The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) review

Dir. Stephen Hillenburg

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★★½

Is The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie something so big, so extravagant that it demanded to be seen on a screen much larger than the one you have at home? Not really. But it’s a lot better than some of the other films parents are conned into and forced to take their children to, such as the latest barrage of CGI animation and the one too many Rugrats movies.

There is no way I will waste time explaining the origins and backstory of SpongeBob SquarePants. Parents have heard the story one too many times, and I’m almost positive non-parents are aware as well. The show was on the air a mere five years before being picked up for a feature length film, and was very recently confirmed for a sequel, which I’m highly anticipating. If there is one problem the series encountered after this film, it was continuity. This was intended to be the series finale, but the producers decided to pick up where the show left off, skipping over the events of this film, and subtracting “The Krusty Krab 2” from the storyline, rendering this film as useless or as just a curious piece of history.

Nonetheless, this is still a wise choice of entertainment, for the kids or for the parents. It provides expressive, genial fun for everyone and proves its big screen due isn’t a contrived or questionable one. It’s SpongeBob after all, and even back then, seeing this opening weekend in the theaters as an eight year old, I believed that if Arnold from Hey Arnold! could have his own leap on the big screen that SpongeBob should be entitled to one as well.

The prologue we get features about two or three dozen pirates in live action, receiving sunken treasure which contains tickets to The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. They sing the iconic and immensely catchy theme song all the way to the theater and anarchically seat and serve themselves.

Our story takes place in Bikini Bottom, as expected, where SpongeBob SquarePants (voice of Tom Kenny), proud employee of The Krusty Krab eatery, is impatiently anticipating the announcement made by his boss, Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown), on who will be the manager of the new restaurant, “The Krusty Krab 2.” The position is given to co-worker, Squidward (Rodger Bumpass), after Krabs explains to SpongeBob that the position is not fit for someone who is an immature kid. SpongeBob becomes depressed and drowns his sorrows with his buddy, Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke) at the Goofy Goober ice cream parlor, where consuming heaping amounts of ice cream is the equivalent to a long, endless spree of binge-drinking, producing hangover effects and slurred speech.

Meanwhile, agitated at Krabs’ success, competing restaurant owner, Plankton (Mr. Lawrence) carries out a plan to give his restaurant, the Chum Bucket, a place on the map, by unleashing “Plan Z,” which involves stealing the renowned King Neptune’s crown, revealing his explicit baldness, sending the crown over to “Shell City,” and blaming it on Krabs so that Neptune will freeze him and Plankton can steal the secret formula to the Krusty Krabs’ burgers and sell them at his own restaurant.

That was a mouthful. Needless to say, the plan works, and SpongeBob and Patrick embark on the dangerous journey to Shell City to “get the crown, save the town, and Mr. Krabs!” Plankton is left in control of Bikini Bottom, with Neptune deeply depressed because of the loss of his crown, and turns the town into a totalitarian society, gaining more and more control by giving each customer who purchases a burger a free bucket helmet that allows him to control and alter their minds.

It would’ve been nice if some of the lesser characters were given bigger, more satisfying appearance in the film, such as Larry the Lobster, Sandy Cheeks, and Squidward. One problem many TV show movie adaptations have is giving each character their own deserved part. One of the films that greatly struggled was The Simpsons Movie, limiting many secondary character roles to vague cameo appearances. Not to mention, it would’ve been nice if we had a deeper look at Plankton’s totalitarian society, but I doubt many children would’ve found a simple commentary to that interests. After all, it is SpongeBob SquarePants, not Animal Farm.

The movie glides along effortlessly, using bright colors, appealing textures, great, fluent animation, surrealism in many sequences, unbelievably catchy sing-a-longs that will probably do parents well on those long car rides, and best of all, doesn’t suffer from that awkward animation transition all TV show movie adaptations tend to get. You know? That style that is noticeably different from animation, whether it be more polished, more dimensional, or just more pure? The upgrade was a downgrade in Arthur’s Missing Pal and Recess: School’s Out. The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is only seventy-eight minutes, with credits subtracted, yet gets by on wit and intelligence, making the experience an extremely worthy one.

NOTE: I will say that this film also features one of the best movie soundtracks in any animated film I have yet to see. I recommend sitting through the entire credit sequence to not only see the final cookie at the end, but to hear pleasing tunes like Ween’s infectious “Ocean Man,” The Flaming Lips’ “Spongebob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy” (a tune you just want to groove to), Wilco’s rock and roll anthem, “Just a Kid,” and closing with Spongebob’s “Best Day Ever” song, which just makes you feel giddy, spunky, and provides one with a nice lust for life itself.

My review of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water
My review of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run
My review of Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie

Voiced by: Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Mr. Lawrence, Alec Baldwin, David Hasselhoff, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeffrey Tambor. Directed by: Stephen Hillenburg.