WASHINGTON – An Italian-American group is calling for Steven Spielberg’s Dream Works SKG studio to re-edit its new animated movie “Shark Tale” because of what it calls offensive ethnic stereotypes.
“In other recent movies for kids, the bad guys are identified by personality traits alone,” says Lawrence Auriana, president of the Columbus Citizens Foundation. “They are greedy. They are power-hungry. They are arrogant. They are violent. In ‘Shark Tale,’ bad guys are also identified by their ethnicity. They have Italian and Italian-American names, such as Lino and Luca, Giuseppe and Gino, and by their use of Italian-American phrases of speech and slang, such as ‘capeesh,’ ‘consigliere’ and ‘agita.’ They praise violence as a virtue, they kidnap, they extort and they intimidate. They are creatures of vengeful rage. They are menacing.”
Auriana said he caught the new film at the Toronto Film Festival over the weekend and was appalled by what he saw.
“The movie introduces young minds to the idea that people with Italian names – like millions of Americans across the country – are gangsters,” he said. “‘Shark Tale’ creates in its audiences an association between gangsters and Italian-Americans that will become imprinted in the developing minds of children.”
The Columbus Citizens Foundation is a non-profit organization that celebrates Italian-American culture and heritage. The Foundation supports cultural and educational programs, including grants and scholarships for elementary school, high school and college students. It is also best known for producing New York City’s Columbus Day Parade, which was first held in 1929. In 2002, the foundation declined to allow cast members of “The Sopranos” to participate in the parade.
“DreamWorks is looking to profit off the mafia genre while inappropriately targeting children,” charges Auriana. “‘Shark Tale’ in large part is a parody of mafia films that are created for adult audiences. DreamWorks reinforces the connection to the mafia by using the voices of actors who have repeatedly portrayed mob characters in or directed films about gangsters, including Robert DeNiro, Martin Scorsese and cast members from ‘The Sopranos.'”
The Columbus Citizens Foundation is a member of the National Coalition Against Racial, Religious and Ethnic Stereotyping, which since January 2004 has asked DreamWorks SKG to remove Italian-American names, mannerisms and speech from the film. The membership of coalition includes the Order of the Sons of Italy in America, the National Italian American Foundation, UNICO National and the Italic Institute of America.
“Negative stereotyping along lines of race, religion and ethnicity is unacceptable in America today, as are bias, prejudice and discrimination,” said Auriana.
In a press conference today he will call for Spielberg and DreamWorks to do the following in response to his complaints:
- Remove Italian names from characters
- Eliminate Italian and Italian-American phrases and slang
- Remove physical gestures and customs found in Italian and Italian-American culture
- Remove from bookstores Dreamworks’ “Shark Tale” titles
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