Critical Time

In her short review of Shark Tale, the LA Weekly's Ella Taylor calls the film a "blatant effort to cash in on the fruits of the delightful Finding Nemo." Taylor's been at this game a long time, so I'm surprised she seems to think someone at DreamWorks noticed the grosses last summer for Finding Nemo and decided to "cash in." It takes years to plan and produce an animated feature--Shark Tale was well on its way long before anyone had any idea how well Finding Nemo would do. Pajama Guy asks: Then why do we so often see so many movies coming out at about the same time that are so similar?

LAGuy responds: I'm not sure this is the case. Generally, the studios avoid two similar films being released at the same time. It is true that sometimes certain ideas are in the air--volcanoes, first daughters, body-switching, Robin Hood, Alexander the Great, etc.--and there can be several similar films planned simultaneously. In these cases, often certain projects fall by the wayside because they come in second, and at other times the studios make sure one film gets fully played out before the next one gets released. Moreover, those who pitch ideas too similar to films already in development generally get the thumbs down.

This is not to deny there are trends. When you have a hit film like Animal House or Star Wars or Clueless or The Matrix, you get copies. And since at any given time there are thousands of ideas being pitched, if the studio wants to change direction, it has a lot to choose from right away. But all this is irrelevant. Ella Taylor claims Shark Tale is cashing in on a huge hit, Finding Nemo. This is ridiculous. Finding Nemo was released in May 2003. You can't "cash in" on a hit until you know it's a hit, and I can guarantee you that by May 2002 Shark Tale had a script, voice work, and plenty of animators aboard.