What the HELL is Help! I'm A Fish?

[@Saberspark]

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[@MjfdfrHhgeshmjr]

wow cool :>

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark and Saberfart’s farts 💨

[@crimsontheotter]

​​@@p-__what the hell

[@JOJ0606]

I've wanted you to review this for almost 7 years now and it finally happened and I'm so happy 😊😭

[@TramiNguyen-oi3kp]

Awesome video!

[@Jonathan_Collins]

Honestly I think the way they defeat the villain is really good. Instead of just fighting him, Fly uses Joe's own ego against him. Joe wants to prove how smart he is and so in order to answer the questions fly asks him, he continues to drink from the potion and basically kills himself thanks to his hubris. It's also a really dark and terrifying death and I love it.

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark and Saberfart’s farts 💨

[@gimo6881]

​​"And a Human can Breathe underwater?"

[@gimo6881]

​@@p-__ Why you say that... 💀

[@kacperkonieczny7333]

​@@gimo6881Answear: bot

[@niclaswa5408]

@@gimo6881it’s a bot 🤖

[@karnagekarnival5127]

I, for one, think Fly and Chuck are GREAT characters. They don't need to explain it. If you're a nerd, you may fall into 1 of two categories. The jack of all trades that uses their intelligence for fun and when necessary, or the very serious A type who only pursues the practical utility of their intelligence. Fly thinks Chuck is a nerd who takes things too seriously, so he feels compelled to agitate him. Chuck sees Fly's other interests and his lackadaisical attitude as unfocused and immature. They're both smart. They just have different priorities. I think that's cool and better than what could have been very flat Nerd and Jock characters.

[@aquam358]

I agree with your assessment. I think the relationship between Chuck and Fly was visually presented as the dual sides of intelligence that one or the other incorporates into their daily lives. Fly is for the thrill seeking aspect of his intelligence. While Chuck invests his intellect with practical knowledge. I enjoyed their dynamic as cousins and later, friends.

[@DanteKrystal]

Based, honestly.

[@redpanda6497]

Fly is street smart/socially smart while Chuck is book smart/logical.

[@adam2802]

Fully agree. I think focusing on Chuck's intelligence as not being shown off is missing the point of his character and what he has to take away from the story, I do think he suffers from a lack of time getting developed, but that's a different argument. Fly has to learn that Chuck isn't "just a nerd" and Chuck has to learn that purely academic knowledge isn't the be all and end all of being smart, Chuck can be hands on and thoughtful and brave and Fly isn't just a carefree fisherman with no smarts, he actually cares and puts effort into it.

[@pepelarrza3877]

Is lackadaisical even a word????

[@Etx-z9.]

Joe's death is horribly unsettling. Like, the anti-climax of it makes it more horrifying. There's no fanfare to it, no big big musical sting, nothing cinematic. He just drowns. The fact that it's so understated and effortless makes it weirdly upsetting. It just hammers home how easily people can just die.

[@gimo6881]

"And a Human can Breathe underwater?"

[@thusnameddigital9397]

Bot alert. Comment stolen from Steve Reviews.

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark and Saberfart’s farts 💨

[@gimo6881]

​@@p-__💀

[@yvaincallipso84]

Honestly thought it was a clever ending when I was a kid. It was clever and had a lot of tension that climaxed well when he realizes he's gonna die

[@WillieManga]

I think the most strangely unsettling part of this movie is that it's actually just appropriate enough for kids. Unlike Felidae, Watership Down and Padak, which are overtly adult films, this film feels like an homage to a Disney or Don Bluth film without being an outright bootleg of one. While a couple characters die on screen, it's more lighthearted than the aformentioned three, and the main characters are kids. The darker stuff is more - for lack of a better word - subtle. When Joe dies, there's no blood unlike with Claudandus. He just goes silent with a face full of fear, and Fly didn't even land a blow against him physically, but instead used his lust for power against him. That is an impressively unique villain death. You actually see his corpse but it's mostly intact. I think I can see why this film got an award.

[@lynntaylor6686]

I've never seen the movie but as a fan of Don Bluth since I was a kid in the 80's, I think it's great. I thought dark kid animated movies died with Don Bluth's movies back when Titan A.E failed. Never knew about this movie before but I'm glad it exists.

[@drdewott9154]

Your Don Bluth and Disney comment actually makes a ton of sense. A.film, the company that made this. has a long history of doing outsourced animation work for American studios, and they worked on several movies in the 90's and early 2000's, including Balto, Pebble and the Penguin, The Iron Giant, Quest for Camelot, Eight Crazy nights, Ferngully, A troll in Central park, All dogs go to heaven 2, Lilo & Stitch 2, and Osmosis Jones to name just a few examples. They were a renowned studio and regular on the American scene when Help I'm a Fish was in production.

[@goteamslugs]

Yes. Similar to "Spies in Disguise" AKA 'Help! I'm A Bird'. That was good, but I liked this much more . . likely just because of the setting.

[@pun_dimen]

I loved this movie as a kid BECAUSE it was darker than Disney. Sometimes you dont want to play with the safe stuff, you want to see your protagonist bleeding

[@Dragodilian]

Honestly, props to the fly fish kid. 'Can a human breathe under water?' then watching that guy slowly drown and sink. That was stone cold 😂

[@M50A1]

We're making it out of the ocean with this one 🗣️🔥🔥

[@robotx9285]

I mean, he was still pretty shocked by his death tho.

[@pinkishhaven5158]

He reminded me of Hogarth Hughes (from Iron Giant). They're like the kids who have that deep understanding of death.

[@anasevi9456]

Being serious what is it with some countries and animation?! Specifically those made by Italian and Germanic nations; decent animation...and lots of on the spectrum alien-logic story writing. Seen countless animations from Japan, Korea, China, just about every Slavic nation; relatable characters and coherent storylines are usually there, Usually absurd only when it means to. Germanic or Italian animations: Douses the audience in the most absurd disjointed written on the fly story and characters; expects audience to take it 100% deadpan serious. 🤣

[@KingOfGaymes]

@@anasevi9456yeah lots of European countries just make weird af stuff for kids, feels like it has to do with their messed up/dark fairytales for kids, especially in Germany…

[@aidanhever3369]

FUN FACT: Joe's original design wasn't like that. He was a stereotypical comical villain with a mustache. It's no wonder why they decided to redesign him to look like the fish version of the Joker.

[@JachymorDota]

The villain suffocating is shocking. Him realizing it just a moment before doing so is extremely shocking. Realizing he became a fully grown human homunculus but still the size of a fish, now THAT is actual Eldritch horror.

[@KingOfGaymes]

He grew bigger though?

[@Darkgun231]

@@KingOfGaymes Yeah, but was still small enough to fit inside a water pipe, which aren't that big.

[@JachymorDota]

@@KingOfGaymes Alright, pipe-sized homunculus. 😂

[@electrobob992]

Definitely loved how joe's own hubris was his downfall and the realization on his face as he died was priceless. *What happens when fish drink too much potion?* "They become?.. Human!" *Can humans breathe underwater* "But of course.. Not?" *JOE.EXE has stopped responding*

[@TheFoxFromSplashMountain]

I absolutely LOVED this movie as a kid and wish it got more recognition. Kids' movies that aren't afraid to include genuinely frightening scenes and disturbing imagery are always such hidden gems.

[@PikaLink91]

Yeah as opposed to movies of today that are too scared to do that.

[@HandheldGamer1991]

Kids cartoons are in the same boat. I justvrewatched some old batman clips from back in the day and oh boy the show is brutal! And thats just batman! There are others that go wayyyyyyy out of their way to be much more mature then they have any right to be and ront even get me started on anime from the 90s

[@hazakurasuyama9016]

Personally kids movies like this make me insecure about my maturity because like “if a kids movie can be this dark does that mean the dark stuff I like qualifies as children’s media? Am I too old for the things I enjoy?”

[@PikaLink91]

@@HandheldGamer1991And you know what? As a 90s kid I freakin loved and appreciated that. Kids look up to adults and wanna feel adult themselves, so even if soccer moms say something else, reality is that kids (depending on the sensitivity of the child of course) they like it when their cartoons take them serious and treat them with a level of maturity they can handle. I have never been a fan of the straight up maccabre, but depending on the cartoon I appreciated when what I watched dipped its toes into the dark and moody. Because stuff like that challenges our emotions and makes us grow.

[@PikaLink91]

@@hazakurasuyama9016 You are never too old for anything, and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

[@ferretzim8694]

I always found the design for the potions interesting. Instead of being some glowing magical liquid, they instead looked rather mundane, and with a simple image of a fish on the label. And they managed to make the crossed out label so impactfull. I actually think its genius, since having it just say "antidote" or depicting a human just wouldn't convey the same message. A crossed out fish worked so much better, as it conveys rejection. "Anti-fish", no more being simple fish.

[@thekingoffailure9967]

Then the symbol was used by the villain into a fascist insignia

[@shabath]

​@@thekingoffailure9967I suppose that is on brand, the nazis stole swastika from hindus, turning their ancient symbol for good luck into a symbol of facism.

[@bad-girl-coventhe-owl-club1119]

Alan Rickman always brought his A-game to everything, even to a weird, obscure kids movie from Denmark as a intelligence-hungry dictator of fish. Never a dull performance and no role was beneath him. Rest In Peace Alan, you were a fantastic actor taken way too early from this world.

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark and Saberfart’s farts 💨

[@DanishDandere]

@@p-__ Oh my god. Who the hell cares? - Peter Griffin.

[@TheBlueArmageddon]

He was okay

[@tristan_ellis]

Kinda sounds like another certain dictator

[@tarwater27]

Tim Curry too, no matter how low tier a movie was, his acting/voice acting made it 10x better.

[@juliavonstein]

Surprisingly I was NOT traumatized by the villain death scene as a kid LMAO I was just like 'haha that makes sense'

[@pundertalefan4391]

XD I've personally never watched it, but if I had as a kid, it would've deeply unsettled me.

[@THEtomh]

Joe's death in this thing is genuinely terrifying to me. Just everything about it makes me uncomfortable. From the way you're completely trapped in that pipe to slowly turning into a human, losing your ability to breathe and drowning. I think it's that sense of just true isolation that, in my opinion, makes drowning one of the scariest methods of death out there to me.

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark and Saberfart’s farts 💨

[@PikaLink91]

Honestly, even as a kid, the scene didn't terrify me. It would've been scary if Joe started to have trouble breathing and you then saw him grasping for air and slowly losing consiousness. But you don't. One moment he is threathening Svip, then he takes one final breathe, and then he drifts away. Nothing terrifying about that image.

[@Konani_the_unicorn_queen]

@@PikaLink91 for that scene, i'd recommend "Samson and Sally"; in one scene, a whale is chocking to death by their blowhole being blocked, and their gasping for air before loosing consciousness and dying.

[@KingOfGaymes]

@@PikaLink91to you, nothing terrifying to you

[@azimochaa]

​@@PikaLink91Imagine if they animated that? Legitimately would be horrifying

[@Dtoons]

Honestly, that’s one of my favorites villain defeats ever. It’s a good character moment for both Joe and Fly, and it’s as horrifying as it is clever!

[@Rembreiker_lychec9257]

People keep referring to this movie as being a ripoff to Finding Nemo, when this movie came out just two years before. I'm so sick of people bashing this original gem as a ripoff, just because someone decided to rename it 'A Fish Tale' and have this cheap cover. Help! I'm a Fish sounds More Original.

[@astridmaack4516]

How can anyone think it’s a ripoff? I doubt the people in Denmark were aware of Finding Nemo being in production lol I also fail to see how they are in any way similar enough to even be considered a ripoff

[@JOJ0606]

I think thats ennoying too + I watched both of them when I was little and I never felt that there was enything similar about them.

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark and Saberfart’s farts 💨

[@gracekim1998]

They do? All because both are about fish? God people are stupid 😂

[@gracekim1998]

@@JOJ0606yeah I love both and they’re not rip-offs🤦‍♀️

[@ALCvideoprofile]

Stella's transformation scene is beautiful. That look of fear animated on her face combined with the trippy visuals is just amazing. This movie's problems I think are a result of the time it was made and the tropes it embraces. Stella is useless because she is the little sister and most shows of that time treat the little sister as some lame useless sidekick. I think Chuck is disliked by Fin because he is fat but the movie wont say it. The quiet fat shaming is my only logical conclusion because Fly and Chuck seem to have some overlap in interests. If Fly did dislike him because of his appearance he wouldn't say it because he is smart enough to know that is objectively wrong of him.

[@DanGamingFan2406]

I say this movie is worth watching just to hear Alan Rickman sing. Also, Joe's death scene is seriously so horrifying for a kid's movie. Just drowning and floating away as the music goes silent. It's one of the darkest deaths I've ever seen in animation.

[@watershipup7101]

You can say that again.

[@genjis5155]

Alan Rickman nailed this role. I just wish he didn't whisper everything.

[@thusnameddigital9397]

Absolutely yes.

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark and Saberfart’s farts 💨

[@tannerbruning868]

Reminds me of Clayton

[@glitchyboi-nk1qv]

The drowning death feels almost as unsettling as the death in Don Bluth’s dinosaur movie (forgot the name) where the antagonist in a musicless scene gets swarmed by his own ravens before they disperse and he’s just gone

[@alptraum7644]

we're back! this whole movie actually really reminds me of we're back, and joe's death really sealed that comparison for me.

[@FleegleFazbeagle]

Don Bluth didn't work on "We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story".

[@wild6702]

Finally, Saber does a video on something I actually watched as a kid. Proud to have had this one on VHS, the music is a f**ckin bop.

[@JOJ0606]

Same

[@wadeyhyena1657]

What I loved about this movie is that everyone went through their own arcs as characters and changed for the better in the end. Fly starts out as an immature kid who values the lesser things in life but bares no mind to consequences, which ultimately leads to them all being captured. He learns from his mistakes and actively begins to take the situation seriously overtime, eventually choosing to face Joe alone in a final confrontation, despite the fact that he's bleeding and might remain a fish forever. He matures from the experience and I'm glad he came to accept Chuck for who he was. On the other hand, Chuck was frightened to step out into the real world and was too focused on technology to bother stepping away from it. He was a logical thinker and acted as the trio's brains but wasn't always on the same page as Fly, leading to the two of them butting heads often. Overtime, Chuck learned to accept Fly for who he was and used his intelligence to further McKrill's research, and unlike before, when he was tied to his computer, he learned to accept what life had to offer and to me, he's matured into a relaxed and sensible person who isn't afraid to let loose and be spontaneous, as shown with the waterslide at the end. Stella? Whilst she doesn't have as much development like her older relatives, she did learn to change like them. At the beginning, she was a clueless kid who didn't think twice before following her older relatives into danger. Her relationship with Sasha was bittersweet but I loved their interactions as the two were the heart and soul of the film. The fact that she learned to accept that the two couldn't be together in the end was sad but important. It was an emotional scene and one that needed to happen. However, I do love the ending with the professor turning Sasha into a proper horse, that was a sweet moment. Shows how kind McKrill was too, despite his eccentricities. The parents were an interesting triad. I didn't like Chuck's mother much as a kid, but I appreciate that she learned to accept Fly in the end. Fly and Stella's parents were a welcomed addition, and I liked the amount of new-age thinking that went into deducing where the kids might've headed to. (Proves that they're aware of how much of a reckless rulebreaker Fly was.) The villains were... fine, to be honest. I thought the crab was funny and the shark had his moments too. Though their defeats were mid, to say the least. The crab is eaten alive and the shark has his head caught inside a suction tube. As for Joe? I thought his death was horrifying but Alan's voice performance was amazing. Easily one of his most underrated roles in an animated film. Whilst I agree that the plot is contrived and the animation looks aged when compared to today's renderings, and whilst the music is very of its time. The ending song was definitely an earworm that got stuck in my ear often. The movie is still good, imo.

[@PikaLink91]

17:00 In a morbid way I always found the father hilarious in this scene: "If you kill the guy he can't tell us what he knows".

[@Grim_Sister]

Practical and logical. 😂

[@PikaLink91]

@@Grim_Sister Precisel 😂and especially in the original Danish dub I love the "reasonable" and casual way he says it.

[@lulufan100]

I think this movie started my love for horror. I remember being so uncomfortable during the whole thing, worrying about them being stuck forever and never getting home, but liking it. The part that upset me the most though was when they thought Fly died and the aunt stepped on the fish. I still remember my heart dropping when I first saw it. If I see anything about this movie, that's what I think of first. I think I may have seen a different version of this because I thought that part happened on a boat. Either way, that part still upsets me. I didn't seem bothered by the villain's death, maybe because I didn't realize what had happened. I probably thought he just went back to being a fish or something. I do remember being relieved he was gone. I really enjoyed this movie and I kinda want to watch it again now

[@dragonfire5000]

Gotta give the kids credit for going up against both Hans Gruber and Agent 47, and surviving the experience.

[@wilczus222]

That's some hardcore upbringing!

[@gimballock2084]

I'm Danish and I had this on VHS as a kid. Watched it so much and it really stayed with me. Yes, especially the darkness of it 😅

[@aeronautisch]

I’m Dutch and had the Dutch version on VHS. I remember watching it on my old trinitron. 😢

[@joonasrikkonen7355]

I think drowning was a perfect death for the villain. A fight in the lab with the parents pitching in to help would be very new age, it sounds like a Disney plot and honestly doesn't require much thought or imagination. The actual ending here was an interesting, unpredictable plot point and there's something poetic about a fish drowning.

[@thusnameddigital9397]

Bot alert. Comment stolen from Steve Reviews.

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark and Saberfart’s farts 💨

[@theoverseer393]

@@thusnameddigital9397not wrong tho, wish they sourced it

[@celemin3234]

I grew up with this movie as a kid, and honestly i'm sad it didn't get past the office budget. Personally I was a huge fan of the characters, especially the main villain. The intro scene and song was also beautiful to watch and listen to.

[@petramatkovic4122]

I grew up with this movie, and I always thought it was amazing and beautiful. The dark undertones didn't really disturb me. If anything I kinda love it. The movie doesn't deserve to be a flop. Honestly I'm surprised it performed this badly

[@Adam.ace.]

I liked it aswell.

[@J3tr0cks]

Me and my sister loved this movie as kids. It was even my sister’s favourite movie. We even still have the VHS. It’s dark in all the right places and the ending made me feel something that I’d never experienced at that age. I haven’t thought about it in decades and thought it was a relatively obscure movie so seeing Saber talk about it gave me massive whiplash.

[@AoiUsagiOtoko]

the animation style in this movie is genuinely really cool to watch! i have a soft spot for these weirder more obscure kids movies-- the smooth animation and somewhat creepy vibes remind me of another similar movie i loved as a kid, the pagemaster! i'd love to hear saber talk about that one someday, it's a wild ride

[@drdewott9154]

Yeah A.film who made this had a lot of expertise under their belt. They frequently did contracted work for American studios in the 90's and 2000's. They worked on movies like The Iron Giant, Ferngully, 8 Crazy Nights, Quest for Camelot, Lion King 1½, Balto, a Troll in Central park, Pebble & The Penguin, and many others. It defintiely explains why the visual style is so similar to Don Bluth and Warner Bros movies of the 90's, because they literally worked on them.

[@santiagovillarreal976]

Help! I'm A Fish (2000) G 1:20:57 Finding Nemo (2003) G 1:40:56 Help I'm A Cat (2012) G 1:57:39 Finding Dory (2016) PG 1:37:03

[@Xen8008]

Holy hell I remember watching this all the time on Cartoon Network back in the day in the early 2000s! Thanks for finally reviewing this underrated gem Saberspark!

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark and Saberfart’s farts 💨

[@EngineerRiff]

@@p-__Really!?

[@JOJ0606]

I remember watching this a lot too quite a long time ago from a Finnish dubbed vhs that my older brothers also used to watch long before I did. I got to watch a lot of movies on vhs because my brothers had gotten a lot of them when vhs tapes where still in larger use and when I watch movies on vhs now they bring me a strong nostalgic feeling even if I'm watching something I haven't watched before. Sadly it was thrown away a while ago and I haven't seen the film im over 6 years

[@klaplays8853]

Yooo

[@drdewott9154]

It's funny how you should mention A Troll in Central Park, because A-Film actually worked on that. A-Film did a ton of contract animation work for American studios in the 90's and early 2000's. They worked on several movies including the Iron Giant, Titan AE, Quest for Camelot, Felidae, 8 crazy nights, Balto, Ferngully, The Pebble & The Penguin, Thumbelina, The Lion King 1½, Jungle Book 2, Tarzan 2, Osmosis Jones, Ren & Stimpy Adult party cartoon, a ton of Asterix movies and Pettson and Findus movies, and many more! It defintiely explains how they got their animation expertise and style, you can absolutely FEEL the influence in style from those movies in Help I'm a Fish's visuals. Their last big work in 2D animation was on the 2007 Goofy short "How to hook up your home theater" by Disney which A.Film worked on. Sadly after that the company pivoted hard towards 3D and nowadays theres basically no 2D expertise left in the company at all.

[@terranceaddison4599]

No wonder why it feels so familiar...

[@alcatraz160]

I remember this one. I just remember making the bad guy drown by tricking them into drinking too much human juice.

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark and Saberfart’s farts 💨

[@klaplays8853]

Yeah I remember that too

[@Evil_mastermind_zomboss]

​@@p-__r/youngpeopleyoutube

[@Jds_7]

I was more traumatized by that moment the aunt stomped accidentally on supposed-to-be Fly fish doll lmao

[@datdumbguy1067]

This was a movie from my Childhood. I'm Danish and my family bought this when I was young. They didn't like it but I did, thanks for covering it!

[@SomethingWithNerdInItIdk]

Back in elementary school, my teacher put this on for our class(I was in a Spanish school, so it was the Spanish dub), we only got about halfway through before the class began again. I remember that night, i was so confused about what happened. About a year later, that particular day popped back into my mind. I still hadn’t seen the ending. So i went on the family pc and searched, "movie about kids who are transformed into fish by doc brown lookalike", that night my mom and i finally finished the movie. That movie still lives rent free in my mind because that’s how good it is.

[@ItsMagp13]

I watched this movie religiously as a kid! I loved it! Amazed to see you review this, Saber!

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark and Saberfart’s farts 💨

[@drdewott9154]

Hey finally another Danish film on here, great to see as a Danish guy myself! Yeah its really interesting how this movie has basically become the most iconic Danish animated feature internationally. Here in Denmark A-Film has produced a lot of pretty popular films. Of course the original Vanhalla in 1986 (which somehow got an awful Live Action remake a few years ago... Really trying to chase that Disney boat there), The Jungledyret Hugo triology, and Help I'm a Fish. And later in 3D with Terkel in Trouble, Journey to Saturn, and more recently the 2 Checkered Ninja movies. Those 2 have actually had the 2nd and 3rd biggest box office returns of any Danish produced movie to date! Shame their dubs are handled by the same company that did the Ronal the Barbarian dub which you of course have beef with. Also low key never realised David Bateson was the shark. I attend and watch the Crazy Christmas Cabaret theatre show in Copenhagen every year and Bateson has a role on stage every year. In the last 2 years they had Miami Vice inspired shows in which he played an Italian mafia boss named "Don Calzone" (I am not making this up no matter how crazy it sounds).

[@ettorereventon2667]

I grew up watching this movie, at my grandma’s house. I loved it so much! One of my favorite films when I was a kid, and I have so many great memories associated with it. Thank you for bringing up some great memories!

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark and Saberfart’s farts 💨

[@Yuunarii]

I remember Help I'm A Fish being the first movie I ever saw in cinema. I think it was sometime in 2001 when I was 4 years old. We still have a VHS copy of it somewhere.

[@yourlocalchaos]

Fun fact: The Alan Rickman character is voiced by Stefán Karl AKA Robbie Rotten in the Icelandic dub of Help, I'm A Fish.

[@cosmiquealiene6168]

Oh my gosh...I can imagine that 😂

[@derflerp538]

That guy's a gem! I wonder what else he's been in?

[@FinnOtaku]

I'm a bit surprised that you didn't address the problem with the 48-hour time limit, or rather how it was handled as a driving force especially towards the end. As you showed, the plot kicks off when A) Stella drinks the potion and gets thrown out into the sea. Which is then followed by B) Fly and Chuck going after her and ultimately drinking the potion themselves. While we don't know how much time passes between A and B, I think it's safe to assume we're talking about at least a half hour gap, enough for them to get out to the sea, for sun to set and for the storm to intensify. But while this more than a couple of minutes gap should be fairly apparent, - for our main characters most of all - the closer we get towards the end the more they seem to act as if they share the same time limit. This is showcased especially after Joe's silent death scene when the kids finally get hold of the antidote. If this scene had played out with this gap between A and B in mind, I don't Chuck would've noted that there was only one minute left and frantically insist for _all_ of them to drink the antidote at the same time. And leading up to this climax, there should've been some kind of indication that Fly and Chuck intend to prioritize Stella over themselves, since she should have less time left due to the gap. And during the scene when Fly was presumed dead, you'd think Chuck would try to feed the corpse some more antidote or ask the professor if he had any more before requesting something as far-fetched as a time machine. So basically, I think the sense of urgency leading up to them drinking the antidote and desperation in trying to bring "Fly" back to life would only make sense, if the three of them shared the same time limit. Which shouldn't really be the case as far as we're aware.

[@emmareiman64]

I Think Chuck did ask and beg for antidote at the end. Or at least in the Finnish version I Think he did. He was desperately begging the professor for some, or for him to make more, but all the adults are grief-written, shocked and have given up on hope Time machine then gets brought up in the absolute desperation and when Chuck has practically stopped thinking reasonably But my memory isn't the greatest xD

[@jondoe7036]

@@emmareiman64 Pretty sure your memory is correct on that, as far as the Finnish version goes anyway.

[@bezierballad8852]

"Honey, I -shrunk- turned the kids into fish" basically

[@daelen.cclark]

“Honey, I traumatized the kids” “Honey, we traumatized ourselves”

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark and Saberfart’s farts 💨

[@orangeslash1667]

@@p-__ It's not funny

[@klaplays8853]

Bro😂

[@Frostwolf_103]

Some dutch kids: Nah, this K3 song is banger

[@ms.blackfire2927]

I'm Danish and I grew up with this movie, like I have seen this many times throughout my childhood, I even watched it in school together with other children in class a few times and I'm sure if I watched the film now? I might like you, not like some things in it, but I will remember this film fondly and the death of the villain was horrifying! but that's amazing!!! and so cleverly done

[@RiveroftheWither]

You have to give them a little credit, the animation style and quality is very reminiscent of Don Bluth and thats impressive. Excluding the cgi stuff obviously.

[@spinningpeanut]

Erm no. Not everything is Disney or bluth. This is far more closely resembling amblimation. Think we're back! a dinosaur story.

[@taiwanisacountry]

​@@spinningpeanut before they created A Film the team had worked on Ferngulley, Thumbelina, a troll in central park, and Asterix in America. But yeah they had a special style.

[@Fatsaver]

Hell people the cgi isn't even bad what are yall talking about..

[@kuppikahvikeisari9120]

​@@Fatsaverpeople are being wayyy too harsh on it. No sense of time and resources of the movie at the time it was released.

[@dominicleejr9627]

Also Jeffrey J varab, a Don Bluth animator who worked on All Dogs go to Heaven was a animator on this film.

[@captainnintendo]

So glad that you finally got around to cover this film. Denmark really doesn't have that many big animated movies (with a budget) to our name. Jungledyret Hugo 1 & 2 pretty much being the only ones that comes to mind I remember this movie being kind of a big deal when it hit theaters here in Denmark. I think I actually still have a bloody magnet from the movie on my fridge xD I remember even as a kid that The death scene at the end was really shocking. Sure as hell had seen a death like that before... And not really since either My biggest continuity problem with Help I'm A Fish that bothered me even as a kid was the fact that Stella clearly drank the potion well before the rest. Like, judging by the time it would have taken then to get into a boat and judging by the complete change of weather, I would say it had been at least 2 hours. But even if it just been 5 minutes, the world still have but her over the time limit. I also always wondered how in the world Joe was able to build a whole empire with a functioning infrastructure, public transportation ect in what must've been less than 10 hour from him drinking the potion. I also question how there was enough in that bottle for what was at least a few thousand fish. I also can't help but wonder what happened afterward to the whole fish civilization after the end of the movie? There they must all still be down there. Are they gonna declare war on us and take over 100 years from now after the poles have melted? So many questions unanswered. It's also funny that with the exception of Fry grabbing and throwing Stella out into the ocean in the beginning we never ever see any interaction between the humans and the potion-affected fish at any point. As a kid it made me wonder if the events were all just a fever dream or something. I also remember the Danish dub having a lot swearing that the English one, which I guess was to be expected. I remember Jungledyret Hugo also being censored abroad and even had a scene removed too. That American poster for the Help I'm a Fish movie sure didn't do it any favors... As in... You'd have to go out of your way to make something look for cheap and knockoffish. Also can't seem to figure out if this movie title in English is more well known as A Fish's Tale or Help! I'm A Fish? But I digress. Great review! :)

[@calipurnioelreydelodio7141]

I still have it on DVD. In Spain, the villain has the voice of Constantino Romero, the voice of Darth Vader. I still love to watch it, and I love the Euro-Pop song it had.

[@lorewalkermaohao4602]

I absolutely loved this movie as a child. This video brought back a lot of forgotten moments. I think the reason Alan Rickman's audio was a bit off is most likely due to the movie being dubbed to english, while the original and balanced audio was danish.

[@eagastudios]

In conclusion: This movie is not bad but it could have been done better. However, in the end, it’s still an underrated source of nostalgia.

[@3_LollipopOfTheMoldiKind]

I just realized that they could've had the little girl make several friends throughout the movie and then instead of a montages for the ingredients, she asks her friends to split up and everybody (including the main characters) gets all the ingredients quickly and efficiently. It would've given her some narrative bearing since the kids are on a time constraint to get the antidote, plus it generally just makes more sense and keeps from having multiple unrelated montages (as in montages that have completely different purposes).

[@OkinoMuse]

Not sure why but my sister was obsessed with this movie when we were younger. It's scary to have your older sister tell you about a scary sounding movie you do not remember xdd

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark and Saberfart’s farts 💨

[@kimorox813]

Can we talk about how the professor basically makes a magic potion but passes it off as science

[@painterguy6469]

This movie was my childhood. Can't believe it was a box-office failure. It's such a good movie.

[@approachingetterath9959]

the villain's death scared me quite a bit as a kid, and that was okay. i really love that the movie went there. it's not violent in the common sense, but it is serious and impactful. despite it scaring me at the time, i look back fondly on the movie and i'm glad we had it on vhs.

[@silversilence14]

I didn't get to see this movie till I was older, but I think this movie is such an underated gem, I adored it immediately

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark and Saberfart’s farts 💨

[@JOJ0606]

I'm thankful that I watched it when I was 3 years old 😂

[@amethystpagan8682]

As a 7 year old kid I loved this movie, for some reason I loved all creepy animations with a dark vibe, and in this animation I also loved the parents that actually showed any understanding and care towards the kids. I still have a soft spot for it even tho I haven’t seen it in years. Seeing this pop up on my feed made my day.

[@menosproblemos6993]

You should watch some documentary on Danish family life. Parents are so freaking chill with their kids there. Their entire culture is peaceful n nice.

[@krystallights1325]

I'm dutch and in here this movie was only famous because of the song. A famous (then) Belgian girlband called k3 sang the theme song and it stayed in the NL top 40 charts for 10 weeks. To this day that song is one of the most beloved songs by this band. Most people probably know the song more than the movie itself.

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark and Saberfart’s farts 💨

[@astridmaack4516]

Did they translate the song to Dutch? Or maybe not if the group was Belgian… 🤔

[@krystallights1325]

@@astridmaack4516 They did! The song is called blub ik ben een vis (Blub, I'm a fish). In Belgium they speak three languages: Dutch, French and German. The band K3 sings in Dutch.

[@Coffeecat_24]

@@krystallights1325thats where it comes from? OMG! I’m Dutch too and I never knew, how fun :3

[@retrozaid1600]

I also knew that Creamy (Singers of I Do, I Do, I Do from DDR Extreme) also did a cover of that song

[@DarkendSchoolGirlGua]

Grew up watching this film. (UK) Always loved the animation, the music, and despite the death always giving me nightmares and haunting me for years, I just kept coming back because I thought it was such a cool film. Seeing this pop up in my feed made all the memories come flooding back to me... Wanna watch it again now, just for the nostalgia.

[@Talpfote]

I haven't even seen the video, but let me tell you one thing: the way the bad guy dies at the end traumatized little me SO MUCH I got panic attacks the night after I watched it and I REFUSED to fall asleep, cause that scene would keep flashing in front of my eyes and make me gasp in fear.

[@Cookie090489]

The music was made by a then very popular Danish girl band called Creamy. Finally check out Valhalla. It's not that great in animation, but has some great background images. It was made in collaboration with Peter Madsen, who is still a big name in Denmark, for his children's books. Valhalle is based on his very popular comic series of the same name. Personally, Valhalle is the most faithful film to Norse mythology, even though Quark is fiction. It is one of my favorite cartoons, and is a treasure in Danish culture. It certainly also has its dark scenes two which are haunting. Please check out Valhalla

[@thelxguy9101]

This movie bring me some good memories. Is that just disappointing how criminally underrated it was.

[@DeepWeeb]

The whole "you need to take the antidote in 48hrs or you'll be stuck as a fish FOREVER" seems like such a last-minute contrivance to arbitrarely raise the stakes, like if the natural-born fish can take the antidote to the point of becoming human, what's stopping the humans-turned-fish from just taking the antidote? I think it would be much worse if the effects of the potion are temporary and they need to get off the water in time before they drown (as their lungs would already be filled with water)

[@Offroader210]

7:34 Don't forget about Aaron Paul's performance as Todd in Bojack Horseman.

[@PlasmaRevolution]

I remember this movie, my family and I used to watch it all the time on video, when my brother and I were kids. We loved it, especially the " I'm a little little fish in the deep blue sea!" song. Thanks Saberspark, now because of you, I've just bought it on dvd!😊💖🐡

[@Gtoonm]

I have a funny story about this film. I watched it growing up dubbed in spanish in latin america. I quite liked it and remembered how unique it was, so fast forwards almost 20 years and I'm talking to my best friend about obscure and forgotten animated films, we are big fans of both, and funny enough of Saberspark from our brony days. He was driving and I started talking about some forgotten films I've watched and I get to this film. I Explain some of the plot and he swerves suddenly, then looks at me dumbfounded. I ask him what's wrong? and he tells me he thought this movie was a dream of his. I told him no, that it was an actual film. I google the poster and title to show him and he's in even more shock, he tells me that he thought he dreamt it all up, but I tell him that I watched this movie as well. We go back and forth screaming and laughing. Me, asking him how he thought it was a dream, him telling me that he believed the whole plot was just a weird dream of his. His mind was blown, after all how often do you have your friends suddenly speak about random dreams you've had as a kid? Turns out he probably watched it as a little kid once, then since it was rarely aired and kind of obscure he never encountered any information of it, so he chalked it up to a dream. And he believed that for almost 2 decades until I talked about it, since he's never had anybody else to talk about these kinds of movies with. I blew his mind, had a laugh and almost caused him to lose control of a car. All because of some random fish film. Now that I think about it, we actually got many forgotten and obscure films since Latin American countries rarely produce media of their own, in fact I have watched almost all animated films Saber has made videos about.

[@n3bulav876]

Help I’m a fish holds a special place in my heart mostly cause I remember a day when I was round at my grandparents and it came on the tv and decided to watch it, ended up really loving it, and forgetting about it for years until a few years ago decided to rewatch it. Perfect by no means and definitely dark but something simple I don’t mind checking out every now and again, it’s just a simple thing I’ll always really love

[@Zimonov]

With Help I'm a Fish it's not so much how well written it is that turned it into a cult classic, but moreso the feel it conveys and the soul that was poured into it. A lot of things such as the stereotypical personalities is still done quite well imo and together with the montages, music and visuals also serve to make it the quintessential early 2000's "bubblegum pop europeans influenced by yankee cool" time capsule. it's by no means a perfect movie, but i feel that those aspects are worth taking into consideration as well.

[@redpanda6497]

And the art style.

[@silverendlessness4052]

I find it funny that while in english the movie is titled “Help! I’m a fish”, in spanish it was “¡Mamá!, soy un pez” which translates to “Mom, I’m a fish!” lmao

[@bluespectrum1348]

We used to watch this movie with my sister as little girls. I remember so vividly the last scene with the villain when he turned into a "human", then immediately drowned to d3ath and the way the c0rpse floated away always got both of us laughing so much lmfao 😂 it was creepy but pretty hysterical. Also, when the seahorse left the little starfish girl 😢

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark and Saberfart’s farts 💨

[@karolinakuc4783]

The most happy scene from that movie was Sasha tuening into a horse

[@krsmanjovanovic8607]

This unlocked one of my happy memories from childhood when my mum was alive and strong, I was sitting in the room watching this film on one of those huge heavy box tv-s, while mom was in the kitchen making tomato and chese salad (idk how its called) to go along with the lunch, also sunlight coming through the curtains was just pleasing and gentle

[@malarcher5580]

this was my favourite movie when i was a really small kid. i eventually scratched the dvd to a point where it was unplayable and my parents had it thrown out. i forgot the title and couldn't find it again until recent years. really glad to see a saber vid on it

[@doot7310]

Damn I was hoping he’d mention it’s main theme song “I’m a little yellow fish” I’ve always loved it as a kid, it SLAPS

[@ladypool1404]

This movie has creepy elements just like Secret of Nimh; it shows us that life isn't always easy and i like it; it's a good message! Same for working as a team to go home, that's what the kids do and they made it; another good lesson we can learn. The songs are ok. The professor's song is not very useful, he could just told the ingredients to the kids or show them a paper. The one when Sasha plays with the bubbles is cute, the one about magic of friendship is nice too 🙂My favorite is Joe's song, it's so catchy and entertaining plus the chorus gives me chills. I'm always happy when i sing it!

[@chadharger9323]

There was no hand holding for animation protags back then.

[@markusolsen4155]

Glorious movie from my childhood. I remember watching it at my aunts place. Thank you for covering it!❤ The Danish animated movies tend to be something different with how weird and dark they can be😂😂 Best regards from Denmark🇩🇰

[@Supershadow301]

Ooooh I remember "Help! I'm a Fish" I really liked it. I just really liked fish when I was little. I was just mesmerized during Finding Nemo, so my parents tried to find more fish animated content later and they found this diamond in the rough. Yeah, it was scary, but it was pretty funny at the time, while keeping some serious elements throughout and I thought it held up even when I rewatched it as I grew older. The villain death scene is definitely... something. But I guess it didn't register as _that_ creepy when I was a kid. It just made sense: he wanted to be so intelligent and human that he forgot a basic thing about us: we don't breath underwater. If anything, I was much more shocked by the aunt crushing the (fake) fish. It was... nauseating.

[@spaghettiman6564]

I LOVED this movie, both as a kid and even now as an adult. I used to watch it a lot when I was little, almost on repeat. I rewatched it recently as an adult and it made me realise why I liked it so much! I honestly think it's the atmosphere of the movie through the visuals and music. The backgrounds are beautiful and do a great job at making the ocean feel huge and the kids tiny. I would also argue that the CG animation has aged well, not technically of course, but in the sense that they still make the giant animals and scenery look terrifying. It still adds to the uncanny atmosphere and story. Speaking of the story, while I agree looking back at it now, there are definitely some hiccups and lose ends of arcs that didn't stay in the final version. But I don't think it matters that much, I certainly didn't care about that as a kid. Mind you I watched this in English before I really understood the language, and I still understood the story well enough to know what was happening. I will say though I think you're being a little too harsh on Stella, she's literally just a toddler acting how a real kid that age would. I personally was quite attached to her and Sasha as a kid, the whole goodbye and letting go scene resonating with me when I lost my first pet. I don't know, I think sometimes kids movies don't need to have everything thought out, cause kids will fill in the blanks themselves. Help I'm a Fish is definitely a nostalgia blast for me, but I still think it's underrated by modern movie reviewers and commentators. It's best enjoyed when you go in for its unusual visuals, atmosphere and 2000's nostalgia.

[@Lunar_Leit]

as a dane, i watched it as a kid and loved it. sad it didn't do well outside of denmark.

[@andreasottohansen7338]

Ah yes, I remember watching this as a kid. A kid with undiagnosed anxiety issues, so you know I had fun watching this, and totally wasn't terrified

[@theflickchick9850]

I missed this one as a kid with undiagnosed anxiety and I'm glad about it even though I now am a huge Alan Rickman fan.

[@ShakShak1999]

This movie was my childhood I remember it like it was yesterday. It's amazing that you are covering this because not much people have seen this film I remember watching this back into 2000s I think it was on cartoon Network couple times.

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark and Saberfart’s farts 💨

[@pungetello]

when I was a kid we got this from the library and I was obsessed! So sad it did bad in the box office, it deserves better.

[@athanasiosk9911]

I remember when I was 6 years old when I first watch Help! I am a Fish back in 2006 on T.V. In my opinion, I loved the movie and I still love it, and it's nostalgic for me.

[@mushy8894]

I'm so glad to see movies like this and Iron Giant and We're Back get more recognition and not be some fever dream I had as a kid

[@Dalehan]

While I never saw the movie myself, I mostly know it because the intro theme song got covered by a popular girl band here in Belgium/The Netherlands, and they marketed the hell out of that song more than the movie itself.

[@therexdragonblade6821]

oh my god this movie. when i was a wee lad of age 5 or maybe 6 my family went to cancun in mexico for a christmas/winter vacation. that trip is the source of a number of long standing memories: eating nopal cactus (it's delicious), seeing a giant scorpion in a hole at a beach and getting freaked out, seeing my first ever pool vomit. it would also be one of the last times i would see my aunt before she passed away. it is also the source of one of my most bizarre memories. it was late at night. i think i might have gotten a little sick. mom or dad had turned on the hotel TV for me and my brother to watch. this movie is playing, but we missed a good chunk of it, and we open on a scene where one of the kid fish is trying to escape some bad guys and is crushed by a rock or something. honestly i dont quite remember. but to kid me it was horrifying, and the first time i had seen something so brutal, relative to a child's understanding, in a cartoon film. it would haunt me for a long ass time until i remembered it out of the blue sometime in my teens and i engaged in a bit of googling to figure out what the hell i had seen. turned out to be this thing. i havent watched it to completion, and i have no real interest in doing so since kids flicks arent something i engage with these days. but this movie will always be stuck in the back of my head for that memory.

[@eagastudios]

I LOVED THIS MOVIE WHEN I WAS YOUNGER! The nostalgia is real.

[@athanasiosk9911]

Same 😌

[@caseymurray1994]

She might have thought it was cherry or strawberry lemonade. She is a little kid, she can't help it... She and Rosie from Troll in Central Park were basically on Mindy mode throughout their movies. BTW, that's a joke on Buttons and Mindy.

[@filipvadas7602]

I remember really enjoying this movie as a kid. I also love the way they defeat the villain. They literally just use his own ego against him to get him to drown by becoming too human.

[@ZorotheGallade]

I saw this movie when I was like 12 years old. The final scene where the villain fish turns himself into a human, underwater, and freaking DROWNS HIMSELF was scarring.

[@trash_ferret_]

Oh god i ADORED this movie as a kid. I remember renting it all the time, even tho my mom was so tired of it gkwmkgkwmf Also fun fact, here in latin america it's called "Mom, I'm a fish!"

[@charlielauenborg5087]

I'm so glad this film gets a revival. I grew up in Denmark watching it, where it was fairly popular on DVD and it's just such a weird, wacky, uncanny gem

[@madpsycho6]

The helix skit confirmed that Saber's fursona is a cat, he looked very comfortable in that box

[@absolutezerochill2700]

Bob Sheaux must have been a visionary or something. He'd been making movies bout all these obscure animated movies like several years ago, and I still see people making videos about these movies today.

[@shantichislon4129]

One of the dopest animated villain deaths I've ever seen; right up there with Clayton in Tarzan.

[@purpleisafruit7179]

As a kid I had to cover my eyes during the 'bad guy death scene' (the bubbling-over brain was too much for me) so I'm happy to finally see how it played out... weirdly enough, nowhere near as bad as I used to imagine!

[@connorthompson8376]

Steve Reviews did a review about a movie where a young whale meets Moby Dick post climate change. The animation was very uniquely done in that. I’d love to see a review of that movie.

[@omil4632]

Been a while since I last saw this film! I remember being horrified by the injury Fly sustained from the crab, the mutation & eerily silent death of Joe, and the ‘death’ of Fly… not even Flik getting kicked by Thumper in A Bug’s Life was as bad as those scenes! Definitely an ambitious film

[@blecis74]

I remember watching this film so many times when I was younger, I really enjoyed it although the death of Joe was really dark but it is funny how Fly uses Joes smarts against him. Also Saber you should review ‘The Magic Pudding’ next it’s another film I loved watching when I was younger and also John Cleese voices the Pudding who’s named Albert for those who want to know

[@devinmorse9112]

I also recommend the classic Australian children's book The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay, on which the film is based.

[@Logitah]

I CERTAINLY remember this film, because Joe's death freaked the hell out of me as a child. I also cried when I thought Fly was dead.

[@Phantomsangel]

Thank you for telling us about this film Saber! I'm really interested in watching it now. Both because it looks and sounds fascinating and also it's from Denmark. As someone with Danish heritage that really peaked my interest.