The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is a 2004 American live-action animated adventure comedy film based on the Nickelodeon television series, SpongeBob SquarePants. The film was directed and produced by series creator Stephen Hillenburg, and stars the regular television cast (Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass and Mr. Lawrence) with guest performances by Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Tambor, Alec Baldwin and David Hasselhoff. The plot follows Plankton's plan to steal King Neptune's crown and send it to Shell City; SpongeBob and Patrick must retrieve it there to save Mr. Krabs' life from Neptune's wrath and their home (Bikini Bottom) from Plankton's plan.
Previous offers by Paramount Pictures to create a film version of SpongeBob SquarePants were turned down by Hillenburg, but he eventually accepted one in 2002. When the film went into production, Hillenburg and the show's staff halted production on the series after the third season. A writing team: Hillenburg, Paul Tibbitt, Derek Drymon, Aaron Springer, Kent Osborne and Tim Hill was assembled, conceiving the idea of a mythical hero's quest: the search for a stolen crown, which would bring SpongeBob and Patrick to the surface. The film was originally intended as the series finale; however, Nickelodeon wanted more episodes of the series as it had become increasingly profitable, so Hillenburg resigned as showrunner with Tibbitt taking his place.
The film was widely promoted by Paramount and Nickelodeon, with tie-in promotions were made by 7-Eleven, the Cayman Islands and Burger King (which decorated some stores with 9-foot (2.7 m) SpongeBob SquarePants inflatable figures). The film was a box-office success (grossing over $140 million), and received generally positive reviews from media fans and critics. A sequel titled The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water was released on February 6, 2015, and another titled The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run was released in 2020.
Plot[]
SpongeBob SquarePants cheerfully prepares for the opening ceremony for a second Krusty Krab, expecting his boss Mr. Krabs to promote him as new manager of the new restaurant. Instead, Mr. Krabs names Squidward Tentacles as manager, thinking SpongeBob is too immature to handle the role, much to SpongeBob's depression. Meanwhile, Mr. Krabs' business rival, Plankton, complains about his failures to his computer wife Karen, being unable to steal the Krabby Patty formula. When Karen points out plan "Z", a scheme which he has yet to attempt, Plankton decides to implement it.
That night, SpongeBob drowns his sorrows in ice cream with his best friend Patrick Star. Elsewhere, Plankton steals King Neptune's crown, leaving false evidence to frame Mr. Krabs for the crime, and sends the crown to the distant land of Shell City. The next morning, Neptune barges into the Krusty Krab 2 and threatens Mr. Krabs for his alleged thievery. SpongeBob arrives and chastises Mr. Krabs under the influence of an ice-cream headache, but seeing his boss's life at risk shocks SpongeBob back to his senses and he promises Neptune that he will retrieve the crown from Shell City. Neptune is convinced by his daughter Mindy to spare Mr. Krabs for the time being and freezes him instead, ordering SpongeBob to return with the crown in 6 days. Soon after SpongeBob and Patrick leave for Shell City, Plankton steals the Krabby Patty formula and uses it to produce and sell Krabby Patties at his restaurant, the Chum Bucket. He also gives away free Chum Bucket helmets to his customers, which are actually mind-controlling devices that Plankton activates to control Bikini Bottom's residents and take over the city. Squidward goes to the Chum Bucket to confront Plankton, but is captured and enslaved by the customers.
After overcoming several setbacks on their journey, including sacrificing the Patty Wagon to escape a ravenous frogfish, SpongeBob and Patrick reach a dangerous, monster-filled trench. When they finally come to the conclusion that they cannot finish the mission due to their immaturity, they tearfully give up. Mindy, however, arrives at the trench and tells SpongeBob and Patrick of Plankton's plan. She pretends to magically turn them into men by giving them seaweed mustaches. With their confidence boosted, they brave the trench but are confronted by Dennis, a hitman hired by Plankton to eliminate them. Dennis is stepped on by a hard-hat diver that SpongeBob and Patrick believe to be a Cyclops. The Cyclops grabs SpongeBob and Patrick, and takes them to his beachside store, revealed to be Shell City.
In the store, SpongeBob and Patrick find the crown, but dry out and die when they are dehydrated by the Cyclops' heat lamp. Their tears short-circuit the lamp's power cord, and its smoke activates the sprinkler system, reviving them and the other dried sea creatures intended to be sold as souvenirs. As the vengeful sea creatures attack and overwhelm the Cyclops, SpongeBob and Patrick take the crown and head for the beach, where David Hasselhoff appears and offers them a ride. He swims from the beach to Bikini Bottom carrying them on his back. Dennis catches up to them but is knocked by a catamaran back into the sea. Then, when they arrive at Bikini Bottom, Hasselhoff launches Patrick and SpongeBob down to the Krusty Krab 2.
At the Krusty Krab 2, King Neptune arrives to execute Mr. Krabs much to Plankton's enjoyment, but SpongeBob and Patrick return with the crown just before he is able to do so. They and Mindy confront Plankton, but he drops a mind-controlling bucket on Neptune, enslaving him. Before Plankton can direct Neptune to kill them, SpongeBob finally accepts his immaturity and bursts into a rock song which destroys the mind-controlling helmets, freeing King Neptune and Bikini Bottom's residents from Plankton's rule. Plankton tries to escape, but is stepped on by the other citizens. Plankton is arrested by the police for the crimes of brainwashing the Bikini Bottom citizens, scapegoating Mr. Krabs, and also for stealing Neptune's crown. Where Neptune thaws out Mr. Krabs, who promotes SpongeBob to manager of the Krusty Krab 2 in gratitude.
Appearances in EDP Projects[]
- Top 10 Worst Films Based on a Cartoon
- AniMat's Reviews - The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water
- AniMat's Reviews - The Jungle Book
- WE DID IT!!! 100,000 Subscribers Celebration!
- AniMat's Classic Reviews - The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie