A Fish Tale (2000/2006)

OKAY, A LITTLE BACKSTORY to set up this review…

1. My wife showed a Hello Kitty tribute video to my boys, featuring the song “Little Kitty” by Danish pop duo Creamy.
2. Dash really liked the song, so I tried to find the mp3. Turns out it’s from Creamy’s very rare album, which I found a link to on this blog.
3. The album also features “Help! I’m a Fish” – which was the theme to an animated kids’ film of the same name, released in Europe in 2000.
4. The movie was released in the U.S. in 2006 as A Fish Tale – and I found it on Half.com for $5.

Plot:
• Three children – adventurous Fly (Jeff Pace), his baby sister Stella (Michelle Westerson), and their brainiac cousin Chuck (Aaron Paul) – accidentally get turned into fish after drinking a potion made by an eccentric scientist (Monty Python’s Terry Jones).
• The kids end up in the sea, with one problem: They must find and drink the antidote within 48 hours, or remain as fish forever.
• However, the antidote has fallen into the hands (fins?) of a villainous bottom-feeder (Alan Rickman), who has big plans for the antidote, since it can turn fish into humans. Will the kids get the antidote in time?

Critique:
• The first thing that caught my eye in A Fish Tale was the animation. It’s largely 2-D, with fluid motion that often reminded me of classic Disney films (seriously).
• The movie is only 77 minutes long – a short yet near-perfect length to keep the attention of young viewers.
• A Fish Tale does have its flaws. It jumps between scenes a bit abruptly at times, and while the 2-D animation is impressive, the film’s attempts at CGI animation for larger creatures and objects are lackluster, underdeveloped, and feel out of place.
• Don’t let the atrocious box art fool you; A Fish Tale was surprisingly entertaining. It’s a fun adventure and a nice detour from the animated movies that typically blanket the U.S. market.

Rating: 3 stars
(out of 5)

What did Dash think?

A Fish Tale isn’t huge on laughs, but it had Dash chuckling several times. He definitely enjoyed the movie.

Will your kids like it?

• While it’s no Finding Nemo or The Little Mermaid, your young kids should enjoy A Fish Tale (it’s a helluva lot better than Shark Tale, that’s for sure).
• There are a few scenes that may be too intense for preschoolers, including a school of menacing piranhas, a shark who munches on other fish characters, and a fish who “drowns” after turning human from drinking too much of the antidote.

Will your FilmMother like it?

While it’s far from a classic, A Fish Tale is a highly watchable movie. She should find it fun to watch with the kids, provided she doesn’t judge it too harshly against the other sea movies I mentioned above.

Trailer (as Help! I’m a Fish):

A Fish Tale

• Directors: Stefan Fjeldmark, Michael Hegner, Greg Manwaring
• Screenwriters: Tracy J. Brown, Stefan Fjeldmark, Karsten Kiilerich, John Stefan Olsen
• Stars: Alan Rickman, Terry Jones, David Bateson, Jeff Pace, Aaron Paul, Michelle Westerson
• MPAA Rating: G


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