AC2: Random Movie Series Review - SpongeBob Squarepants

 

He's been entertaining us all for many years and even now SpongeBob SquarePants is still being broadcast on Nickelodeon as its longest running NickToon. No really, it started all the way back in 1999 and its still going. Of course due to its status of being the longest running as well as how popular it is, Paramount (the parent company of Nickelodeon) were interested in making a film which would have the show follow suite with the likes of Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys. The show's late creator Stephen Hillenburg dismissed the idea initially, but ultimately went ahead and made a film which was originally planned to be the finale of the show. But like with how South Park's film played out, more episodes would be made and years later we would get another film and then more recently yet another film. While the first is to many the best one, the other two ended up going down the CGI route which people didn't like. That is until they saw the films and realized that the characters still look like their animated selves despite being CGI (or to be more specific, the second film was a mix of traditional animation and CGI while the third was full CGI). And there's even some live actions sequences too which add a bit of fun and humour to the mix while breaking the boundaries to allow the characters to go beyond Bikini Bottom. So let's see how the sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea did with his films:

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

One thing that is a reoccurring thing in these films is that somehow it always involves the formula of the Krabby Patty being stolen, taken or gone missing. But as long as each film remains fresh, I personally am ok with that. So before the film proper begins, a live action sequence (which comes and goes throughout) occurs where a pirate crew manage to gain treasure that just so happens to be tickets to the film. As they sing the theme tune, the pirates take their seats at the cinema (I'm British and that's what we call them here in the UK) as the film proper begins. SpongeBob (reprised from the series by Tom Kenny who also voices his pet snail Gary) one day dreams of managing the Krusty Krab restaurant and with news of a new one opening, his dreams may become a reality. But those dreams are dashed when his co-worker and next door neighbour Squidward (reprised from the series by Rodger Bumpass) is given the job instead with Mr. Krabs (reprised from the series by Clancy Brown) finding SpongeBob to be too childish for the task. Meanwhile, Plankton (reprised from the series by Mr. Lawrence) is after the Krabby Patty formula and sets out a plan that sees Mr. Krabs be framed for stealing the crown of King Neptune (voiced by Jeffrey Tambor). Despite hating him for not giving him the job, SpongeBob makes a desperate attempt to retrieve the crown which has been sent to Shell City in order to save Mr. Krabs and his hometown from the evils of Plankton. When comparing this film to its sequels, many people liked that the whole film had the characters remain traditionally animated and not once going CGI. But the CGI part isn't all that bad, but I will save that for the later films. Anyway this film is good. Its goofy, entertaining, heart-warming, emotional and a good time for all. I can definitely see why this was originally set out to be the series finale, but glad that the series continued anyway. 8/10

 

Sponge Out of Water

So the trailer for this film made out that it would replace traditional animation in the live action sequences for CGI instead and this angered fans. The reason for this was that in all the live action sequences for the first film, it was traditional animation and in this film, what happens in the trailer doesn't actually happen until the second act, and they still look like the characters we know and love no matter what dimension they are in. This film acts as a sort of origin story for the pirate that sings the theme tune at the beginning of every episode in the series. In Bikini Bottom, Plankton once again attempts to steal the Krabby Patty formula with SpongeBob interfering in his plans. But when the formula goes missing, everyone but SpongeBob accuses Plankton. The formula itself ends up at a burger joint on the surface and so the main characters of the series team up to retrieve it while gaining the ability to breathe on land and become superheroes in the process. Apart from Sandy (reprised from the series by Carolyn Lawrence) who just looks like a real squirrel in the superhero live action sequences, the other characters look like themselves thus proving that even in the third dimension and with the right people on board, you can still make CGI versions of traditional animated characters as long as they look right and not how Sonic the Hedgehog was originally before the redesign. Have some faith in the people is what I'd say. As for the film itself, its definitely one for the fans and a pretty manic one at that. Both parts of the film are great and I find it quite amusing how the main characters become heroes. So yeah another great film from everyone's favourite sea sponge. 9/10

 

Sponge On the Run

So this third film was affected by the pandemic and for us in the UK, Netflix gained the rights and that's how I was able to watch it. This time around, its completely CGI, but still looking like the cartoon in every way with the style being similar to The Lego Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse where in both films, its CGI mixed with stop motion-like animation. This film sees SpongeBob once again having to leave Bikini Bottom when his pet snail Gary goes missing and ends up being used by King Poseidon (voiced by Matt Berry) in The Lost City of Atlantic City. This comes as a result of Plankton yet again wanting to steal the Krabby Patty formula, but this time his plan is just to get rid of SpongeBob as he always gets in his way. We also find out how SpongeBob met all the main characters and influenced their lives while he and his best friend Patrick (reprised from the series by Bill Fagerbakke) cause trouble in the city to find Gary and keep seeing Keanu Reeves as a tumbleweed. This film answers many questions that the cartoon at this point had not yet provided answers for and at least for me, the answers are unexpected but satisfactory. The animation is just perfect for younger viewers as it really appeals to them (believe me, there are so many family films that forget the demographic of how young children lack the focus that they would get later on in life). Its colourful, funny, heart-warming and just the best SpongeBob film so far even if its all CGI this time around. 9/10

 

So as a cartoon, it's very appealing to younger viewers and those wanting a break from all the serious stuff. As a film series, it continues to be that on the big screen (and small screen in the third film's case) and it works. It is also good that the filmmakers are actually those behind the cartoon which is really important for films and more films need to start doing that. So yeah here's to more wacky adventures in Bikini Bottom and beyond. 9/10