It was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 77th Academy Awards. Advocacy groups criticized the film for its use of Italian-American stereotypes. The film received mixed reviews from film critics. It made $374.6 million worldwide against its $75 million budget, finishing its theatrical run as the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2004. Shark Tale premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 10, 2004, and was theatrically released in the United States on October 1. Oscar teams up with the mobster's younger son Lenny (Black) to keep up the facade. It tells the story of an underachieving fish named Oscar (Smith) who falsely claims to have killed the son of a shark mob boss in an attempt to advance his community standing. The film features an ensemble cast that includes the voices of Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renée Zellweger, Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, and Martin Scorsese. The film was directed by Vicky Jenson, Bibo Bergeron, and Rob Letterman (in his feature directorial debut), from a screenplay written by Letterman and Michael J. Shark Tale is a 2004 American animated comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by DreamWorks Pictures.
