Review of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) by Bentley L — 11 Aug 2011

Spongebob was my favorite cartoon for the longest time. That changed when Phineas and Ferb came out. The Spongebob Squarepants Movie was released toward the end of show's glory days. In 2006, the show made a turn. A turn in which it can never escape from. A turn in which the show becomes, dare I say it, unfunny and uninteresting.

The show is basically about a manchild sea sponge and his crazy misadventures around the underwater world of Bikini Bottom. In the movie, Spongebob's boss, Mr. Krab's rival, Plankton, steals King Neptune's crown and frames Krabs. The king is set to execute Krabs if Spongebob and his dim-witted buddy, Patrick, don't come back with the crown in six days. So Spongebob and Patrick go on a perilous road trip to the far end of the ocean to retrieve the Neptune's crown from the forbidden Shell City. However, a hitman hired by Plankton named Dennis is after the two.

Rule #1: Take Spongebob as it is.

The film is its own thing. If you grew up watching Nicktoons like Rugrats, Doug, and Ren and Stimpy, I reccomend this one. Even if you don't watch the show, there are some stuff in the film that you can enjoy. Don't expect it to a magical work of Disney's, a smart Pixar film, or a fantastic Studio Ghibli film. Its a cartoon. Cartoony enviroment and characteristics are present throughout. So take the film as it is. Don't expect more of less.

The scripting in Spongebob episodes range from "good" to "average". The scripting in the film is pretty good. They crack some good jokes. However, there is nothing hilarious. You will laugh but your side won't hurt. If you want that to happen, watch something from the minds of Monthy Python, Mike Judge, or Seth McFarlane.

Tom Kenny nails his voice work on Spongebob. Although, he is a totally overused voice actor. If you love him in the show, you'll love him here. A lot of voice actors from the show shine here. Hillenburg adds some well-known actors into the mix as new characters. We have Jeffery Tambor (Hellboy) playing King Neptune, Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) as Dennis, and believe it or not, Scarlett Johansson (Iron Man 2) as Neptune's daughter, Mindy the Mermaid. The new voice cast does well and knows how to add cartoon-like attitudes into their characters.

Lastly, the animation. The lighting is darker and the characters' designs look a tad different but still impressive. There are some live-action sequences that are shot with a good vintage look. Its the best blend of animation and live-action I've seen since Roger Rabbit.

The Spongebob Squarepants Movie is a fun adaptation of this once-great show and features enough for adults and non-fans as much as it has kids. I'm giving it a 80% because it is just to darn entertaining, memorable, and quotable. The show will never go back to these roots and if it did, it will not be the same.

"I listen to public radio.".