Why Doesn't Steven Spielberg Respect Our Children?*

DreamWorks Project Is An Animated Kiddie Version of "The Sopranos"

  "Why would a major American film studio, in 2003, peddle such prejudice to children?" asks John Mancini, Chairman of the Italic Institute of America, an educational non-profit. 

  The Institute refers to "Sharkslayer", a computer-animated film, scheduled to be released in 2004, that deals with life in an urbanized underwater world populated by anthropomorphic fish. The basic story centers around one unlucky creature's hapless encounter with a sinister sector of undersea society, specifically the sharks. These villains are more than just predatory beasts; they're mobsters, organized aquatic criminals, literally a maritime mafia.  According to DreamWorks promos the sharks will have names and mannerisms that unmistakably identify them as Italians.  (Many of the voice-overs will, in fact, be provided by the cast of The Sopranos.) 

  "We have attempted to contact Mr. Spielberg about this defamation-in-progress, but have received no reply," says Mr. Mancini.  "We have even asked for the intercession of Jack Valenti of the Motion Picture Association, and help from Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith.  Whether they consider Italian American children worth their efforts, remains to be seen."

  Continues Mancini, "We can't believe a man like Steven Spielberg would give his blessing to such an enterprise.  What disturbs us, though, is that 'Sharkslayer' displays the same anti-Italic bias evident in many previous Spielberg productions.   In his World War II epic 'Saving Private Ryan,' his main character dismissed our out-of-proportion sacrifice in the defeat of the Nazi Holocaust machine by describing our dead heroes as "guineas."  Our sacrifices in the Pacific war against Japan are to be summarized by a future film project called 'Tokyo Underworld,' the story of an Italian American soldier-huckster who starts up a criminal enterprise in that city.   But it is Spielberg's total disregard for our children that crosses the line.   His 1986 children's film, 'The Goonies,' used a distinctly Italian American family as would-be murderers.   And now, 'Sharkslayer', carries the unrelenting Italian American mafia theme into the cinematic world of children, including our own."

  Institute President Don Fiore states further, "We need someone to explain why, in these socially enlightened times, it's still apparently permissible to openly and freely stigmatize one particular ethnic group before an audience of children and adolescents in a way that Spielberg, Katzenberg, or anyone else in their right mind wouldn't dare do to any other group."  He continues, "Since it can be safely assumed that Sharkslayer will be viewed by millions of kids of Italian extraction, perhaps   Spielberg or Katzenberg can tell us their process of determining which ethnic children should be accorded positive role-models and which should not."

  Says Bill Dal Cerro, of the Institute's Media Office and author of its landmark Feature Film Study,  " 'Sharkslayer' is a throwback to such animated features as the now-banned 'Song of the South' and other insensitive cartoons of the past, which made harmful stereotypes seem cute and cuddly."

  In Dal Cerro's view, "A project like 'Sharkslayer' is completely regressive, to say the least.  It goes against the grain of modern animated cartoons, where the trend has been to promote positive images such as Mulan, the Chinese princess, Pocahontas, the noble Native American and Fievel, the heroic Jewish mouse."

  Institute Chairman Mancini concludes,  "For a talented man like Steven Spielberg who fully understands the power of film on the human mind, and particularly on the juvenile mind, to perpetuate blatant ethnic demonizing is disturbing."


* The above text is drawn from the Italic Institute of America's initial news release on October 13, 2003.  Since that time, DreamWorks has changed the name of the film to "Shark Tale," a decision purportedly due to fears that the original title conjured excessively 'violent' images (!). 

Additionally, Steven Spielberg fans have contacted us to point out that their idol is not directly involved in the production of this film, and that the blame should not be laid at his doorstep. Our position is that Spielberg is undeniably the "face" of DreamWorks, the man with the name recogniztion and certainly with the power.  If Spielberg said "no" (as he should have), "Shark Tale" would not be in production.

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