Cordelia agrees to accept Troy's pearl (in the Reef, accepting a pearl means you and your gifter are married for life) so Troy will finally leave Pi alone. All Pi can do is say an exhausting no.
* DistressedDude: During their final battle, Troy slaps Pi so hard, a bunch of huge rocks start falling on him.
* ADogNamedDog: Pi is short for pisces.
* DownerBeginning: The film delivers us to Boston's polluted waters, filled with all types of mutant fish, where we meet a young Pi and his parents. Surely, that's not a place one should raise their children. Additionally, in the next five minutes, a fishnet arrives to drag both of Pi's parents away.
* TheDreaded: Troy is this for the inhabitants of the Reef, being a ThreateningShark and all that.
* FamedInStory: The story of Pi's fight with Troy becomes legend, and Pi himself is elevated to the status of folk hero.
* {{Foil}}: Pi to Dylan. Pi is an orange wrasse, brave and adventurous and always eager to explore new places. Dylan is a blue elongate surgeonfish, more timid and neurotic in comparison who wants to appear cool. He's also embarrassed by his mother's affections, whereas Pi doesn't mind.
* ElectricJellyfish: Portuguese Man O'War. One sting to a small fish, and it's a goner.
* EurekaMoment: When Pi spots the fishnet during his fight with Troy...
* FaceOfAThug: Troy and his henchmen. The mutant fish in Boston also count, even though they don't stay for long.
* FeatherFingers: From the little we see of the pelican, he seems to have these.
* FiendishFish: The mutant fish which inhabit Boston. Polluted water is not good for your skin, kids.
* ForDoomTheBellTolls: The background music when Troy and Pi [[spoiler: are trapped inside the fishnet]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Pay attention to the fishnet at the beginning of the film. And the one at Flat Bottom. They will come handy in [[spoiler: the ending]].
* FunnyOctopus: The one at the beginning that is seen driving a car and the other the inks Pi and Percy when they peep at him.
* {{Gasshole}}: One of the marlins.
* GeniusDitz: Aunt Pearl who believes she possesses divination powers and that her pearl is magical. [[spoiler: And she's proven right]].
* GenreBusting: It's an action-martial-arts-animal-comedy-packed film.
* GratuitousFrench: Max, Cordelia's manager, whose entire character is modeled after French stereotypes, like his whiskers resembling a French mustache and wearing a shell as a beret.
* GuileHero: Nerissa is pretty strong, but he wins most of his battles through his wits and that's the lesson he wants to teach to Pi.
* HumansAreCthulhu: Played with. Fish know that humans hunt them, plus they have only seen humans wearing their scuba diver equipment, so they are umfamiliar with their real features. Yet, they don't mind when they are visiting the Reef and they eagerly pose when they show their cameras.
* InterspeciesFriendship: Different kinds of fish get along, with the exceptions of the ones which prey on fish, like sharks or pelicans.
* KarmaHoudini: The fishermen who caught Pi's parents.
* {{Keet}}: Pi and Percy as kids.
* LaserGuidedKarma: For all the torment the fish of the Reef and Pi suffered in the presence of Troy, it's pretty relieving when [[spoiler: he's caught in a net]].
* MeaningfulName: Pi's name is short for Pisces.
* MemeticBadass: Pi becomes one InUniverse, due to his victory over Troy.
* MightMakesRight: Troy's philosophy.
-->'''Troy''': I'm a tiger shark, baby. I own whatever I take. And I take whatever I want.
* MrExposition: Dylan when Pi arrives to the Reef.
* LoveAtFirstSight: Pi doesn't need to give Cordelia a second look and he's instantly mesmerized by her beauty.
* MinionsWithAFInVillainy: Despite claiming otherwise, Eddie and Bart only hang out with Troy, because he threatens them he will eat them if they fail him.
* MoodWhiplash: Right from the beginning.
* NiceGirl: When Cordelia is not photoshooting for ''"Magazine/NationalGeographic"'', she spends her time helping the inhabitants of the Reef.
* NoCartoonFish: Averted. The fish there are stylized to appeal cute to the younger audience.
* OceanOfAdventure: A fight under the sea.
* OhCrap: When Pi's father hears that a net is approaching.
* PapaWolf: Shown briefly when Pi's father hears of a net approaching and grabs his family to save it. He manages to free his son, but him and his wife are too big to escape.
* ParentalSubstitute: After both of Pi's parents are caught in the fishnet, Pi is adopted by a wandering porpoise named Meg and becomes part of the herd.
* ParentsAreWrong: Since Pi's father dislikes Aunt Pearl for (supposedly) being crazy, he refuses to leave Boston, even though, as his wife claims, its polluted waters might mutate Pi, just like all the other fish there (who most of them are freaks of nature). Boston indeed turns out to be a dangerous inhabitant, just not for the reasons Pi's mother thought...
* PinkMeansFeminine: Cordelia is a pink angelfish working as a model for human magazines.
* PlotTriggeringDeath: Even though said death happened years before the actual events of the film. After both of Pi's parents are captured in a fishnet, Pi has to leave the polluted waters of Boston and go on migration with a herd of porpoises to go live with his Aunt Pearl on the Reef.
* {{Pun}}:
** When Pi tries to impress Cordelia, he lifts to pebbles to show his strength and says "Check out these ''mussels''!". Turns out that the pebbles were actually mussels.
** After Dylan and Pi witness Nerissa fighting off a gang of squids, Dylan exclaims "''Turtle''ly awesome!"
** When Aunt Pearl takes Pi and Dylan for a walk, they bumped into Dr. Tang, whom Aunt Pearl describes as "a very prominent ''sturgeon''".
* PunnyName: Pi is short for Pisces and he's a fish.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Nerissa. Given he's a turtle (who are reported to live up to 150 years), it makes sense.
* RedHerring: Downplayed. When Pi spots Troy lurking behind Cordelia, he thinks he wants to eat her, being a ThreateningShark and all that, and rushes to help her. Cordelia turns to face him, with a frightened look on her face, Pi speeds, and Troy... gives her a kiss on the cheek, taking aback both Pi and first-time watchers. Of course, Troy's intentions aren't any better...
* RedOniBlueOni: Pi is the red oni to Dylan's blue oni. Even their colors match!
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Pi and Percy when they were kids.
* SapientEatSapient: Nearly every form of animal life, aquatic or otherwise, is capable of speech with one another.
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Gender-inverted. Pi is the energetic half of Cordelia's meek half.
* ShoutOut:
** When Cordelia photoshoots for ''Magazine/NationalGeographic'', Max compares her to Creator/AudreyHepburn, but "only better, with flakes".
** Just the mere fact that Cordelia has appeared on the cover of ''Magazine/NationalGeographic''.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Only three characters who played a major role in the film are females. The protagonists, bad guys and and other recurring character are all males.
* StargazingScene: Pi and Cordelia enjoy one before Troy arriving and ruining.
* TheStinger: After the credits are shown, we get a last scene with Thornton, [[spoiler: where we discover that he was the narrator all along]], having staged a play to retell Pi's heroic deeds.
* SwordfishSabre: Not swordfish, but the marlin trio love to fence whenever they are given the chance.
* ThoseTwoGuys:
** Bart and Eddie.
** Buddy and Lou, the CampGay crab and sawfish.
** To a lesser extent, Aunt Pearl and her starfish.
* ThreateningShark: The BigBad of the movie.
* ToiletHumor: After Edd and Bart shove Dylan in a lobster's hole, Dylan [[{{Squick}} starts to pee]].
* TooDumbToLive:
** The entire conflict could have been avoided had Pi's father thought of turning left or right when he heard of that goddamn net!
** Sure, Troy! It was a great idea to [[spoiler: chase Pi with a net enclosing you. Nothing bad would happen]].
* UnusualAnimalCompanion: After both of his parents die, Pi is adopted by a swarm of porpoises, even though porpoises eat fish.
* VillainsWantMercy: [[spoiler: While he's being dragged to the surface inside a net, Troy pleads for his life and begs the fish around him to save him, before letting out a BigNO.]]
* WhatMeasureIsANonCute: The good guys are colorful tropical fish, whereas Troy, the villain, is an ugly, drably-colored shark with sharp teeth.
* YouHadUsWorriedThere: No-one believes that Pi can successfully fight and beat Troy, [[spoiler: but he proves them wrong]].
----
->''"The townsfolk said "Pi, you can't possibly win\\
He will swallow your head and pick his teeth with your fin",\\
But Pi was determined, he refused to despair.\\
I know it's all true, for you see, I was there.\\"''
-->--'''Closing lines'''
