Help! I'm a Fish
Encyclopedia
Help! I'm a Fish (a.k.a. A Fish Tale) is a 2001 Danish animated film directed by Stefan Fjeldmark and Michael Hegner.
Unlike some European animation, this film was recorded and animated in the English language
to increase international distribution
. It features the voices of Alan Rickman
(Joe the Fish), Terry Jones
(the Professor), and Teryl Rothery
(the Mother).
Danish teen-pop girl-group, Little Trees
performed the title track, "Help! I'm a Fish (Little Yellow Fish)", which was released as a single in the UK. Fellow Danish girl group, Creamy
also recorded a version of the song. The Belgian girl group K3
also recorded a Dutch
version of the song for the movie.
prodigy named Chuck. When their babysitter, Aunt Anna, falls asleep, the three children sneak off to go fishing only to stumble across the boathouse
home of Professor MacKrill, an eccentric marine biologist
. Reasoning that climate change
will melt the polar icecaps within the next century, MacKrill has developed a potion that turns people into fish so they can survive the rising sea level; and also an antidote to reverse the process. Unbeknownst to all, Stella drinks the potion, is transformed into a starfish and gets tossed out of the window into the sea. Since Stella's transformation was caught on camera, the tragedy is immediately discovered, so Fly, Chuck and Professor MacKrill head out onto the ocean in a desperate search. When a storm blows in, Fly recognizes the futility of their search, drinks the potion and jumps overboard, becoming a "Californian Flyfish
". The boat capsizes and because Chuck cannot swim, he's forced to drink the potion to survive, becoming a jellyfish
. The Professor, the boat and all of its contents sinks beneath the waves.
A great white shark
and a pilot fish
come across the leaking bottle of antidote and gain the human characteristics of speech by inhaling the liquid. Using his newfound gifts, the pilot fish, who now calls himself Joe, sets about creating an underwater civilization of intelligent fish. They take residence in a sunken oil tanker
and begin to transform it into a monument.
Fly, Chuck and Stella are reunited, along with a seahorse
named Sasha, but are horrified to discover that the antidote has been lost. If they don't find it before tomorrow's sunset, they will stay fish forever. Some traveling fish tell them about Joe and his "magical potion". Thinking it must be the antidote they are looking for, the children travel to Joe's oil tanker empire.
At the tanker, Fly attempts to steal and drink the bottle of antidote, but is warned by Chuck that if they turn back into humans this far beneath the ocean, they'll die. Intrigued by this, Joe has the children arrested and demands they manufacture more of the antidote or he'll have them eaten by the Shark.
Meanwhile, Fly and Stella's parents, Lisa and Bill, arrive home to find Aunt Anna frantic with worry. They find that Fly's fishing equipment is gone, so they head to the beach to search. There they meet Professor MacKrill who, having survived the storm, explains that their children have been turned into fish. He and Bill head out to search for the children in a cobbled-together ship fitted with a large water pump.
The next morning, the children manage to escape with the help of Sasha. With no chance of going back to retrieve the bottle of antidote, they decide that their best hope is to find the ingredients to recreate the antidote themselves. Just as they complete the formula, they are discovered by Joe, the Shark and their army of crabs. During the standoff, Joe and the Shark get into a heated argument. Taking this opportunity to escape, the children are stopped by the leader of the crabs who seriously injures Fly and drinks the antidote himself. Just as the new "King Crab" and his army is about to capture the children yet again, a tremendous underwater twister, generated by the Professor's water pump ship, sucks all the villains to the surface. During this scene, the Shark angrily eats the King Crab but then gets his head sucked into the water pump.
Now alone, Fly injured, and with only twelve minutes until sundown, Chuck realizes their last hope is to make it back to the Professor's lab where a whole jug of antidote is stored. Showing unexpected courage and determination, Chuck carries both Fly and Stella through the dangerous seawater intake pipes back to the lab. However, they are pursued by Joe who overpowers them and steals the antidote. While Chuck fights off the Professor's escaped piranha
s, Fly manages to catch up to the fleeing Joe and tricks him into drinking enough antidote to become mostly human. Since Joe can no longer breathe underwater, he drowns.
Fly drags the jug of antidote back to the lab and collapses. Chuck uncorks the jug just as Lisa and Aunt Anna open the door to the laboratory, causing everyone to get swept away. As the water drains away, Chuck and Stella have become human once more and are reunited with their parents. After a few tense moments in which a stuffed fish is mistaken for the limp body of Fly, the human Fly emerges from one of the lab's pipes. Later on, while playing by the beach, Stella is reunited with Sasha, who is turned into an actual horse by the Professor.
Unlike some European animation, this film was recorded and animated in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
to increase international distribution
Film distributor
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...
. It features the voices of Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman is an English actor and theatre director. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
(Joe the Fish), Terry Jones
Terry Jones
Terence Graham Parry Jones is a Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor, film director, children's author, popular historian, political commentator, and TV documentary host. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy team....
(the Professor), and Teryl Rothery
Teryl Rothery
Teryl Rothery is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as Dr. Janet Fraiser on Stargate SG-1.-Life and career:Rothery was born in Vancouver, British Columbia...
(the Mother).
Danish teen-pop girl-group, Little Trees
Little Trees (band)
Little Trees were a Danish teen pop girl group from Copenhagen. They are best known for their contribution to the 2001 animated film, Help! I'm a Fish soundtrack, for which they performed the title track, "Help! I'm a Fish "....
performed the title track, "Help! I'm a Fish (Little Yellow Fish)", which was released as a single in the UK. Fellow Danish girl group, Creamy
Creamy
Creamy was a Danish teen-pop duo, composed of Rebekka Mathew and Rannva Joensen.Their 1999 debut album, Creamy, made when the pair were just thirteen years of age, was composed of euro-pop versions of children’s songs. In 2001, they released a seasonal album, Christmas Snow...
also recorded a version of the song. The Belgian girl group K3
K3 (band)
K3 is a Flemish/Dutch girl band with a Dutch repertoire, mainly aimed at pre-adolescent children. The name of the group is derived from the names of the three original members: Karen Damen, Kristel Verbeke and Kathleen Aerts. Their music is produced by production company Studio 100 and is written...
also recorded a Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
version of the song for the movie.
Plot
The movie follows the adventures of three children– a skateboarding mischief-maker named Fly; his sweet younger sister, Stella; and their cousin, a cautious, overweight geneticsGenetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
prodigy named Chuck. When their babysitter, Aunt Anna, falls asleep, the three children sneak off to go fishing only to stumble across the boathouse
Boathouse
A boathouse is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats stored are rowing boats...
home of Professor MacKrill, an eccentric marine biologist
Marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...
. Reasoning that climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
will melt the polar icecaps within the next century, MacKrill has developed a potion that turns people into fish so they can survive the rising sea level; and also an antidote to reverse the process. Unbeknownst to all, Stella drinks the potion, is transformed into a starfish and gets tossed out of the window into the sea. Since Stella's transformation was caught on camera, the tragedy is immediately discovered, so Fly, Chuck and Professor MacKrill head out onto the ocean in a desperate search. When a storm blows in, Fly recognizes the futility of their search, drinks the potion and jumps overboard, becoming a "Californian Flyfish
California flyingfish
The California flying fish is a flying fish up to 18 inches in length, and up to 2 lbs in weight...
". The boat capsizes and because Chuck cannot swim, he's forced to drink the potion to survive, becoming a jellyfish
Jellyfish
Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. Medusa is another word for jellyfish, and refers to any free-swimming jellyfish stages in the phylum Cnidaria...
. The Professor, the boat and all of its contents sinks beneath the waves.
A great white shark
Great white shark
The great white shark, scientific name Carcharodon carcharias, also known as the great white, white pointer, white shark, or white death, is a large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. It is known for its size, with the largest individuals known to have approached...
and a pilot fish
Pilot fish
The pilot fish is a carnivorous commensal fish in the family Carangidae. It is widely distributed and lives in warm or tropical open seas.- Description :...
come across the leaking bottle of antidote and gain the human characteristics of speech by inhaling the liquid. Using his newfound gifts, the pilot fish, who now calls himself Joe, sets about creating an underwater civilization of intelligent fish. They take residence in a sunken oil tanker
Oil tanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...
and begin to transform it into a monument.
Fly, Chuck and Stella are reunited, along with a seahorse
Seahorse
Seahorses compose the fish genus Hippocampus within the family Syngnathidae, in order Syngnathiformes. Syngnathidae also includes the pipefishes. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek hippos meaning "horse" and kampos meaning “sea monster”.There are nearly 50 species of seahorse...
named Sasha, but are horrified to discover that the antidote has been lost. If they don't find it before tomorrow's sunset, they will stay fish forever. Some traveling fish tell them about Joe and his "magical potion". Thinking it must be the antidote they are looking for, the children travel to Joe's oil tanker empire.
At the tanker, Fly attempts to steal and drink the bottle of antidote, but is warned by Chuck that if they turn back into humans this far beneath the ocean, they'll die. Intrigued by this, Joe has the children arrested and demands they manufacture more of the antidote or he'll have them eaten by the Shark.
Meanwhile, Fly and Stella's parents, Lisa and Bill, arrive home to find Aunt Anna frantic with worry. They find that Fly's fishing equipment is gone, so they head to the beach to search. There they meet Professor MacKrill who, having survived the storm, explains that their children have been turned into fish. He and Bill head out to search for the children in a cobbled-together ship fitted with a large water pump.
The next morning, the children manage to escape with the help of Sasha. With no chance of going back to retrieve the bottle of antidote, they decide that their best hope is to find the ingredients to recreate the antidote themselves. Just as they complete the formula, they are discovered by Joe, the Shark and their army of crabs. During the standoff, Joe and the Shark get into a heated argument. Taking this opportunity to escape, the children are stopped by the leader of the crabs who seriously injures Fly and drinks the antidote himself. Just as the new "King Crab" and his army is about to capture the children yet again, a tremendous underwater twister, generated by the Professor's water pump ship, sucks all the villains to the surface. During this scene, the Shark angrily eats the King Crab but then gets his head sucked into the water pump.
Now alone, Fly injured, and with only twelve minutes until sundown, Chuck realizes their last hope is to make it back to the Professor's lab where a whole jug of antidote is stored. Showing unexpected courage and determination, Chuck carries both Fly and Stella through the dangerous seawater intake pipes back to the lab. However, they are pursued by Joe who overpowers them and steals the antidote. While Chuck fights off the Professor's escaped piranha
Piranha
A piranha or piraña is a member of family Characidae in order Characiformes, an omnivorous freshwater fish that inhabits South American rivers. In Venezuela, they are called caribes...
s, Fly manages to catch up to the fleeing Joe and tricks him into drinking enough antidote to become mostly human. Since Joe can no longer breathe underwater, he drowns.
Fly drags the jug of antidote back to the lab and collapses. Chuck uncorks the jug just as Lisa and Aunt Anna open the door to the laboratory, causing everyone to get swept away. As the water drains away, Chuck and Stella have become human once more and are reunited with their parents. After a few tense moments in which a stuffed fish is mistaken for the limp body of Fly, the human Fly emerges from one of the lab's pipes. Later on, while playing by the beach, Stella is reunited with Sasha, who is turned into an actual horse by the Professor.
Cast
| Character | Original English | Danish Adaptation | Japanese Adaptation | German Adaptation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fly | Jeff Pace | Sebastian Jessen as Svip | Mayumi Tanaka Mayumi Tanaka is a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo currently affiliated with Aoni Production.She is best known for the roles of Ryuunosuke Fujinami in Urusei Yatsura, Pazu in Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Monkey D. Luffy in One Piece, Krillin, Yajirobe and Uranai Baba in Dragon Ball... as Toby |
Roman Wolko |
| Stella | Michelle Westerson | Pil Neja | Tamao Satō Tamao Sato is a Japanese actress, voice actress, television personality and model from Funabashi, Chiba, perhaps best known for her role as Momo Maruo in the 1995 Super Sentai series Chōriki Sentai Ohranger, as well as co-hosting O-Sama Brunch, a Tokyo Broadcasting System Saturday morning show.-Voice roles:*... |
Chiara Reuße |
| Chuck | Aaron Paul Aaron Paul Aaron Michael Paul is an American actor. After appearing in several roles in American television, including a recurring role on the HBO series Big Love, Paul came to prominence in the late 2000s for his critically acclaimed portrayal of Jesse Pinkman in the AMC series Breaking Bad, for which he... |
Morten Kernn Nielsen as Plum | Megumi Hayashibara Megumi Hayashibara is a Japanese voice actress, singer, radio personality, and lyricist from Tokyo. She is currently affiliated with Aksent. Her nicknames include: Megu-san, Megu-nee, Bara-san, Kakka, and Daijin... as Jelly |
Clemens Ostermann Clemens Ostermann Clemens Victor Ostermann was a German voice actor and musician from Munich. Ostermann was the son of musicians, having been exposed to music since his early childhood. As a musician, Ostermann was a cellist, bassist, singer, and trumpeter in the classical/hip-hop band Einshoch6... |
| Professor MacKrill | Terry Jones Terry Jones Terence Graham Parry Jones is a Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor, film director, children's author, popular historian, political commentator, and TV documentary host. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy team.... |
Søren Sætter-Lassen | Kōichi Yamadera Koichi Yamadera is a Japanese voice actor, actor, tarento, narrator, master of ceremonies and impressionist from Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture. He graduated from Tohoku Gakuin University's economics school, and is currently affiliated with Across Entertainment. Before that, he was affiliated with the Tokyo Actor's... |
Dieter Landuris |
| Joe | Alan Rickman Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman is an English actor and theatre director. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company... |
Nis Bank-Mikkelsen | Haruhiko Jō Haruhiko Jo is a Japanese actor, theatre director and voice actor currently affiliated with Engekikurabu Za.-Animation:*Crest of the Stars *Case Closed: The Last Wizard of the Century *Sol Bianca: The Legacy... |
Thomas Fritsch Thomas Fritsch Thomas Fritsch is a German television actor. He starred voicing Scar in the German dub of The Lion King.He is the son of actor Willy Fritsch.-Actor:* Das gibt's nur zweimal... |
| Shark | David Bateson David Bateson David Bateson is a South African Canadian actor known best for providing the voice of Agent 47, the protagonist of IO Interactive's computer and video game series Hitman.... |
Dick Kaysø Dick Kaysø -Filmography:*Mafiaen, det er osse mig *Piger i trøjen *Strømer *Julefrokosten *Affæren i Mølleby *Normannerne *Gangsterens lærling *Olsen-banden deruda *Skytten... |
Daisuke Gōri Daisuke Gori was a Japanese voice actor, narrator and actor from Kōtō, Tokyo. Throughout his life, he was attached to TV Talent Center Tokyo, Yoshizawa Theatre School and then Mausu Promotion; he was attached to Aoni Production at the time of his death. His real name, as well as his former stage name, was... |
Rainer Basedow |
| Sasha | Louise Fribo Louise Fribo Louise Fribo is a Danish singer, actress and dancer.Fribo, who studied the violin from age 4 and was trained as a classical dancer from age 7, made her motion picture debut as Lisa in the 1986 Danish feature film Barndommens gade based on a novel by Tove Ditlevsen and directed by Palme d'Or... |
|||
| Crab | David Bateson | Ulf Pilgaard Ulf Pilgaard Ulf Pilgaard is a Danish actor. The son of a priest he studied theology but shifted to become an actor. Married with Gitte Pilgaard.He has been an important part of Cirkusrevyen in 28 years. He has appeared on several films e.g... |
Takao Ishii | Rainer Basedow |
| Bill (The Father) | John Payne John Payne (voice actor) John Payne is an English-born Canadian voice actor who works for Ocean Studios in Vancouver, Canada. He has played several roles in anime, most notably Ramba Ral in Mobile Suit Gundam and Rasetsu in InuYasha.... |
Peter Gantzler Peter Gantzler Peter Gantzler is a Danish actor. He is perhaps best known for his parts in Taxa and Italian for Beginners.-Biography:... |
Hiroshi Ōtaki | |
| Lisa (The Mother) | Teryl Rothery Teryl Rothery Teryl Rothery is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as Dr. Janet Fraiser on Stargate SG-1.-Life and career:Rothery was born in Vancouver, British Columbia... |
Paprika Steen Paprika Steen Paprika Steen is a Danish actress and film director best known for her performances in the films Festen, The Idiots and Open Hearts... |
Atsuko Kohata | |
| Aunt Anna | Pauline Newstone Pauline Newstone Pauline Newstone is a voice actress.- Voice credits :*Beast Wars - Airazor *Dragon Ball Z - Frieza *Class of the Titans - Medusa*Hamtaro - Kaitlin Endo*Inuyasha - Mistress Centipede... |
Ghita Nørby Ghita Nørby Ghita Nørby is a popular Danish actress with 117 film credits to her name from 1956-2005, making her one of the most active Danish actresses ever. She was born in Copenhagen, Denmark to opera singer Einar Nørby... |
Keiko Tomoe | |
| Bus Driver | Richard Newman Richard Newman Richard Newman is a voice actor with numerous voice roles in Transformers cartoons.-Career:Newman started his career in voice acting in Beast Wars voicing Rhinox and the Vok... |
Zlatko Burić Zlatko buric Zlatko Burić is a Croat-Danish actor. He was born in Osijek, Croatia , and educated at Dramski Studio in Osijek... |
Takashi Inoue | |
| Sea Bass | Scott McNeil Scott McNeil Scott McNeil is a Canadian actor and voice actor. He currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada... |
Martin Brygmann | Kenichi Ogata |
Awards
- 2000 the movie won the Chicago International Children's Film FestivalChicago International Children's Film FestivalFounded in 1975, Facets Multi-Media, located at 1517 W. Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, 60614 Facets Multi-Media is the largest conservator dedicated to the exhibition, distribution & education of foreign, independent & classic cinema...
category Children's Jury Award.
External links
- Help! I'm a Fan A Help! I'm a Fish fansite maintained by Cynthia "Sparky" Read.