Sykes is not the only one with henchmen. Don Lino also employs some muscle: an oily octopus named Luca, who can throw a mean sucker punch. Luca is voiced by Vincent Pastore, who, Letterman says, “has got a great, distinctive voice, which lends itself well to animation.”
Another distinctive and instantly recognizable voice in “Shark Tale” belongs to veteran actor Peter Falk, who plays the elder statesman of the shark families, Don Ira Feinberg.
With shark sightings on the Reef and a new hero making a splash, it doesn’t take long for the Reef’s top anchorfish, Katie Current, to net the scoop. NBC’s “Today Show” anchor Katie Couric makes a vocal cameo in a role that was made to order for her. “We needed a news reporter who could be on the level of a Katie Couric in terms of somebody everyone would listen to and trust, and we couldn’t imagine anyone else who could even come close, so that’s how Katie Current was born,” says Damaschke.
As often happens in animation, story artists who pitch a certain character become so identified with the role to the filmmakers that they wind up playing the part in the film. Story artist Dave Smith, who invented the character of the hermit crab called Crazy Joe, ended up voicing him in “Shark Tale,” while the head of story, David Soren, is the voice of the shrimp who may make you think twice about your next shrimp cocktail.
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