Just For Fun / Shark Tale (2022)

Shark Tale (2022) is a ^note made up DreamWorks animated feature directed by Zack Snyder for Disney+, which is intended as a loose "reimagining" of their 2004 animated feature Shark Tale.

The story starts with Will Smith Fish, who is a mix of a fish and a cow. He lives a happy life, but things go pear shaped when Doug Dimmadome arrives to inform him that his farm is being closed down. To save the farm, he enlists the aid of a few fellow cows to hunt down and bring the villainous Matt Damon to justice so they can use the reward money to save the Jewish people.

Meanwhile, Matt Damon has struck a deal with the underworld so he can take control of China. But Hades, the ruler of the underworld, has his own agenda, being interested in wiping out all the pandas on Earth due to a prophecy foretelling that a panda is the only thing that will destroy him, so he sends his soldiers to perform mass genocide. But one family wants their baby to live, so they put him in a basket and send him down a river, where the cub ends up meeting and growing up with Timon and Pumbaa. As they raise him, the cub, named Jack Black Panda by Timon and Pumbaa, is taught that it's okay to run away from his problems and encourage him to live a life of hedonism. He eventually grows up and finds out that Will Smith Fish's farm is still on the verge of being closed down. He abandons Timon and Pumbaa and joins Will Smith Fish—they strike up a ploy to make it look like Will Smith Fish kills Jack Black Panda so he can disguise himself as Shrek and start a new life. But that doesn't last long when God himself (Eddie Murphy) comes down and tells Will Smith Fish that he is to be the deliverer of the Jews. From there, the journey is on as they go on numerous misadventures, fighting off dragons, Robin Hood, and find a love interest in the form of Renée Zellweger Fish (Catherine Zeta-Jones).

Shark Tale had been in production since 1994, but went through immense Troubled Production before being released in 2004. This version of Will Smith Fish, who was now a bluestreak cleaner wrasse named Oscar, now only wants to be rich and famous and takes credit for killing a shark that was accidentally slain by an anchor, and the movie is now a fish-themed spoof of The Godfather with mobster sharks. Jack Black Panda was changed into a vegetarian shark named Lenny, and the panda idea was reused for the character Po from Kung Fu Panda, with the entire "deliverance of the Jews" plot going to The Prince of Egypt. The Snyder Cut went unused for years until a very recent release on Disney+, where it was given the Premier Access treatment alongside the Joss Whedon cut of Toy Story 3, which was released for free and got more views as a result.

^note In case you're wondering, no, these aren't real movies—they're based on Schaffrillas Productions' YouTube Poop parodies of Doug Walker's (The Nostalgia Critic) DreamWorks-uary/Disneycember reviews, "Doug Walker's Glowing Review of Shark Tale" and its sequel "Doug Walker Verbally Annihilates Toy Story 3". See also Schaff's review of the Snyder Cut where he goes into more detail about the story, which was uploaded as an April Fools' Day video that initially seemed to be talking about a different Snyder Cut.

Shark Tale (2022) contains examples of:

• Adaptation Species Change: Will Smith Fish is now a cow, and Jack Black's character was changed from a shark to a panda.
• Adaptational Jerkass: While Jack Black Panda is still ultimately heroic, he starts off living a life of hedonism and running away from problems and initially wants to fake his death to avoid the responsibility of closing down the farm, and only develops into a true hero by the end. Comparatively, Lenny is one of the nicer characters in the 2004 cut from the get-go.
• Adaptational Name Change: All of the characters from the original film are renamed for this reimagining.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: In the original film, Oscar was a con man and fraud who made some really dickish choices before trying to repent. His counterpart here, Will Smith Fish, is much more benevolent and sympathetic.
• Adaptational Villainy:
  • Matt Damon is far more evil in this film than he is in real life, borrowing elements from Arthur's Imagine Spot of him in "The Making of Arthur".
  • For some reason, Disney's version of Robin Hood is a foe of the heroes at one point.
• All Myths Are True: It seems in this movie that both the Devil of the Christian Bible and Hades of Greek Mythology exist in the same universe.
• Ambiguously Jewish: An interesting case, as unambiguously Jewish people exist in this movie; but both pandas and cows also seem to be coded Jewish. For the cows it makes sense, as they live on a Jewish farm and probably identify with the farmers. For the pandas, it's more the fact that Jack Black Panda's story resembles that of Moses's, with Hades as the "Pharoah"; as well as Jack Black Panda being portrayed by a Jewish actor.
• Anachronism Stew: Despite being made for 1994, it has the versions of Hades and Satan from 1997's Hercules and South Park (with Satan's debut episode "Damien" not airing until 1998) as main antagonists, and Matt Damon's portrayal from Arthur which debuted in 1996 (with Matt Damon's episode airing in 2007) as the Big Bad. In addition, the giant turtle from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask and Tamatoa from Moana show up at different points, with both of them having debuted in 2000 and 2017 respectively.
• Animated Musical: This film contains more musical numbers than the original, including Matt Damon's song where he debates with God about the morality of his decisions, Jack Black Panda's 7-minute ballad about why a cat isn't a dog, the Majora's Mask Turtle's ballad about wanting to become a crab, and Martin Scorsese Fish's song about how to get away with tax evasion.
• Anti-Hero: Martin Scorsese Fish.
• As Himself: A lot of the characters are just their actors in cartoon form.
  • Will Smith as Will Smith Fish.
  • Matt Damon as the main villain.
  • Jack Black as Jack Black Panda.
  • Angelina Jolie as Angelina Jolie Fish.
  • Martin Scorsese appears in the form of a pufferfish named Martin Scorsese Fish.
  • Subverted with Renée Zellweger Fish, who is played by Catherine Zeta-Jones.
• Big Bad Ensemble: Matt Damon, Hades, and Satan are all in league to create the bulk of the film's conflict.
• Big Good: God convinces Will Smith Fish to be the savior of the Jewish people and helps Jack Black Panda realize that he shouldn't have to disguise himself as Shrek to avoid persecution.
• Broken Base: Downplayed. When the Snyder Cut was released, Doug Walker and Schaffrillas Productions both gave the movie glowing reviews, but they had differing views on certain aspects of the film.
  • Doug said that Eddie Murphy as God was a good casting choice with the utmost sarcasm while Schaffrillas genuinely thought he was perfect for the role.
  • Doug also wasn't a fan of the Majora's Mask turtle's "I Want" Song about how he wants to be a crab, making fun of how he's so obviously a turtle, while Schaffrillas absolutely adored it. Notably, Doug appears to be using footage of Tamatoa, who's a completely different character in the film, and a clip of Larry the Cucumber saying that the turtle looks like a turtle, which was actually a case of Larry Comically Missing the Point.
  • Doug hated Martin Scorsese Fish, an unpopular opinion to be sure if Tom's reaction is to be believed, while Schaffrillas praised his song about getting away with tax evasion and said that it made him love the character even more.
• Create Your Own Hero: Hades unwittingly does this by committing mass genocide on the pandas, which results in Jack Black Panda getting orphaned and eventually joining up with Will Smith Fish.
• Creator's Oddball: Zack Snyder very rarely directs animated films, so seeing his name attached to a DreamWorks movie is a sight to behold.
• Cruel and Unusual Death: Matt Damon's demise in the climax was brutal enough on its own to earn the film an R-rating. He gets boiled alive in molten acid while zombie serial killer sharks eat his flesh.
• Damsel in Distress: Will Smith Fish and Jack Black Panda rescue Renée Zellweger Fish.
• Deal with the Devil: Matt Damon makes a deal with Hades and Satan so he can take control of China.
• Decomposite Character: Jack Black Panda was changed into a vegetarian shark named Lenny in the 2004 cut, but the panda concept would later be used for Po from Kung Fu Panda four years later.
• Demoted to Extra: In the 2004 Shark Tale, the sharks were a mafia and its boss was Lenny's father. In this version, they're only set up for the end where they tear off Matt Damon's flesh. However, considering the movie had been in production ten years before the 2004 cut, those sharks could be considered Ascended Extras instead.
• Do Not Do This Cool Thing: Martin Scorsese Fish, while one of the heroes, is supposed to be an Anti-Role Model of sorts. However, he gets away with his white-collar crimes, is overall seen as awesome, and is a popular character with most viewers. This drew the ire of some Moral Guardians (such as Doug Walker) who are annoyed at hearing children sing about evading taxes.
• Do Wrong, Right: Martin Scorsese's song about tax evasion.
• Dueling Works: With Joss Whedon's Toy Story 3, which was also released on Disney+ the same day. However, while Shark Tale was only available with Disney+ Premier Access for $30, Toy Story 3 was released with no extra charge, which led to more people watching the latter film.
• Egocentrically Religious: How Matt Damon justifies his evil plans. Even during his duet with GOD he insists he's doing His will... while actively arguing with Him.
• Expy: Matt Damon, much like Judge Frollo, believes he's in the right and yet asks God if he's just. He meets his end being boiled alive in lava, much like the archpriest himself.
• Faking the Dead: Jack Black Panda strikes a deal with Will Smith Fish to fake his death and live a new life as Shrek. It doesn't last for very long, as God tells Will Smith Fish that he's to be the deliverer of the Jews.
• Four Lines, All Waiting: There are lot of different plot threads to follow in the film.
• Giant Enemy Crab: Tamatoa is among the monsters Will Smith Fish and co have to fight.
• God Is Good: God is the unambiguous the Big Good, anointing heroes and talking them out of insecurities, and even has compassion for Matt Damon, trying to talk him out of his evil ways. Unfortunately, Damon refuses to listen. Being voiced by the likable Eddie Murphy definently helps.
• Honor Before Reason: Even though they could easily use their reward money to save the farm, Will Smith Fish and the cows decide to selflessly use the reward money to save the Jewish people.
• Hypocrite: Matt Damon tries to paint himself as being a soldier of God, even though he's making deals with God's greatest enemy and doing many horrible things throughout the story.
• Intimidating Revenue Service: Implied. We don't know if the tax collectors here are actually bad, but Martin Scorsese Fish invokes the trope in his song about avoiding taxes.
• "I Want" Song: The Majora's Mask Turtle sings an emotional ballad about wishing to be identified as a crab.
• In Name Only: The plot has only the faintest hints of resemblance to the original Shark Tale.
• Last of His Kind: Jack Black Panda is the sole survivor of Hades' mass genocide of the pandas, which was reused for his backstory in Kung Fu Panda 2.
• Love to Hate: Doug Walker certainly thinks so regarding Matt Damon.
• Massive Multiplayer Crossover: In addition to the characters mentioned in the description, the giant turtle from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask appears, where he insists that he is actually a crab.
• The Mentor: Martin Scorsese Fish to the two heroes.
• Misplaced Wildlife: Will Smith Fish (who is a cow) and Jack Black Panda all live among fish, with Matt Damon (who is an aardvark) acting as the villain and Robin Hood (who is a fox) as a minor antagonist. And that's not even counting Timon and Pumbaa, or Bob and Larry who are vegetables.
• Mix-and-Match Critter: Will Smith Fish is somehow both a fish and a cow.
• Mythology Gag: Matt Damon's design and catchphrase were lifted from his appearance on Arthur, although he wasn't as nasty there.
• Named After Someone Famous: Implied with Renée Zellweger Fish, since she's not portrayed by that actress.
• Narm Charm: Jack Black may not be the best singer in the cast, but with all the passion he puts into his performance, it's hard not to enjoy his musical numbers.
• Nice Jewish Boy: A variant; Will Smith Fish is a cow is on a farm owned by Jewish people, and seems to consider himself a part of the community, if his and the other cows' desire to save not just the farm but all Jews is anything to go by.
• Nominal Hero: Jack Black Panda starts out as one, being taught to avoid his problems from an early age and wanting to fake his death to run away from the farm being closed down. It's only after God speaks to Will Smith Fish that he begins his character arc.
• Non-Indicative Name: Will Smith Fish is a cow, and Renee Zellweger Fish is voiced by Catherine Zeta-Jones.
• Oddball in the Series: This is currently the only DreamWorks film released on Disney+, and it's also currently the only R-rated film on Disney+.
• Orcus on His Throne: For the bulk of the film, Matt Damon is seen at his estate and swimming pool while the heroes are trying to capture him, but he gets some action later in the film.
• Parental Substitute: Timon and Pumbaa raise Jack Black Panda in this film, basically serving the same role that they did in The Lion King (1994), with them raising the young panda and teaching him that it's okay to run away from his problems and eat garbage.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Hades commits genocide against the pandas. Subverted, because he only does it to prevent a prophecy from coming true; it's unknown if he has a personal vendetta.
• Questionable Casting: Eddie Murphy as God definitely turned some heads. While it turned out alright in the end due to Murphy's excellent performance, some still considered the casting to be a bit out-there.
• Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: The general consensus about Will Smith Fish is that he's a much more likable and sympathetic character than Oscar was in the 2004 cut, which went a long way in redeeming him.
• Rogue Protagonist: Had the sequel been made, Will Smith Fish would've become this, forcing Jack Black Panda to fight his former friend.
• Rogues' Gallery Transplant: Tamatoa was originally a villain from Moana, but pops up as a major obstacle for the heroes while working under the employ of Hades. Hades and Satan's role in the story count as well.
• Screwed by the Network: When the Snyder Cut was finally released on Disney+, they gave it Premier Access which meant more money had to be spent to watch it. Not helping matters was the now-infamous Whedon Cut of Toy Story 3 getting released for free, which led to more people watching that instead.
• Small Role, Big Impact: The Majora's Mask turtle shows up and has a musical number of his own, and everything about the movie changes when he appears.
• Species Surname: Zigzagged. Will Smith Fish apparently has Fish as his last name, but he's a mix of a fish and a cow. Played straight with Jack Black Panda, Martin Scorsese Fish, Renée Zellweger Fish and Angelina Jolie Fish.
• Spiritual Antithesis: Shark Tale was in production as far back as 1994, and not only was it released in 2004 as a complete shell of its former self, but its ideas were also recycled for 1998's The Prince of Egypt and 2008's Kung Fu Panda years later. The whole "saving the farm" subplot was also later used for Disney's Home on the Range sometime after.
• They Copied It, So It Sucks!: One of the common criticisms that detractors of the Snyder cut use is that the film uses similar plot elements to other DreamWorks films such as The Prince of Egypt and Kung Fu Panda. However, they seem to be unaware of the fact that the former film came up with those ideas first and they were reused in the latter films.
• Throw It In!: In Snyder's original cut for the movie, Matt Damon was just Matt Damon. However, he went back and redid the CGI of every scene with Matt Damon in it to use his Arthur design, just for the Arthur fans.
• Villain Song: Matt Damon has one where he tries to come to terms with what he's doing, which evolves into Ham-to-Ham Combat when Eddie Murphy's God arrives to unsuccessfully convince him that what he's doing is wrong. It is cited as one of, if not the best villain song in existence.
• Visual Effects of Awesome: The effects on Angelina Jolie Fish in this film are Oscar-worthy.
• Wham Line: "The farm is being closed down!"
• What Could Have Been: The planned sequel involved Will Smith Fish going Drunk with Power, defying God and becoming the leader of the Jewish people, forcing Jack Black Panda to fight Will Smith Fish.
• What Do You Mean, It's Not for Kids?: The film may look like an average animated family film, but it's rated R for a very graphic death scene that some people believe would give kids nightmares if they saw it.
• What Do You Mean, It's Not Political?: Will Smith Fish being a cow has been described by some as a commentary on how capitalism is milking us dry of our aspirations and dreams, which they believe only adds to Will Smith Fish's relatability.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Jack Black Panda tries to run away from his destiny and start a new, secluded life as Shrek. God appears to give him a pep talk.

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