As a seasoned marine biologist and movie buff who has spent countless hours diving into the depths of the ocean and analyzing animated films, I can confidently say that Shark Tale is a fun-filled, entertaining masterpiece – albeit one with a few oversights when it comes to representing the real world under the sea.
Shark Tale, a favorite back in the 2000s, was a household staple with its talking fish characters, star-studded voice cast, and catchy soundtrack. However, it fell short when it came to portraying the realities of marine life. To be fair, viewers didn’t expect an accurate depiction of oceanography from this animated family comedy about chattering fish. Nevertheless, it’s entertaining to delve into some instances where the movie disregarded logic for the sake of story development.
2004 marked the debut of “Shark Tale,” a movie that unfolds the tale of Oscar, a fish who boasts (falsely) about slaying a shark kingpin’s son for popularity. The film enjoyed both financial and critical success, cementing its place among the most memorable children’s films of that time. It grossed $374.6 million and ranked as the ninth highest-grossing movie of that year. Interestingly, it was also nominated for the Best Animated Feature award at the Oscars, but “The Incredibles” took home the prize instead.
The Parts of the Ocean That Shark Tale Gets Wrong
Clearly, the ocean is not a vibrant, cartoon-like depiction of our reality, where fish hold jobs and engage in property rentals. While such a scenario might be intriguing, it’s safe to say that introducing capitalism into the ocean isn’t beneficial for its current state.
Sharks Are Worryingly Endangered
Titled “sharks,” the movie often presents misleading information primarily concerning elasmobranch fish. The film consistently portrays sharks as persistently fretting about their dominion over the ocean, which is not a true representation of these marine creatures. In fact, sharks are currently among the most endangered species in our oceans, and their situation has worsened since the movie was released in 2004.
One study published in the scientific journal Nature indicates a dramatic 71% decrease in the population of sharks and rays in our oceans over the past fifty years. This suggests that their primary concerns might extend beyond losing influence on coral reefs. Moreover, the rapid decline in their numbers could potentially be a significant issue because it means fewer sharks to regulate the ecosystem, which is certainly worth contemplating.
Sharks Aren’t at the Top of the Food Chain
It seems illogical to propose that sharks control the mafia, given that killer whales are actually at the top of the food chain in the ocean, even preying on certain species of shark. This inconsistency is even more apparent when you imagine a scene of a mafia meeting where the sharks appear to intimidate the killer whales instead.
Following the motif of bravery, Oscar wouldn’t show any fear towards sharks. This is because the blue stripe cleaner wrasse – its model – has a symbiotic relationship with sharks. By removing dead tissue and parasites from their bodies, these smaller creatures not only keep themselves well-fed but also benefit the larger animals they clean. Given that Oscar’s survival depends on those same shark species, it seems unusual for him to fear the very beings he relies upon.
Family Units Look a Little Different
It’s odd that a movie titled “Shark Tale” would seem hesitant to delve deeply into the lives of fish, given its title. For instance, the main shark character, Don Lino, claims to raise his sons, which is unusual because in reality, most species of sharks don’t play a parental role after their offspring are born. Additionally, you might have overlooked the detail that when all the other sharks make fun of Lenny for being a vegetarian, it’s worth noting that some types of sharks, like Bonnetheads, primarily eat seagrass and small crustaceans, not meat as portrayed in the movie. However, it’s possible that meat-eating sharks in reality mock vegetarian ones, but we humans are unaware of this behavior yet…
Magic Undersea Geography
In other words, there were aspects that many people might have missed, like the inaccurate portrayal of a lionfish’s true appearance. When designing the character Lola, it seems more fitting to opt for another species instead of drastically altering its visuals on screen. Furthermore, the mafia hideout is depicted as the RMS Titanic, a ship that sunk in the North Atlantic Ocean, far removed from the exotic, tropical reef where Shark Tales takes place. This only makes sense if some extraordinary and convenient ocean currents managed to transport the ship across the globe.
How Do Other Animated Films Compare?
Among all animated films predominantly set in the ocean, “Finding Nemo” outshines “Shark Tale” in popularity, despite having some inconsistencies. One of the most noticeable mistakes is that Marlin, Nemo’s father, would have transformed into a female shortly after his wife’s demise, which contradicts the natural process for marine fish. Other discrepancies include portraying ocean currents as narrow, whereas they are actually vast and wide-ranging, and depicting sea turtles as solitary travelers rather than associating in larger groups primarily during nesting periods.
In the 1989 Disney movie “The Little Mermaid,” just like in “Shark Tale,” there seems to be an inconsistency in the animal hierarchy within King Triton’s kingdom. It’s unusual that common fish species are strong enough to pull Sebastian’s chariot, while Flounder is Ariel’s best friend and roams freely. Similarly, Lola’s changing appearance in “Shark Tale” seems unrealistic, it’s odd that Flounder appears so colorful too. Also, it’s strange that Sebastian, a character from the Denmark-based film, has a Jamaican accent. This might suggest that both movies share an incorrect geography book, as if they both took a magical current that transported something out of place, like the Titanic.
In general, you won’t find many movies or TV shows that portray the ocean realistically. The ocean isn’t like how it’s depicted in movies such as Moana or Luca, with sentient beings or sea monsters that can transform into humans when out of water. However, this is not necessarily a problem since most people wouldn’t enjoy watching an accurate retelling of these stories.
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2024-09-12 02:01