portray fish versions of themselves at the end of the film, singing "Car Wash". Production The film was officially announced and began production in April 2002, under the title of Sharkslayer, with Vicky Jenson (Shrek) and Eric "Bibo" Bergeron (The Road to El Dorado) serving as the two directors before Rob Letterman, who also co-wrote the screenplay, joined in as the third and final director. By September 2003, it had been retitled Shark Tale, to make the title sound less violent and more family friendly. Bill Damaschke, the producer of the film, explained the change of the title: "We set out to make a movie a little more noir, perhaps a little darker than where we've landed." Shark Tale is the first all computer-animated film produced at DreamWorks Animation's Glendale facility, which previously animated the studio's four hand-drawn animated movies, The Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, as well as the first computer-animated film to not be produced by Pacific Data Images. James Gandolfini was initially set to voice the kingpin shark, named Don Lino, but he had to drop out, with Robert De Niro taking over the role. The film was produced concurrently with Finding Nemo, another animated film set underwater, which was released a year and a half before Shark Tale. DreamWorks Animation's CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg, defended the film, saying that "any similarities are mere coincidence. We've been open with the Pixar people, so we don't step on each other's toes." Marketing The film had promotional support from Burger King, Kellogg’s, General Mills, Coca-Cola and Hewlett-Packard. Release Shark Tale was originally scheduled for general release on November 5, 2004, but it was moved up to October 1 to avoid competition with Pixar's The Incredibles releasing on the same weekend. The film had its worldwide premiere on September 10, 2004, in Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy. Screening as part of the Venice Film Festival, it marked the first time that Piazza San Marco was closed for a premiere of a major feature film. The film was projected on the largest inflatable screen in the world, measuring more than six stories tall and over . It required of air to inflate and more than 50 tons of water for stabilization. The premiere was attended by 6,000 visitors, including Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro,