Review of Help! I`m A Fish

Introduction

As I`ve said in some of my other DVD reviews, I`m a big fan of animation. Being an artist by trade and having a husband who`s a graphic designer we both have a deep interest in this film medium. I love Disney and all the new upstarts like Dreamworks, Fox and especially Warner Brothers latest offerings. But here we have a strange Euro collaboration from a Danish studio that despite its limp in, limp out box office appearance, it ain`t half bad.

Video

The picture is bright but a little grainy. It doesn`t have that polished "direct digital transfer" Disney quality but it is in anamorphic (1.85:1) widescreen.
Quite a large amount of the movie is also enhanced with CGI animation, which fails to blend as seamlessly as say, The Iron Giant or Osmosis Jones.

Audio

Pop in this disc and you get some great animated menus and swirling 2.0 surround effects. For the main feature you get the option of either DD 5.1 or DD 2.0 surround. Both give a good sense of depth but obviously the 5.1 shines through with fabulous use of all the surrounds. The .1 bass really packs a punch too, which may be a bit too much for some younger viewers when the sharks appear.

Features

This is a good R2 disc for extras. Again the great animated menus show these off with gusto but the tone of the whole disc is a bit deadpan and serious for such a fun movie. You get some of the usual Disneyesque multi-angle "this is how we did this" sections. Here you can watch the full animation process from start to finished scene.
You also get some interviews with voice cast and crew, which again are a bit dull and serious for the younger audience.
There`s an interesting making of documentary, director`s statement,
cast and crew filmographies with only the great Alan Rickman and Terry Jones to note amongst this euro mix of talent.
What will get the repeat play treatment is the catchy "Little Trees" music video of the title song and the two trailers, either US or UK versions.

Conclusion

All in all a great, fun movie that lacks the real gleaming polish of the Disney feature. The story is a great concept but it needs the house of the mouse`s touch in many departments, especially the comedy, where there`s plenty of slapstick for the kids but little to keep the adults entertained. This is strange because their is a Monty Python member in there.