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{{Short description|2000 Danish animated film}}

{{Infobox Film |

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}{{More citations needed|date=July 2020}}

name = Help! I'm a Fish! (Hjælp, jeg er en fisk / A Fish Tale)|

{{Infobox film

image = HelpFish.jpg|

| name = Help! I'm a Fish

director = [[Stefan Fjeldmark]]<br>[[Michael Hegner]] |

| image = Help I'm a Fish Danish poster.jpg

producer = [[Russell Boland]]<br>[[Eberhard Junkersdorf]]<br>[[Anders Mastrup]] |

| alt =

writer = [[Stefan Fjeldmark]]<br>[[John Stefan Olsen]]<br>[[Karsten Kiilerich]] |

| caption = Danish theatrical release poster

starring = [[Alan Rickman]] as Joe<br>[[Terry Jones]] as The Professor |

| native_name = {{Infobox name module|da|Hjælp, jeg er en fisk}}

movie_music = [[Søren Hyldgaard]] |

| director = Stefan Fjeldmark<br />Michael Hegner<br />Greg Manwaring (uncredited)

distributor = |

| producer = Anders Mastrup<br />Eberhard Junkersdorf<br />Russell Boland

released = [[October 6]], [[2000]] (Denmark)<br>[[August 10]], [[2001]] (UK)<br>[[September 5]][[2006]] (North America; DVD) |

| writer = Stefan Fjeldmark<br />[[Karsten Kiilerich]]<br />John Stefan Olsen<br />Tracy J. Brown

runtime = 80 min |

| story = Stefan Fjeldmark<br />Karsten Kiilerich

language = Danish (Denmark)<br>English (International)|

| imdb_id narrator = 0168856 |

| starring = Jeff Pace<br />Michelle Westerson<br />[[Aaron Paul]]<br />[[Terry Jones]]<br />[[Alan Rickman]]<br />[[David Bateson]]

rating = G |

| music awards = |[[Søren Hyldgaard]]

| cinematography =

budget = |

| editing = Per Risager

| studio = [[A. Film A/S|A. Film APS]]<br />[[Egmont Imagination]]<br />[[Munich Animation|Munich Animation GmbH]]<br />[[Kinowelt|Kinowelt Medien AG]]<br />EIV Entertainment Filmproduktion<br />[[Terraglyph Interactive Studios|TerraGlyph Rights Limited]]<br />[[TV2 Denmark]]<br />[[Eurimages]]

| distributor = [[Nordisk Film]] <small>(Denmark)</small><br />[[Kinowelt]] <small>(Germany)</small><br>[[HanWay Films]] and PID <small>(Internationally)</small><!--Do not add the UK or US distributors here, please; see WP:FILMRELEASE.-->

| released = {{film date|2000|10|6|Denmark|2001|4|12|Germany|2001|8|24|Ireland|df=y}} <!--Do not add the UK or US release dates here, please; see WP:FILMRELEASE.-->

| runtime = 77 minutes<ref>{{cite web |title=Help! I'm A Fish |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/help-im-a-fish-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmtk0mdk |website=[[BBFC]] |access-date=16 March 2025}}</ref>

| country = Denmark<br />Germany<br />Ireland

| language = Danish<br />English

| budget = 101 million [[Danish krone|DKK]] ($18 million USD)<ref name=budget />

| gross = $5.6 million<ref name=gross />

}}

'''''Help! I'm a Fish''''' ({{langx|da|'''Hjælp, jeg er en fisk'''}}; also known as '''''A Fish Tale''''') is a 2000 animated [[science fantasy]] [[musical film]] directed by Stefan Fjeldmark, Greg Manwaring, and Michael Hegner, and written by Fjeldmark, [[Karsten Kiilerich]], John Stefan Olsen, and Tracy J. Brown. It stars the voices of [[Alan Rickman]], [[Terry Jones]], and a then-unknown [[Aaron Paul]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Iversen |first=Ebbe |date=2000-05-14 |title=Dansk succes i Cannes |url=https://www.berlingske.dk/samfund/dansk-succes-i-cannes |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=[[Berlingske]] |language=da |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The film tells the story of three kids–Fly, his little sister Stella, and cousin Chuck–who turn into fish and must return to human form before 48 hours are up; otherwise, they will be stuck as fish forever. They must also contend with a [[pilot fish]] who has taken the antidote for himself, which he has his own plans for.

It was released on 6 October 2000 in [[Denmark]],<ref name=":4" /> 10 August 2001 in the United Kingdom, and 5 September 2006 in the United States. Animation production was split between [[A. Film Production]] in Denmark, [[Munich Animation]] in Germany, and [[Terraglyph Interactive Studios]] in Dublin, Ireland.<ref>{{Cite web |title={{!}} The Irish Film & Television Network |url=http://www.iftn.ie/?act1=record&aid=70&rid=989&tpl=filmography_dets&only=1&force=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402100138/http://www.iftn.ie/?act1=record&aid=70&rid=989&tpl=filmography_dets&only=1&force=1 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |access-date= |website=[[Irish Film and Television Network]]}}</ref> The film was a commercial failure and [[box-office bomb|box-office flop]], grossing $5.6 million in Denmark against an approximate $18 million budget and receiving positive reviews from critics and audiences.

'''''Help! I'm a Fish''''' ({{lang-da|'''''Hjælp, jeg er en fisk'''''}}) (a.k.a. '''''A Fish Tale''''') is a [[Denmark|Danish]] [[animated film|animated]] [[feature film]] originally released in late [[2000]], and produced by Denmark's well-renowned [[A. Film]] studios. It was directed by [[Stefan Fjeldmark]] and [[Michael Hegner]].

==Plot==

The movie follows three children--a skateboarding mischief-maker named Fly; his sweet sister, Stella; and a young [[genetics]] scientist, Chuck--who discover an eccentric professor's secret formula that, once drunk out of, can turn anyone into a fish. The three, now stuck in the sea, must find its reverse within 48 hours, or else they forever stay that way themselves.

Fly is an impulsive 12-year-old boy living with his younger sister Stella and parents Lisa and Bill. When their parents go out for the night, Fly and Stella are babysat by their aunt Anna and her son Chuck, a cautious, overweight genetics prodigy, and Fly and Stella's cousin. When Anna falls asleep, the children sneak out to go fishing. Caught in a high tide, they stumble across the boathouse of Professor MacKrill, an eccentric but kindly [[Marine biology|marine biologist]]. Reasoning that [[climate change]] will melt the polar icecaps to produce [[Sea level rise#Long-term sea level rise|marine transgression]] within the next century, MacKrill reveals he has developed a [[potion]] to transform humans into marine animals, along with an antidote to reverse the process.

Mistaking it for [[lemonade]], Stella drinks the potion and turns into a [[starfish]], which Fly unknowingly throws out the window into the sea. Chuck discovers the mistake after finding Stella's transformation caught on camera. The trio set out to find Stella, but their boat sinks in a storm. Fly and Chuck drink the potion, becoming a [[California flying fish]] and a [[Aurelia aurita|moon jellyfish]]. Bill and Lisa return home to find Anna frantic with worry. Noticing that Fly's fishing equipment is gone, Bill, Lisa, and Anna head to the beach to search for them but find only Fly's rollerblades. The adults fear the worst until Professor MacKrill, having survived the storm, arrives and shows them the video of Stella's transformation.

An English-language version of the film, with [[Alan Rickman]] (Joe the Fish) and [[Terry Jones]] (the Professor) as voices, premiered at the beginning of April [[2005]] on the [[Latin America]]n version of the [[Cartoon Network]]. It was available earlier in the UK.

Underwater, the leaking antidote attracts a [[lemon shark]] and a [[pilot fish]]. They consume it, gaining intelligence and [[anthropomorphic]] appearances. The pilot fish names himself Joe and uses the antidote to create a civilisation of intelligent fish, intending to launch a revolution against humanity, whilst The Shark becomes his dim-witted subordinate.

Danish teen-pop girl-group, [[Little Trees (band)|Little Trees]] performed the title track, "Help! I'm a Fish (I'm A Little Yellow Fish)", which was released as a single in the UK.

Fly, Chuck, and Stella reunite, accompanied by Sasha, a [[seahorse]] whom Stella adopts. They must find the antidote within forty-eight hours, or their transformations will be permanent. The trio swims to Joe's ___domain, a sunken [[oil tanker]], where Fly tries to steal the antidote. They are caught and interrogated by Joe about their intent and origins. He demands that they manufacture more of the antidote, or the Shark will eat them. The children are imprisoned and guarded by an aggressive, militaristic [[king crab]]. Sasha frees the children, who manage to escape.

==Plot==

{{Plot|date=July 2007}}

After an interesting journey through an ocean seeing several computer generated fish, the film opens up on Fly. He has created a fishing bait for his line. As he heads out to go finish, he learns that his parents Lisa and Bill are off on a date, while his large Aunt Anna and cousin Charles (nicknamed Chuck) babysit. Aunt Anna falls asleep while reading bedtime stories to Fly's little sister Stella. Seeing this as an advantage, Fly heads for the door taking Stella and Chuck with him. Chuck is forcefully dragged out after Fly threatens to destroy a backup disk Chuck has of a programme on his laptop.

Arriving at a fishing spot on a large rock, Fly, Stella and Chuck fish up a tiny [[seahorse]] by accident. Stella immediately claims the seahorse as her pet, naming it Sasha. The boys instruct her to drop Sasha into the ocean or she'll die. Stella sadly does so. The trio realise the tide is coming and it looks like the end. They unexpectedly discover a hidden door in the clifface that leads to a small ship hiding in a cave on the other side of the island. Here, they discover a laboratory full of interesting fish (Fly taking interest in a stuff "Californian Fly Fish"). They meet the ship's owner, Professor H.O. MacKrill (voiced by [[Terry Jones]] in the English version), an eccentric marinebiologist. MacKrill shows them some of his experiments, one involving all of the world's land flooded during [[global warming]]. He is most impressed with Chuck's knowledge. MacKrill then reveals his most grandest creation: The Fish Potion.

The potion can transform a human instantly into a fish. MacKrill explains (by song) what makes up the potion: A light of an [[angler fish]], a whisker from a [[codfish]], an octopus' ink, some sea anemenies and then some fish eggs. The professor decides to test the formula on himself and instructs Fly to immortalise the moment using a video camera. The professor is almost about to drink the potion when he jumps a step and nearly forgets the antidote to the boys. It is the same as the Fish Potion except it has one extra ingredient, which is some krill. Oblivious to three, Stella walks about in curiosity and comes across the potion. Mistaking it for [[lemonade]], she drinks it and the world around goes warped. Stella falls unconscious from the experience and accidentally stops the generator. The professor panics, and turns the generator back on to save his fish from dying. Fly wonders where Stella is and as the three search for her, Fly picks up a [[starfish]]. Chuck advises him to put it in the water. Fly goes to throw it into the ocean. Chuck examines the video footage and he gasps in horror. The starfish is in fact Stella, transformed from the effects of the potion. Chuck is too slow to save Stella as Fly tosses her into the sea.

Later, the boys and the professor scour the sea for Stella in a tiny boat with the fish potion and its antidote on board. Fly decides to take the potion and become a fish to search for his sister, but MacKrill warns him that he must have the antidote in 48 hours or he will be a fish for life. Fly disappears into the ocean, and a storm upsets the boat. Chuck and MacKrill go underwater, Chuck drinking the potion.

Around this time Aunt Anna discovers the children's disappearance and she, Lisa and Bill go off in search of them.

In the ocean, the antidote has floated to the ocean floor, and its mixture is floating across the ocean. A [[great white shark]] and its [[pilot fish]] minion swim by and drink the potion, amazingly transforming into beings with human-like intelligence. The pilot fish, named Joe ([[Alan Rickman]]), is more intelligent that the shark and vows to become king of the ocean. He starts creating an army, making a [[king crab]] a dim-witted militarist styled minion.

The next day, Stella awakens in her new form and discovers she is underwater. She soon finds Sasha and they become friends. Fly (who is now a Californian Fly Fish) joins them and they have some fun as fish. Fly bumps into Chuck (after being flung away by a seahorse after trying to copy Stella and Sasha's friendship). Chuck is now a [[jellyfish]] and is on a mission to find the antidote. He reveals to Fly he can't swim and that the professor might have drowned. The three come across a trio of fish who are waiting for a bus (a large fish in reality). The fish explain they can talk thanks to Joe and his "magic potion" - the antidote. Fly manages to confuse the bus driver of the bus they get onto the let them on free of charge. The fish bus takes them through ocean into the bulk of a giant sunken ship - possibly the Titanic. They discover a giant city in the ship.

Arriving at the middle of the ship, the kids sneak into a meeting hall where they see a crowd of humanoid fish. Joe (in song) explains his plans for the ocean by making all fish intelligent and he will lead the fish in a new empire. Fly tries to steal the antidote but he and his friends are arrested. They are later spoke to by Joe who gets angry when Fly tells him there is no more formula left. The kids are imprisoned while Sasha is sent to the work camp. Sasha escapes and helps the kids defeat the Crab that is guarding them. Shark and Joe appear, but Joe is pummeled by Crab, and Shark fails to catch the kids as they escape. Later Joe puts Shark and Crab on trial and decides to execute them. He makes a random [[sea bass]] chief executioner, but it gets eaten by Shark. Joe realizes to be a great leader he must be forgiving. He makes Shark the offensive commander. Joe, Shark, Crab and an army of [[swordfish]] and crabs head out in search of the children.

The children meanwhile decide to remake the antidote, which is a hard challenge for them. Meanwhile, the parents find MacKrill's ship and find the professor reaching shore at that moment. He reveals to them the video footage of Stella's transformation, causing Anna to faint. Back underwater, the kids only have to find an octopus to collect the final ingredient. An octopus emerges from the ground and suddenly flees. The kids are saved! Suddenly Joe and his army appear. Joe fires both the Crab and Shark for their stupidity and tries to tempt Fly, . Fly and his friends flee but the crab hurts Fly and drinks the newly-made antidote, becoming the King Crab! The professor and Bill and travelling overhead in a boat made from a bath tub. They create an underwater tornado that sucks up all the villains. Inside the tornado, the three primary villains argue. Shark eats the King Crab and tells Joe he is now in charge. Shark's head gets trapped in the pump on the boat, stopping the tornado. Fly is wounded from the Crab's attack. Chuck takes control of the situation.

The children decide their only hope to become human again is to duplicate the antidote's formula, gathering ingredients from around the ocean. Just as they complete the potion, Joe and his army appear and corner them. In a stand-off, Joe drinks the last of the original antidote, transforming his fins into hands. The children try to escape, but Fly is wounded by the crab, who drinks the new antidote and declares himself King Crab. At the same time, MacKrill and Bill pass over in a makeshift boat powered by a [[Pump|water pump]]. The pump causes an underwater typhoon, sucking up the army. The Shark eats the King Crab but is incapacitated when he is sucked head-first into the pump.

Chuck plans to take Fly and Stella through the Professor's plumbing to the ship. There is an antidote inside. Stella and Sasha must say goodbye and it is hard for Stella. The three go through the plumbing using a series of items Chuck found on the seabed, with Joe following behind, getting hurt on the way. The fish flood the lab and head for the antidote. Joe steals the antidote and makes a getaway, while Chuck must battle a group of [[pirahna]]. Fly swims after Joe and tricks him into a "intelligence quiz". Everytime when Joe is having difficulty with a quiz, he takes a sip from the potion, becoming more and more human. In the end, Joe realized too late when Fly asked the final quiz "Do humans breath under water?" and drowns. Time is nearly up. The fish try to trick the potion and they are sucked up to the deck above. Stella and Chuck return to normal but Chuck finds Fly still as a fish, on the floor unconscious. Chuck starts to go mad and Aunt Anna accidentally treads on Fly! Suddenly, Fly emerges from the pump, as a human. Anna discovers the fish she treaded on was the stuffed fly fish.

Chuck remembers that MacKrill has another vial of the antidote in his laboratory. Formulating a plan, Chuck plans to carry Fly and Stella through dangerous [[Desalination|seawater intake pipes]] back to the lab. However, Stella has to leave Sasha behind as the journey could kill her. The children flood MacKrill's laboratory to reach the potion, but Joe follows, stealing it. Fly pursues Joe into the pipes, tricking him into repeatedly drinking from the potion by challenging his intellect, causing Joe to eventually mutate into a deformed humanoid and drown.

In the epilogue, the family and the Professor are spending time on the beach. Chuck is now more fun-loving and Fly (who has a cast on his leg) plays games of the laptop. Stella is united with Sasha. Chuck and MacKrill come up with an idea and create a new formula which results in Sasha literally becoming a sea-horse (part horse, part fish). The film ends with all the remaining cast watching Stella ride about on Sasha.

Fly drags the antidote back into the lab, Chuck uncorking it just as Lisa and Anna open the door to the flooded lab. Chuck and Stella become human once more, reuniting with their parents and MacKrill. After a few tense moments in which a stuffed fish is mistaken for Fly's body, the human Fly emerges from one of the lab's pipes with a broken leg. Some time afterwards, the family and MacKrill spend some time together on the beach. Sasha appears, so Chuck and MacKrill transform her into an actual horse, who Stella rides around joyfully.

==Cast==

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Character !! Danish voice actor !! English voice actor

|-

| Fly || Sebastian Jessen || Jeff Pace<br>Morgan Fane (additional dialogue)

|-

| Stella || Pil Neja || Michelle Westerson<br>Alexandra Jakobsen (additional dialogue)

|-

| Chuck || Morten Kernn Nielsen || [[Aaron Paul]]<br>[[Alessandro Juliani]] (additional dialogue)

|-

| Joe || Nis Bank-Mikkelsen || [[Alan Rickman]]

|-

| Professor H.O. MacKrill<ref>{{cite web |title=Urban Cinefile Feature |url=http://www.urbancinefile.com/home/view.asp?a=7493&s=Reviews |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050724215329/http://urbancinefile.com/home/view.asp?a=7493&s=Reviews |archive-date=24 July 2005 |website=Urban Cine File}}</ref>|| [[Søren Sætter-Lassen]] || [[Terry Jones]]

|-

| Shark || [[Dick Kaysø]] || [[David Bateson]]

|-

| Sasha || colspan="2" | [[Louise Fribo]]

|-

| General Crab || [[Ulf Pilgaard]] || [[David Bateson]]

|-

| Bill (The Father) || [[Peter Gantzler]] || [[John Payne (voice actor)|John Payne]]

|-

| Lisa (The Mother) || [[Paprika Steen]] || [[Teryl Rothery]]

|-

| Aunt Anna || [[Ghita Nørby]] || [[Pauline Newstone]]

|-

| Shrimp || [[Dick Kaysø]] || [[Ian James Corlett]]

|-

| Eel || [[Ghita Nørby]] || [[Tabitha St. Germain]]

|-

| Flounder || Martin Brygmann || [[Garry Chalk]]

|-

| Bus driver || [[Zlatko Burić]] || [[Richard Newman (actor)|Richard Newman]]

|-

| Seabass|| Michael Hegner || [[Scott McNeil]]

|}

==Production and music==

{{More citations needed|date=July 2020}}

In 1996, a pilot trailer was completed, which has resurfaced on the Internet. The environment and object designs, animation, plot, character names, voices, and designs are noticeably different from how they would eventually appear in the finished film.<ref>{{cite web |last=Silver |date=22 December 2014 |title=A fish tale pilot trailer (1996) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACMPuu7_B5E |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714215828/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACMPuu7_B5E |archive-date=14 July 2018 |access-date=1 October 2017 |work=YouTube}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=July 2020}}

Development and storyboarding of the film were completed in Denmark. Production then moved to Germany and Ireland for the final phases of animation, lighting, colour and production to maximise tax credits offered to foreign film projects in Germany and Ireland. The film's soundtrack contains numerous popular and original songs, such as "[[Help! I'm a Fish (Little Yellow Fish)]]" performed by [[Little Trees (group)|Little Trees]], "Agloubablou" performed by [[Cartoons (band)|Cartoons]], "Ocean of Emotion" performed by [[Meja]], "People Lovin Me" performed by [[Lou Bega]], "Close Your Eyes" performed by [[Patricia Kaas]], "Interlude" performed by [[Terry Jones]], "Fishtastic" performed by Terry Jones, and "Intelligence" performed by [[Alan Rickman]]. One original song, "Ocean Love/Ton Amour Ocean", which serves as the film's opening theme, is performed by either [[Anggun]] or [[Eddi Reader]] depending on the release.

The production took about four years to make, with the production work being split and moved around frequently.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Blackwell |first=Adam |title=Help I'm A Fisher!: Mark Fisher's The Weird and The Eerie and Help! I'm a Fish |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240501082552/https://revisit.blog/help-im-a-fisher-mark-fishers-the-weird-and-the-eerie-and-help-im-a-fish/ |access-date=1 May 2024 |website=Revisit.blog}}</ref>

==Release==

The film was released theatrically on 6 October 2000 by [[Nordisk Film]]<ref name=":3">{{cite web |title=Hjælp! Jeg er en fisk – Danish Film Institute |url=https://www.dfi.dk/en/viden-om-film/filmdatabasen/film/hjaelp-jeg-er-en-fisk |access-date=6 July 2020 |work=[[Danish Film Institute|DFI]]}}</ref> and was released on DVD and VHS on 6 January 2003 by Movie Star.

[[HanWay Films]] and PID (Producers International Distribution) handled international sales to the film.<ref>{{cite web |title=Help! I'm a Fish |url=https://www.hanwayfilms.com/help-im-a-fish |website=HanWay Films}}</ref><ref name=":3" />

The film had a theatrical release in the United States on 29 June 2001, and in the United Kingdom by Metrodome Distribution on 10 August 2001.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |last1=Mitchell |first1=Robert |title=Parole Officer checks in at the UK box office |url=https://www.screendaily.com/parole-officer-checks-in-at-the-uk-box-office/406579.article |website=[[Screen International|Screen Daily]] |access-date=13 February 2024}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite web |title=Egmont to adapt Help! I'm a Fish for TV |url=https://www.c21media.net/news/egmont-to-adapt-help-im-a-fish-for-tv/ |website=C21Media |access-date=13 February 2024}}</ref> In Ireland, the movie was screened on 27 June 2003 as part of the athletes' evening entertainment programme for the [[Special Olympics World Games]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 June 2003 |title='Help I'm A Fish' One of the Titles Screening for Special Olympics |url=http://www.iftn.ie/news/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=3307&tpl=archnews&force=1 |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=Irish Film & Television Network}}</ref>

In North America, the English dub of the film was released in 2006 by [[Genius Products]]<ref>{{cite web |date=5 September 2006 |title=A Fish Tale DVD |url=https://www.amazon.com/A-Fish-Tale/dp/B000GBEWKM |access-date=18 July 2021 |work=[[Amazon.com]]}}</ref> and in 2007 by [[Alliance Atlantis]].

== Reception ==

===Box office===

''Help! I'm a Fish'', according to distributor Nordisk, was a moderate success in Danish due to the school holiday week when the film's box office increased 240% from the first week to the second. In the second week, it grossed $915,945. In comparison, [[Lars von Trier]]'s [[Dancer in the Dark|''Dancer'' ''in the Dark'']] has grossed $885,020 after six weeks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Buddrus |first=Petra |date=20 October 2000 |title=Help! I'm A Fish sinks competition in Denmark |url=https://www.screendaily.com/help-im-a-fish-sinks-competition-in-denmark/403958.article |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=Screen Daily |language=en}}</ref> It became the most-watched Danish cinema film of the year, with 335,000 tickets sold during the last 13 weeks of 2000 in 3 ½ weeks alone.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2001-01-03 |title="Hjælp! Jeg er en fisk" blev årets mest sete film |url=https://www.berlingske.dk/kultur/hjaelp-jeg-er-en-fisk-blev-aarets-mest-sete-film |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=Berlingske |language=da |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The film grossed $5.6 million in Denmark against an approximate $18 million budget and became a [[box-office bomb]].<ref name="gross">{{cite web |title=Help! I'm a Fish (2003) |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=helpimafish.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017075859/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=helpimafish.htm |archive-date=2015-10-17 |access-date=2015-04-30 |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="budget">{{Cite book |last=Bendazzi |first=Giannalberto |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dZvhCgAAQBAJ&dq=jungledyret+hugo+3+budget&pg=PA130 |title=Animation: A World History: Volume III: Contemporary Times |date=6 November 2015 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |isbn=978-1-317-51988-1 |language=en |access-date=19 April 2020}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

The film was deemed to have been more successful at the box office in [[Germany]], [[France]], and [[Finland]], where audiences are even more suspicious of non-US animations.<ref name=":2" />

The UK release of the film opened to a mediocre £81,908 within 157 cinemas.<ref name=":1" />

===Critical response===

''Help! I'm a Fish'' received positive reviews.

Renee Schonfeld from ''[[Common Sense Media]]'' calls the movie an "entertaining, nicely animated story, with engaging heroes, cleverly designed musical sequences, and exciting action." She also praised voice actor Alan Rickman as a "funny, slitheringly evil performance made well […] tops a solid cast" and the animation as "old-fashioned and combines simply-drawn characters with beautiful underwater settings." She gives it a three stars out of five rating.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Schonfeld |first1=Renee |title=A Fish Tale (Help! I'm a Fish) Movie Review |url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/a-fish-tale-help-im-a-fish |website=Common Sense Media |access-date=9 February 2024}}</ref> [[Peter Bradshaw]] of ''[[The Guardian]]'' calls it a "sweet, charming and entertaining little cartoon." He also noted that Rickman's "superbly wicked character isn't on, but it's a nice little holiday film nonetheless."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bradshaw |first1=Peter |title=Help! I'm a fish |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/aug/10/culture.peterbradshaw |website=The Guardian |date=10 August 2001 |access-date=19 February 2024}}</ref> Lisa Nesselson of ''[[Variety Magazine]]'' reviewed that "classy, impressionistic animation of underwater inhabitants […] the drawing style switches to a more standard cartoon look." She also noted that they prefer the "bloated, charmless overkill of a [[How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (film)|live-action 'Grinch']] to the beautifully rendered and emotionally spot-on '[[The Iron Giant]],' 'Fish' comes as salutary entertainment for all but the very youngest viewers," and the "script is genuinely down to the wire as the trio matches wits with evil Joe. Musical numbers are adequately catchy."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nesselson |first1=Lisa |title=Help! I'm a Fish |url=https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/help-i-m-a-fish-1200468513/ |website=Variety Magazine |date=6 May 2001 |access-date=19 February 2024}}</ref> Olly Richards of ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' gave the film two stars out of five, stating that "Despite a flourish or two in the design, this really doesn't bring a lot to the table, given the current level of competition in the animated film stakes."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Richards |first1=Olly |title=Help! I'm a Fish Review |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/help-m-fish-review/ |website=Empire |date=January 2000 |access-date=18 April 2024}}</ref> [[Time Out (magazine)|''Time Out'']] calls it "lacks that extra dimension which would engage and entertain the adults in the audience as well as the kids."<ref>{{cite web |last1=JFu |title=Help! I'm a Fish |url=https://www.timeout.com/movies/help-im-a-fish |website=Time Out |access-date=19 April 2024}}</ref> ''[[Evening Standard]]'' calls it out "The animation is light years behind Disney or DreamWorks, but achieves a sort of nostalgic charm because of it […]."<ref>{{cite web |title=Help! I'm A Fish | work=London Evening Standard |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/help-i-m-a-fish-7433172.html |access-date=19 April 2024}}</ref>

==Awards and nominations==

''Help! I'm a Fish'' won a Children's Jury Award for Feature Film or Video – Animation in the 2000 [[Chicago International Children's Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite web |title=CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S FILM FESTIVAL — WINNERS LIST 2000 |url=https://facets.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/CICFF17_Awards_2000.pdf |access-date=2 August 2023 |website=[[Facets Multi-Media|FACETS]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Pedersen |first=Kim |date=8 June 2014 |title=Styrk dansk animation! |url=https://www.ekkofilm.dk/blogs/kim-pedersen/styrk-dansk-animation/ |access-date=19 February 2024 |website=Filmmagasinet Ekko |language=danish}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

|-

! scope="col"| Award

! scope="col"| Date of ceremony

! scope="col"| Category

! scope="col"| Recipient(s)

! scope="col"| Result

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[Chicago International Children's Film Festival]]

|2000

|Feature Film or Video - Animation

|''Stefan Fjeldmark and Michael Hegner''

|{{Won}}

|-

! scope="row" rowspan="7" style="text-align:center;" |[[Robert Awards]]

| rowspan="7" |[[18th Robert Awards|4 February 2001]]

|-

|[[Robert Award for Best Danish Film|Best Danish Film]]

|''Help! I'm a Fish''

|{{Nom}}

|-

|[[Robert Award for Best Director|Best Director]]

|''Stefan Fjeldmark and Michael Hegner''

|{{Nom}}

|-

|[[Robert Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]]

|''Stefan Fjeldmark and [[Karsten Kiilerich]]''

|{{Nom}}

|-

|[[Robert Award for Best Score|Best Score]]

|''[[Søren Hyldgaard]]''

|{{Nom}}

|-

|[[Robert Award for Best Sound Design|Best Sound]]

|''Stig Sparre-Ulrich and Friedrich M. Dosch''

|{{Nom}}

|-

|[[Robert Award for Best Visual Effects|Special Effects]]

|''Jesper Colding and Nicolai Tuma''

|{{Nom}}

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[Annecy International Animation Film Festival]]

| 9 June 2001

| Best Feature Film

| ''Help! I'm a Fish''

| {{nominated}}

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |[[German Film Award]]

| 14 June 2002

| Outstanding Children or Youth Film

|''Help! I'm a Fish''

|{{Nom}}

|}

==Soundtrack==

{{Infobox album

| name = Help! I'm a Fish

| type = Soundtrack

| artist = Various Artists

| cover =

| alt =

| released = 28 February 2003

| recorded = 2000

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = [[Movie soundtrack]]

| length =

| label = {{flatlist|

*Medley Records

*Trust Soundtracks

*[[EMI]]

}}

| producer = Various Artists

| chronology = [[Søren Hyldgaard]] film scores

| prev_title = Edderkoppen

| prev_year = 2000

| next_title = Pixie Panic

| next_year = 2000

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Help! I'm a Fish

| type = soundtrack

| single1 = [[Help! I'm a Fish (Little Yellow Fish)]]

| single1date = March 26, 2001

}}

}}

Danish teen-pop girl group [[Little Trees (band)|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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hansen |first=Thomas Søie |date=2000-11-08 |title=Hjælp! Creamy er tilbage |url=https://www.berlingske.dk/kultur/hjaelp-creamy-er-tilbage |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=Berlingske |language=da |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The Belgian girl group [[K3 (band)|K3]] also recorded a Dutch version of the song for the movie.

# [[Help! I'm a Fish (Little Yellow Fish)]] – [[Little Trees (band)|Little Trees]]

# Do You Believe in Magic? – Loona

# Wobble-Di-Bubble-Di-Doo – [[Cartoons (band)|Cartoons]]

# People Lovin' Me – [[Lou Bega]]

# Funky Sharks – Shaka feat. Sko

# Mother Nature – Little Trees

# Interlude (Professor) – Terry Jones

# Fishtastic – Terry Jones

# Ocean Love – Eddi Reader

# Close Your Eyes – Patricia Kaas

# Interlude (Jelly Fish) – Jeff Pace & Alessandro Juliani

# Suddenly – Solveig

# Ocean Of Emotion – Meja

# Intelligence – Alan Rickman

# Interlude (Goodbye) – Michelle Westerson

# Barracuda – Zindy featuring Pablo

==Legacy==

A television series adaption was announced by [[Egmont Group|Egmont Imagination]] in May 2001,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Teninge |first=Annick |date=25 May 2001 |title=Help! I'm a Fish TV Series In Development |url=https://www.awn.com/news/help-im-fish-tv-series-development |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=[[Animation World Network]] |language=en}}</ref> and would consist of twenty-six episodes. Further development has not been stated to take place, and the series was never made.<ref name=":2" />

The film's stars [[Aaron Paul]] and [[Alan Rickman]] would later co-star again in the 2015 film ''[[Eye in the Sky (2015 film)|Eye in the Sky]]'', released shortly after Rickman's death. Paul expressed his regret that despite working with Rickman on ''Help! I'm a Fish'' and ''Eye in the Sky'', they never got the chance to meet.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/10/aaron-paul-eye-in-the-sky-breaking-bad | work = The Guardian | title = Aaron Paul: 'It's impossible not to throw our own emotions into the mix' | date = 10 April 2016 | access-date = 1 October 2017 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171001212850/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/10/aaron-paul-eye-in-the-sky-breaking-bad | archive-date = 1 October 2017 }}</ref>

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

* {{imdbIMDb title|id=0168856|title=Hjælp, jeg er en fisk}}

{{CinemaofDenmark}}

[[Category:2000 animated films]]

[[Category:2000 children's films]]

[[Category:2000 comedy films]]

[[Category:2000 films]]

[[Category:Animated2000s children's animated films]]

[[Category:Danish2000s children's comedy films]]

[[Category:Children2000s children's fantasy films]]

[[Category:ShapeshiftingAnimated indrama fictionfilms]]

[[Category:Animated films about fish]]

[[Category:Animated films about sharks]]

[[Category:Animated films set in Denmark]]

[[Category:Animated musical films]]

[[Category:Children's drama films]]

[[Category:Danish animated films]]

[[Category:Danish independent films]]

[[Category:Danish musical films]]

[[Category:English-language Danish films]]

[[Category:English-language German films]]

[[Category:Films about shapeshifting]]

[[Category:Films scored by Søren Hyldgaard]]

[[Category:Films set in Copenhagen]]

[[Category:Films set in the Atlantic Ocean]]

[[Category:German animated comedy films]]

[[Category:HanWay Films films]]

[[Category:Sea adventure films]]