| The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Stephen Hillenburg[a] |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Story by | Stephen Hillenburg |
| Based on | SpongeBob SquarePants by Stephen Hillenburg |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Jerzy Zieliński |
| Edited by | Lynn Hobson |
| Music by | Gregor Narholz |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 87 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30 million[2] |
| Box office | $141.1 million[2] |
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is a 2004 American animatedadventure comedy film based on the television seriesSpongeBob SquarePants. It was co-written, co-produced, and directed by series creatorStephen Hillenburg[3] and features theseries' regular voice cast consisting ofTom Kenny,Bill Fagerbakke,Clancy Brown,Rodger Bumpass,Mr. Lawrence,Jill Talley,Carolyn Lawrence, andMary Jo Catlett. Guest starsAlec Baldwin,Scarlett Johansson, andJeffrey Tambor voice new characters, andDavid Hasselhoff appears inlive-action as himself. In the film,Plankton enacts a plan to discredit his business nemesisMr. Krabs, steal theKrabby Patty secret formula and take over the world by stealingKing Neptune's crown and framing Mr. Krabs for the crime.SpongeBob andPatrick team up to retrieve the crown from Shell City to save Mr. Krabs from Neptune's wrath and save Bikini Bottom from Plankton's rule.
Hillenburg accepted an offer for afilm adaptation ofSpongeBob SquarePants fromParamount Pictures in 2002, after turning it down multiple times the previous year. He assembled a team from the show's writing staff, including himself,Derek Drymon,Tim Hill,Kent Osborne,Aaron Springer, andPaul Tibbitt, and structured the film as a mythicalhero's journey that would bring SpongeBob and Patrick to the surface. Originally intended to be theseries finale of the show, the film marked the last time Hillenburg was showrunner before Tibbitt took his place for over a decade.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie premiered in Los Angeles on November 14, 2004, and was released in the United States on November 19 by Paramount Pictures. It received generally positive reviews and grossed $141 million worldwide on a $30 million budget. It is the first in aseries ofSpongeBob films, includingThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015) andThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020). A fourth film,The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, is scheduled to be released on December 19, 2025.
Mr. Krabs opens a second location of theKrusty Krab, right next to the original. His fry cook,SpongeBob SquarePants, hopes to be promoted to manager of the new restaurant, but Krabs instead selects his co-worker,Squidward Tentacles, explaining to SpongeBob that he is a "kid" who is too immature to handle the position. Depressed, SpongeBob goes to the Goofy Goober ice cream parlor, where he indulges himself with ice cream and wakes up the following morning with a hangover.
Krabs' rivalPlankton, owner of the Chum Bucket restaurant, initiates "Plan Z" in an attempt to obtain theKrabby Patty secret formula. He stealsKing Neptune's crown, sends it to Shell City, and frames Krabs for the crime. Neptune confronts Krabs about his stolen crown and is convinced of Krabs' guilt when a hungover SpongeBob smears him. Recovering from his hangover, SpongeBob promises Neptune that he will retrieve the crown from Shell City. Neptune freezes Krabs, telling SpongeBob to return in six days or his boss will be executed. Neptune's daughter, Mindy, encourages SpongeBob but warns him of dangers surrounding Shell City, including "the Cyclops", a monster who kidnaps sea creatures.
SpongeBob heads for Shell City in the Patty Wagon, a Krabby Patty-shaped car stored underneath the restaurant, with his best friendPatrick Star tagging along in order to keep an eye on him and help him retrieve the crown. After the duo leaveBikini Bottom, Plankton steals the formula from the frozen Krabs and uses it to sell Krabby Patties. He distributes free helmets with the Krabby Patties that brainwash customers into doing Plankton's bidding, subsequently taking over Bikini Bottom and hiring a hitman named Dennis to prevent SpongeBob and Patrick from returning with the crown.
SpongeBob and Patrick encounter a hazardous trench, lose the Patty Wagon, and contemplate giving up. Mindy, who Patrick has a crush on, appears and encourages them by applying fake mustaches made of seaweed, convincing them that she magically turned them from kids into men. Armed with newfound confidence, the two successfully traverse the trench and encounter Dennis on the other side. He demonstrates that the mustaches are fake, and prepares to squash the duo with his boot but is suddenly stepped on by a much larger boot belonging to the "Cyclops", a humandiver, who abducts SpongeBob and Patrick.
The duo are placed under a heat lamp by the Cyclops, learning that they have arrived in "Shell City", a gift shop selling dried sea creatures. Proud that they reached their destination, they shed tears just before drying up, which short-circuit the lamp and activate the emergency sprinklers, reviving the two alongside the dried sea creatures. While the sea creatures attack the Cyclops, SpongeBob and Patrick take the crown to the beach, whereDavid Hasselhoff offers them a ride home. Dennis catches up and fights them on Hasselhoff's back, ultimately falling into the sea as Hasselhoff passes under acatamaran.
Neptune arrives to execute Krabs, but SpongeBob and Patrick return with the crown just in time. Plankton drops a mind-control helmet on Neptune and surrounds SpongeBob, Patrick, and Mindy with his army of slaves. SpongeBob, embracing the fact that he's accomplished so much despite being a kid, uses the power of rock and roll to play "Goofy Goober Rock", freeing Neptune and the citizens of Bikini Bottom from Plankton's control. As Plankton is arrested by the police, Neptune unfreezes Krabs, who appoints SpongeBob as the manager of the Krusty Krab 2.
Other characters from the television series also appear in the film, includingPearl Krabs, voiced byLori Alan. Other supporting voice actors includeCarlos Alazraqui,Dee Bradley Baker,Sirena Irwin,Thomas F. Wilson, andJoshua Seth.
Aaron Hendry portrays the Cyclops physically whileNeil Ross provides the character's voice. In apost-credits scene,Mageina Tovah portrays a theater usher.
Crew membersDerek Drymon,Stephen Hillenburg, andAaron Springer make vocal cameo appearances.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie was long-planned;[4]Nickelodeon andParamount Pictures had approached series creatorStephen Hillenburg for a film based onSpongeBob SquarePants, but he refused for more than a year.[5] Hillenburg was concerned, after watchingThe Iron Giant andToy Story with his son, about the challenge ofSpongeBob andPatrick doing something more cinematically consequential and inspiring without losing what he called the SpongeBob "cadence".[5] Hillenburg believed that the film's story "had to be SpongeBob in a great adventure. That's where the comedy's coming from, having these two naïve characters, SpongeBob and Patrick, a doofus and an idiot, on this incredibly dangerous heroic odyssey with all the odds against them."[5]
| I never wanted to do a movie because I didn't think that what we wanted to say needed to be in a movie. I like the short form for animation. Then this story idea came up that lent itself to a longer format. You can't do a road trip adventure in a short form. |
| —Stephen Hillenburg[6] |
In 2002, Hillenburg and the show's staff stopped making episodes to work on the film after the show'sthird season was completed.[6] When news of production on the film was announced, the show's staff made a joke plot for the film which had SpongeBob rescue Patrick from a fisherman inFlorida;[6] a reference to the plot ofFinding Nemo.[6] Hillenburg directed and produced the film, and also co-wrote the screenplay with five other writer-animators from the show (Paul Tibbitt,Derek Drymon,Aaron Springer,Kent Osborne, andTim Hill) over a three-month period in a room of a formerGlendale, California bank.[5] At the beginning of the series, Hillenburg screened a number of silent shorts (fromLaurel and Hardy,Charlie Chaplin, andBuster Keaton) and work by two modern comic actors:Jerry Lewis andPee-wee Herman, both obvious inspirations for SpongeBob.[7] For the film, the writers created a mythical hero's quest: the search for a stolen crown, which brings SpongeBob and Patrick to the surface.[7]Bill Fagerbakke (the voice of Patrick) said about the plot, "It's just nuts. I'm continually dazzled and delighted with what these guys came up with."[8]
When the film was completed, Hillenburg wanted toend the series "so it wouldn'tjump the shark", citing concerns among Nickelodeon executives that the show "had peaked". However, Nickelodeon could not afford to end the show due to its massive financial success.[9][10][11][12] As a result, Hillenburg resigned as the series'showrunner,[13] appointing writer, director, andstoryboard artistPaul Tibbitt to succeed him, as Tibbitt was one of Hillenburg's favorite crew members and was "totally trusted".[14][15][16] Tibbitt would remain showrunner until he was succeeded in 2015 by the show's creative directorVincent Waller and staff writerMarc Ceccarelli. He also acted as an executive producer from 2008 to 2018.[14][17] While Hillenburg was no longer involved in the writing process or directly overall running the show on a day-to-day basis, he reviewed each episode and submitted suggestions: "I figure when I'm pretty old I can still paint I don't know about running shows."[13][18] In 2015, Hillenburg returned to the show following the completion of thesecond film as an executive producer, having greater creative input and attending crew meetings until his death on November 26, 2018.[19]
The film was dedicated toJules Engel, Hillenburg's mentor when he studied experimental animation at theCalifornia Institute of the Arts, who died in 2003.[20][21][22]
Middle:Clancy Brown,Mr. Lawrence andJill Talley voices Eugene Krabs, Plankton and Karen.
Bottom:Carolyn Lawrence,Alec Baldwin,Scarlett Johansson andJeffrey Tambor voices Sandy Cheeks, Dennis, Princess Mindy and King Neptune.The film stars the series' main cast members:Tom Kenny asSpongeBob SquarePants,Gary the Snail, and the French Narrator,Bill Fagerbakke asPatrick Star,Rodger Bumpass asSquidward Tentacles,Clancy Brown asMr. Krabs,Mr. Lawrence asPlankton,Jill Talley asKaren,Carolyn Lawrence asSandy Cheeks,Mary Jo Catlett asMrs. Puff, andLori Alan asPearl Krabs. It also featuresDee Bradley Baker as Perch Perkins,Carlos Alazraqui as King Neptune's squire, Aaron Hendry as theCyclops, andNeil Ross as the voice of the Cyclops. In addition to the series' cast, the film starsScarlett Johansson,Jeffrey Tambor, andAlec Baldwin who voice Princess Mindy, King Neptune, and Dennis, respectively, with a cameo appearance byDavid Hasselhoff.[23][24]
Johansson accepted the role because she liked cartoons and was a fan ofThe Ren & Stimpy Show.[25] When Tambor signed for his voice cameo, he noted the similarities between himself and the character King Neptune, including the fact that he himself is bald.[25][26] Stephen Hillenburg said that Baldwin recorded his character Dennis fromNew York over the phone.[25]
Hasselhoff accepted the role when his daughters, Taylor-Ann andHayley, urged him as the two were big fans of the show.[27] Hasselhoff enjoyed his cameo, noting that to this day, kids would still recognize him from his cameo in the film, adding that they "didn't seeBaywatch andKnight Rider".[27]
There were a number of stages involved in the making of the film, beginning with a rough animation process of ideas drawn onPost-it notes.[28] The writers drew, working from rough outlines rather than scripts (which made the humor more visual than verbal).[7] The storyboard artists, includingSherm Cohen, then illustrated ideas conceived by the writers.[8] In the seriesTom Yasumi andAndrew Overtoom do theanimatics, but Hillenburg and Drymon did the animatics for the film.[29] Yasumi and Overtoom were the film's animation-timing directors, concentrating on the sheets.[29]The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, like the series, was animated atRough Draft Studios inSouth Korea.[4] The animators worked semi-digitally with pencil-drawn poses that would becomposited into layouts inPhotoshop.[30]
Series writer and storyboard artistErik Wiese returned to do storyboards and character layout for the film, after leaving the show for a year to work onSamurai Jack andDanny Phantom.[9] He "always wanted to be a feature animator, and the movie felt like I was on the character animation end", describing the experience as "a blast it felt like coming home."[9]
Hillenburg enjoyed the process of making the film:[6] "The TV schedule is tight, and you don't always have a lot of time to work on your drawings."[6] He appreciated the film'shand-drawn animation: "I think the movie's drawings are much superior than the TV show", althoughCGI animation was flourishing at the time of the film's release.[6] "There's a lot of talk about 2-D being dead, and I hope people don't think that. EvenBrad Bird is a proponent of 2-D. He would agree with me that it's all about what you're trying to say. There are many ways to tell a story, and what's unique about animation is that there are many styles with which to tell a story."[6] Theclay animation scenes were shot by Mark Caballero, Seamus Walsh, and Chris Finnegan atScreen Novelties inLos Angeles.[22]
The film features live-action scenes directed byMark Osborne inSanta Monica, California.[8][31] The ship used during the 30-second opening featuring the pirates singing the theme song was theBounty,[32][33] a 180-foot (55 m)-long, enlarged reconstruction of the 1787Royal Navy sailing shipHMSBounty built forMutiny on the Bounty (1962). The ship appeared in a number of other films, includingTreasure Island (1999),Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), andPirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007).[34][35] In film trailers, live-action scenes were taken fromDas Boot (1981),The Hunt for Red October (1990), andU-571 (2000).[6]
David Hasselhoff made acameo in the live-action scenes, offering SpongeBob and Patrick a ride to Bikini Bottom.[36] The scene was originally written before consulting Hasselhoff.[37][38] Hillenburg was pleased with the storyboards;[9] Lead storyboard artistSherm Cohen said, "He had been wrestling with the ending for quite a while, and finally he was ready topitch his ideas to some of the other board artists."[9] Hillenburg was counting on casting Hasselhoff, and the first question he asked him was "So, do we have Hasselhoff?"[9] He replied "No", with a grin.[9] Hasselhoff eventually agreed, before seeing the script.[37][38] Hillenburg said about the actor, "He's a great guy. ... He was great at making fun of himself."[37][38]
The crew built a 750-pound (340 kg), 12-foot (3.7 m) replica of Hasselhoff.[31][36][39] The $100,000 replica was kept at Hasselhoff's home after completion of filming;[40] he has said, "It freaked me out because it was so lifelike, with teeth, when you touch it it feels like real skin."[40] Hasselhoff filmed in cold water, where he was pulled by a sled nine yards across the sea.[8][36][28]
In late March 2014, Hasselhoff offered the replica up for auction with other memorabilia collected during his career.Julien's Auctions handled the item's sale, which was expected to bring in between $20,000 and $30,000. Ultimately, Hasselhoff pulled the item, just a few days before the auction.[41][42][43]
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The DVD and Blu-ray releases include animatics ofdeleted scenes from the film, including SpongeBob and Patrick's meeting withSandy Cheeks (a squirrel) on the surface after they escape from Shell City.[44] Patrick repeatedly vomits, upset by Sandy's unusual appearance.[44] Sandy is pursued by black-suitedexterminators,[44] and defends herself with acorns.[44] She informs SpongeBob and Patrick that they can return to Bikini Bottom by taking a bus at the beach.[44] This idea was later used for the second filmThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015), where Sandy became a giant realistic squirrel.
In 2013, the film's lead storyboard artist,Sherm Cohen, released astoryboard panel of a deleted scene from the film with SpongeBob awakening from his dream saying "WEEEEE!" and Mr. Krabs holding a manager's hat.[45][46]
Gregor Narholz composed the score for the film,[47][48][49] conducting the recording sessions with theLondon Metropolitan Orchestra atAbbey Road Studios inLondon.[50][51] Narholz was signed when series music editor Nick Carr recommended him to Hillenburg after they worked together atAssociated Production Music.[9] Narholz was honored at the 2005ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards for his work on the film,[52] and received a nomination forMusic in an Animated Feature Production at the32nd Annie Awards.[53][54]
American rock bandThe Flaming Lips recorded "SpongeBob And Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy".[55][56] They shot the song'smusic video, directed by band memberWayne Coyne and filmmakerBradley Beesley, inAustin, Texas.[55] Coyne said, "Stephen Hillenburg seems to be a fan of the weirder music of the late '80s and early '90s. He wanted to evoke the music he got turned onto back then."[55] Coyne suggested a duet withJustin Timberlake, but Hillenburg refused,[57] not wanting any of "those sort of commercial weirdos" in the soundtrack, preferring to stick with the music he liked.[57] American bandWilco wrote and recorded "Just a Kid".[56][58] One of the film's producers contacted frontmanJeff Tweedy after seeing a SpongeBobair freshener hanging from Tweedy's rearview mirror inI Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco (2002).[58] Tweedy could not pass up the opportunity to take part in the soundtrack, noting that he "fell in love with SpongeBob when [Tweedy] heard him describe the darkness at the bottom of the sea as 'advanced darkness'."[58]Avril Lavigne recorded the series' theme for the soundtrack.[59][60][61] Other artists contributing to the soundtrack wereMotörhead, singing "You Better Swim" (a derivative of their 1992 song "You Better Run");[62][63][64]Prince Paul ("Prince Paul's Bubble Party");[62]Ween ("Ocean Man"),[62] andthe Shins ("They'll Soon Discover", partially written in 2001).[65]
"The Best Day Ever", written byTom Kenny (SpongeBob's voice actor) andAndy Paley, was featured in the film and on its soundtrack. Kenny and Paley were working on what would become the albumThe Best Day Ever, writing "The Best Day Ever" and "Under My Rock".[66] The film's production team needed two more tracks for the soundtrack;[66] Hillenburg heard the songs, and decided to include them.[66] "The Best Day Ever" ended up being played during the film'sclosing credits.[66]
Julia Pistor, the film's co-producer, said that although Nickelodeon wanted to sell character-themed backpacks, lunch boxes, and wristwatches it respected Hillenburg's integrity and gave him control of merchandising.[7] Hillenburg had no problem with candy and ice creamtie-ins, Pistor said (because of the treats' simplicity),[7] but he had issues with fast food tie-ins; according to him, the latter was "full of hidden additives."[7] Pistor noted that it was difficult to market an animated film without a fast-food tie-in.[7] Hillenburg insisted to keep his marketing strategy as-is, saying "We didn't want to suddenly become the people serving up food that's not that good for you, especially kids. We work withBurger King, and they make toys and watches. But to actually take the step of pushing the food, that's crossing the line."[7]Variety estimated the media value was $150 million.[67]
The film's promotion in the United States included a 12-figure toy line based on the film from Burger King, and about 4,700 of the chain's stores perched 9-foot (2.7 m), inflatable SpongeBob figures on their roofs as part of the promotion (one of the largest in fast food history).[68]
In the weeks since the start of the film's promotion, a number of the inflatables had been stolen from Burger King roofs nationwide.[68][69] The motive behind these particular thefts have not been determined, according to Burger King's chief marketing officer Russ Klein.[68][70] The chain offered a year's supply ofWhopper sandwiches as a reward for information leading to the return of inflatables stolen in November.[68][70][71][72] One was found attached to a railing at the football-field 50-yard line at anIowa college, another under a bed inVirginia, and a third with an attached ransom note.[73] Steven Simon and Conrad (C.J.) Mercure Jr. were arrested after stealing an inflatable from a Burger King inSt. Mary's County, Maryland.[74][75] While facing up to 18 months in jail and a $500 fine, Simon and Mercure said they were proud of what they did;[75][76] The following year, Burger King took "extra security precautions" in response to the SpongeBob incident, whenStormtroopers fromGeorge Lucas'Star Wars guarded the delivery ofStar Wars toys to a Burger King inNorth Hollywood as part of a promotion for the premiere ofRevenge of the Sith.[77]
TheCayman Islands joined with Nickelodeon to create the first Cayman Islands Sea School with SpongeBob for the film.[67] The partnership was announced by Pilar Bush, deputy director of Tourism for the Cayman Islands, on March 10, 2004. As part of the agreement, the Cayman partnership was seen on Nickelodeon's global multimedia platforms, including on-air, online, and in magazines.[78] Other promotional partners includedMitsubishi,Holiday Inn,Kellogg's, andPerfetti Van Melle.[67]
In 2005, Nickelodeon andSimon Spotlight released a book,Ice-Cream Dreams, as a tie-in to the film.[79] It was written by Nancy E. Krulik and illustrated by Heather Martinez, with Krulik andDerek Drymon as contributors.[80][81][82]
On October 15, 2004, the film was the first to sponsor aNASCAR race: the 300-mile (480 km),Busch SeriesSpongeBob SquarePants Movie 300 atCharlotte Motor Speedway inNorth Carolina.[83][84][85][86][87] It was the first race of its kind where children at the track could listen to a special, "kid-friendly" radio broadcast of the event.[83][86]
Kyle Busch andJimmie Johnson debuted a pair ofSpongeBob SquarePants-themedChevrolet race cars in the race. Johnson's No. 48 Chevrolet included an image of SpongeBob across the hood, and Busch's No. 5 Chevrolet featured Patrick Star.[83][86][88]
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie held its premiere on November 14, 2004, atGrauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, and featured a yellow carpet.[89][90][91] Among celebrities who saw the premiere with their children wereRay Romano,Larry King,Ice Cube,Gary Dourdan, andLisa Kudrow.[92] It was later released in the United States on November 19.[93]
The film was released onVHS andDVD on March 1, 2005, inwide- and full-screen editions, byParamount Home Entertainment.[94] The VHS release is known for being the last animated film by Nickelodeon Movies to be released on the platform. The DVD special features include an 18-minute featurette,The Absorbing Tale Behind The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, featuring interviews with most of the principal cast and crew; a 15-minute featurette,Case of the Sponge "Bob", hosted byJean-Michel Cousteau; a 20-minuteanimatic segment featuring scenes from the film with dialogue by the original artists, and the film's trailer.[94] As a tie-in to the film's DVD release,7-Eleven served a limited-edition Under-the-Sea PineappleSlurpee in March 2005.[95][96][97]
The film was released as aBlu-ray-plus-DVD combination pack on March 29, 2011, alongsideCharlotte's Web.[98] It was re-released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 30, 2014.[99] A4K Ultra HD Blu-ray was released on July 16, 2024, to commemorate the film's 20th anniversary.[100]
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie earned $9,559,752 on its opening day in the United States, second behindNational Treasure (2004) (which earned $11 million).[101][102] It grossed a combined total of $32,018,216 during its opening weekend, on 4,300 screens at 3,212 theaters, averaging $9,968 per venue (or $7,446 per screen,[103] again second toNational Treasure).[103][104][105][106] The film dropped an unexpected 44 percent over the Thanksgiving weekend, and 57 percent the weekend after that.[107][108][109] The opening weekend earned 37.48 percent of the film's final gross.[107] It closed on March 24, 2005, failing to out-gross holiday animated competitorsThe Incredibles (2004) ($261,441,092) andThe Polar Express (2004) ($183,373,735). It was still profitable for distributorParamount Pictures and producerNickelodeon Movies, earning $85,417,988 in the United States and $140,161,792 worldwide on a budget of $30 million.[2]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes,The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie holds an approval rating of 68% based on 124 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10. Its critical consensus reads, "Surreally goofy and entertaining for both children and their parents."[110]Metacritic (which uses aweighted average) assignedThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie a score of 67 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[111] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[112]
Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film three stars out of four, calling it "theGood Burger of animation plopping us down inside a fast-food war being fought by sponges, starfish, crabs, tiny plankton and mighty King Neptune."[113] Ed Park ofThe Village Voice wrote, "NoPixar? No problem! An unstoppable good-mood generator, the resolutely 2-D [The]SpongeBob SquarePants Movie has more yuks thanShark Tale (2004) and enough soul to swallowThe Polar Express whole."[114] Michael Rechtshaffen ofThe Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, calling it "an animated adventure that's funnier thanShark Tale and more charming thanThe Polar Express."[115] Randy Cordova ofThe Arizona Republic said, "Like theTV show it's based on, it's a daffy, enjoyable creation."[116]Jami Bernard of theNew York Daily News gave the feature a score of three out of four: "It's notThe Incredibles, or one of those animated features that spent zillions on character design, pedigree and verisimilitude. But SpongeBob is a sweet, silly thing with a child-friendly esthetic all its own."[117] Will Lawrence ofEmpire gave the film four out of five stars, calling it "a film for kids, students, stoners, anyone who enjoys a break from reality."[118]Lisa Schwarzbaum ofEntertainment Weekly gave it a B-minus grade: "The best moments in his [SpongeBob SquarePants] first movie outing are those that feel most TV-like, just another day in the eternally optimistic undersea society created with such contagious silliness by Stephen Hillenburg."[119]Desson Thomson ofThe Washington Post enjoyed the film: "You gotta love SpongeBob. Coolest sponge in the sea, although this one has a suspiciously manufactured look."[120]
Carla Meyer of theSan Francisco Chronicle wrote that "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie retains the 2-D charm of the hugely popularNickelodeon cartoon but adds a few tricks a little 3-D here, a littleDavid Hasselhoff there. The series' appeal never lay in its visuals, however. 'SpongeBob' endeared itself to kids and adults through sweetness and cleverness, also abundant here."[121]A. O. Scott ofThe New York Times gave it a score of four out of five: "If you're tired of bluster and swagger, SpongeBob is your man."[122] Tom Maurstad ofThe Dallas Morning News also gave the film a B-minus grade: "Being so good is what led to making the movie, and it's also the reason that many small-screen episodes are better than this big-screen venture."[123]
Some reviews praised David Hasselhoff's appearance in the film. Jennifer Frey ofThe Washington Post wrote, "Getting to see the hairs on Hasselhoff's back (and thighs, and calves) magnified exponentially is perhaps a bit creepy. Like the movie, it's all in good fun."[124] Cinema Blend founder Joshua Tyler called Hasselhoff's role "the best movie cameo I've seen sinceFred Savage stuck a joint in his crotch and played a clarinet to charm the resulting smoke like a snake."[125]
There's plenty to treasure inThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, but for all the spit-and-polish animation and the rollicking soundtrack (which includes an original song bythe Flaming Lips, as well asWeen's gorgeous "Ocean Man," from theirMollusk album), this isn't the yellow one's most thrilling hour—or 80 minutes."
David Edelstein ofSlate criticized the film's plot, calling it a "big, heavy anchor of a story structure to weigh him down."[126] Mike Clark ofUSA Today called it "harmlessly off-the-cuff — but facing far more pedigreed multiplex competition —SpongeBob barely rates as OK when compared withThe Incredibles."[127] A reviewer noted inTime Out London, "Anyone expecting anything more risky will be sadly disappointed."[128] In hisVariety review,Todd McCarthy said the film "takes on rather too much water during its extended feature-length submersion."[129]
While the film received mostly positive reviews from critics and fans of the show, it is considered a turning point in the show's history; many fans believe that the television series hasdeclined in quality since the film's release.[130] While episodes aired before the film were praised for their "uncanny brilliance",[131] those aired after the film have been called "kid-pandering attention-waster[s]",[132] "tedious",[133] "boring", "dreck",[134] a "depressing plateau of mediocrity"[135] and "laugh-skimpy."[136] After the film's release, fans "began to turn away from the show," causingfansites to "bec[ome] deserted."[130] Some fans believe that the show's 2012 ratings decline correlates with a decline in quality, and "whatever fan support [the show] enjoys is not enough" to save it from its slide in ratings. This was because Stephen Hillenburg and many writers left the show.[130]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Rehydrated! |
In honor of Stephen Hillenburg, a non-profitreanimated collaboration project, titledThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Rehydrated, was released online on May 1, 2022. Similarly to 3GI'sShrek Retold collaboration, the video consists of over 300 artists recreating the film's animation and audio in their own artistic styles. Amid theYouTube premiere, the video was taken down byParamount Global due to copyright laws. As a result, thehashtag #JusticeForSpongeBob became trending onTwitter against Paramount's action. The video was restored the following day.[137][138]
Avideo game based on the film was released forPlayStation 2[139]PC,[140]Game Boy Advance,[141]Xbox,[142] andGameCube on October 27, 2004[143] forMac OS X in 2005[144] andPlayStation 3 on February 7, 2012.[145] The home-console version was developed byHeavy Iron Studios;[146] the Game Boy Advance version was developed byWayForward Technologies[141] and published byTHQ.[147][148]
It was created on the same engine asSpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, which usesRenderWare. Game developer Heavy Iron Studios tweaked the graphics to give the game a sharper and more imaginative look thanBattle for Bikini Bottom. It increased the polygon count, added several racing levels, and incorporated many creatures from the film.[146] The game's plot was based on the film, with SpongeBob and Patrick on a mission taking them outside Bikini Bottom to retrieve Neptune's crown.[149] A mobile version, developed by Amplified Games, was also released.[150][151]
A second movie, which was announced in February 2012, was directed byPaul Tibbitt, written byJonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, and executive-produced by Stephen Hillenburg, who co-wrote the story with Tibbit.[152] Paramount stated in early June 2014 that the film would be released on February 6, 2015.[153] The film involves SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs, Plankton and Sandy taking back the Krabby Patty secret formula from a pirate that stole it, resulting in them making it to land.
The third movie,The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run,[154] was announced in late 2019 and was released on August 14, 2020, in Canada and on March 4, 2021, onParamount+ in the United States.Tim Hill served as the director and the screenplay was written byAaron Springer withJonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger.[154] The film follows SpongeBob and Patrick on a rescue mission to save Gary, and reveals how SpongeBob and Gary met at Kamp Koral.
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