Review of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) by Bob T — 08 Sep 2012

Growing up, I was a huge fan of "SpongeBob." And while the show has slowly but surely become incredibly awful, the movie has only gotten better with age.

Plankton (Mr. Lawrence) has tried 25 different plans to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula from his business rival, Eugene Krabs (Clancy Brown). However, he discovers the diabolical Plan Z, which involves stealing the crown from King Neptune (Jeffrey Tambor) and framing it on his rival. Mr. Krabs only has six days for the crown to be retrieved from Shell City, or else he will be executed, much to the chagrin of Neptune's daughter Mindy (Scarlett Johansson). In the confusion, Plankton manages to enslave all of Bikini Bottom. It will take a real hero to save the day.

Unfortunately, Mr. Krabs has to settle for SpongeBob (Tom Kenny), eager to prove himself a man, and his overweight sea star friend Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke). The movie definitely maintains the spirit of the show, never really changing any of the character's personalities. The new characters are welcome as well, including a menacing Cyclops (Neil Ross), a helpful David Hasselhoff, and Plankton's assassin, Dennis (Alec Baldwin). All of the characters are funny, and they bounce off each other well.

This movie is extremely funny, just like the best episodes of the show. It also has a large amount of heart rarely present in the show, and is even kind of sad at times. The movie's message is a little old (be yourself), but it does it in a new way, culminating in a rock n' roll number about the joys of being a kid. The message only becomes more powerful as you get older, filling you with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia.

The animation is incredible as well. Yes, it's cartoony, but it can also be beautiful at times, especially with the painted backgrounds. One set piece has our heroes entering a deep abyss, full of a variety of wild and creative creatures. There are many obstacles along the road to Shell City, and they're incredibly creative, without being too frightening. The film has a few musical numbers, and they're also very good, especially when Mindy uses Mermaid Magic to make SpongeBob and Patrick into men.

The film isn't perfect. It doesn't take many risks, and can be a little annoying at times. Also, a lot of side characters are either shunted off to the sides or completely fail to show up at all. For a movie meant to be the series finale, it's a little weird not to see how Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy react to Plankton's scheming.

All in all, however, this is a great movie. It'll definitely bring out the kid in you.