A 2004 animated comedy starring Will Smith is swimming back into the spotlight on Netflix. Its current resurgence also shows how nostalgia can outweigh a once-mixed critical reputation when audiences rediscover a familiar favorite.
Shark Tale is finding new streaming audience on Netflix
Netflix now gives the animated comedy another chance to connect with viewers. FlixPatrol‘s latest U.S. tracking shows Shark Tale at No. 7 on Netflix’s movie chart as of now, after reaching No. 8 earlier in the week.
Shark Tale follows Oscar, a small fish with big ambitions who suddenly becomes famous after taking credit for taking down a dangerous shark. The lie makes him a star overnight but also pulls him into trouble with Don Lino, a powerful shark crime boss. Will Smith voices Oscar, with Robert De Niro, Renée Zellweger, Jack Black and Angelina Jolie among the major cast.
DreamWorks brought the animated feature to U.S. cinemas on Oct. 1, 2004, with Vicky Jenson, Bibo Bergeron and Rob Letterman sharing directing duties. Bill Damaschke, Janet Healy and Allison Lyon Segan produced the project, which carried a reported $75 million price tag.
The investment paid off at the box office. The movie finished with approximately $374 million worldwide, including around $160.9 million from North American theaters. The numbers put the film firmly in the successful column financially, rather than among DreamWorks’ theatrical misfires.
The box office may have been kind to Shark Tale, but critics certainly were not. The animated comedy currently holds a 6.0/10 rating on IMDb, while Rotten Tomatoes gives it just 35% from critics and 47% from audiences.
Much of the criticism centers on the movie’s reliance on celebrity voices, pop-culture gags, and jokes that feel overly familiar. Still, the film has its defenders. Some fans have continued to enjoy its bright underwater world, recognizable cast and deliberately silly humor. So while Shark Tale took plenty of hits from reviewers, audiences still helped make it a commercial winner.
