Swimming with the fishes in an underwater underworld, lurk predator sharks, led by mob boss Don Lino (Robert De Niro). The Don wants his mild-mannered, kelp eating (vegetarian) son Lenny (Jack Black) to take a leadership role in the organization one day. That will not happen if Lenny remains a wimp in the eyes of his father. The fish are in constant fear of the sharks, until Oscar (Will Smith) becomes a hero when he falsely accepts credit for killing one of the Don’s sons.

Oscar works in a whale wash that features the old "Car Wash" movie sound and he wishes his nobody, minimum wage status will one day be behind him so he can be a somebody, with a top of the heap, penthouse view. Angie (Renee Zellweger) adores him for who he is but Oscar is attracted to the hussy-fish Lola (Angelina Jolie). No, that’s not a scientific classification, but when you see her you’ll know what we mean. With Oscar’s new hero status, he’s god’s gift to everybody and the answer to everything, until he learns some important lessons of life from Lenny.

Katie Current (NBC’s Katie Couric) plays "herself" as a reporter, in a self-mocking, humorous way. Martin Scorsese as Sykes, a wheeler-dealer blowfish, is so in character that some may think he has died and been reincarnated as a talking fish. ("Colombo") The voice of Peter Falk, as Don Brizzi, almost makes you want to look for the remote to turn on the TV. Jellyfish, tough guy assistants for Don Lino put the hip into their hop style with wonderful performances by Doug E. Doug and Ziggy Marley. Will Smith hits the personality of his character right on and of course, De Niro recaptures his mob humor from "Analyze This."

"Shark Tale" is cute and corny and we just loved it. Like the best children’s films, this one delivers on two levels, one for kids and another for adults. There are strong moral messages without being preachy for the children. The adults will get the connection to "The Godfather" and "The Sopranos." A real surprise is that the soundtrack in the film is really kickin’. There are some licks from the 70s and 80s that are reprised and so great that they don’t come across as covers. It’s got a hip-hop sound that’s so fresh that you’ll want to stay until the very last credit has rolled. For adults who are looking for a CD that the kids can play that won’t drive them crazy, it’s a family affair. "Shark Tale" is destined to become a must for the DVD library.