Aside from Mel Blanc, there used to be no star voices in animated films. Big celebrities, such as Mel Gibson, Demi Moore or Kevin Kline, had parts in some big Disney films, yet their names were never pushed to sell the film.

Nowadays, we have these juggernaut films, toplined by A-list celebrities who get paid millions of dollars for talking into a microphone for about a week. Such is the case for “Shark Tale,” Dreamworks’ second computer-animated film this year, after the summer blockbuster “Shrek 2.”

With cast members like Will Smith, Angelina Jolie and Robert De Niro, the film is packed with great voice performances from a pretty funny script, matched with some beautiful computer animation. But the good production value steers the film toward an excessive amount of pop culture references and inside jokes that may give the parents a better laugh than their children.

Oscar, voiced by Will Smith, is a small fish on the lowest rung of the food chain. He is stuck working at a whale wash station while he dreams of making fame and fortune. Fortunately for him, a fatal accident with a shark leads to the misconception that Oscar is a shark slayer. He teams up with the vegetarian shark Lenny, voiced by Jack Black, to keep up the charade. Before they know it, the unlikely duo is in over their heads, dealing with the “shark mafia” and confronting the truth.

The basic plot is a simple and funny premise; it’s been used hundreds of times before but can always be entertaining for the whole family. And, if you look at the film in broad terms, it is a success in that aspect.There’s also a number of ads parodied for different products, such as Coral-Cola and The Gup. Funny at first, the high repetition of these kind of references gets annoying since the audience is not paying to see commercials.

Then there are references to films like “The Godfather,” “Jerry Maguire” and “A Few Good Men” — films that will challenge the memory of 10-year-olds. Children might laugh at them, but it will be the older audience who really finds a handful of big laughs.

The other big challenge this film had to overcome was distancing itself from that other underwater animated film, 2003’s “Finding Nemo.” In that film, the world was a vivid, colorful recreation of the actual underwater world. The world of “Shark Tale” is an aquatic recreation of New York City, complete with apartments, shops and its own Times Square.

If you compare these two films, “Shark Tale” is dead in the water. “Finding Nemo” was able to draw in its audience because it created funny caricatures with genuine heart. “Shark Tale” relies too much on pop culture reference and not enough substance to wow moviegoers.

However, that doesn’t make the film a dud. It is consistently funny and visually pleasing. When Oscar and Lenny stage a fight, they plow through billboards and video screens, leaving the place a fantastic wreck to behold. The climactic chase scene through the whale wash station was set up well, with crisp editing to make it look both sensible and frantic.

When the film ends and the credits roll, though, you’ll have a few laughs, but nothing the audience will remember a few days later. If all you want from “Shark Tale” is a 90-minute break from reality, you’ll be satisfied. At least you won’t have to endure 9-year-olds yelling “I am the shark slayer!” for the next six months.