Maybe it's because the Pixar folks have set the bar so high for digitally animated features. Or maybe it's because there's already been one highly entertaining digital-animated comedy this year ("Shrek 2"). Or maybe it's because an earlier digital-animated underwater adventure ("Finding Nemo") was such a huge hit.

For whatever reason, "Shark Tale" is probably the least impressive animated feature to come along in quite some time. Which is not to say that it's a terrible movie; there's a certain amount of creativity that goes into such things, which always ensures that they're watchable.

But this overly busy deep-sea comedy throws in so many gags that it almost forgets to tell a story. Which wouldn't be such a bad thing if the jokes were funnier.

Much has been made of the film's supposed ethnic insensitivity, and while there are some things here that may give you pause in that regard, the biggest concern is that the movie relies so heavily on lowbrow humor.

Despite its title, "Shark Tale" is really about a fast-talking, whale-wash employee named Oscar (voiced by Will Smith), a fish who accidentally becomes the hero of the Southside Reef.

As it turns out, Oscar was fleeing from a great white shark when he was saved by an errant anchor. But when the story gets out that he killed the shark himself, Oscar suddenly finds himself thrust into the role of Sharkslayer.

Which is ironic, considering that Oscar has a new best friend, a pacifist, vegetarian shark named Lenny (Jack Black), who is on the run from his father, Don Lino (Robert De Niro), the ruler of this part of the underwater kingdom.

As you can pretty much guess, Oscar's new reputation gets him in hot water — so to speak — with the mobster. It also puts him at odds with his best friend, Angie (RenZe Zellweger), who happens to be in love with him.

This is all very predictable and not very original, and the quartet of credited screenwriters tries to cover that up by keeping the jokes flying at a furious pace. Frankly, it smells a little desperate, as do the trying-too-hard vocal performances. Smith's wiseguy routine gets a little tiresome, as does De Niro's wiseguy-of-a-different-sort. The one really funny presence is Black.

"Shark Tale" is rated PG for scenes of animated violence (shark attacks and scenes of peril, as well as some slapstick), and some crude sight gags about and references to bodily functions. Running time: 91 minutes.

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