REVIEW COLLECTION: "SpongeBob Movie" Marathon
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| (Courtesy IMDb) |
After making waves on Nickelodeon for over five years, the cheerfully optimistic and eccentric sea critter known as SpongeBob SquarePants made his big-screen debut, joining the cinematic company of fellow Nicktoons like Rugrats, The Wild Thornberrys, and Hey Arnold. Recalling the character traits of Charlie Chaplin, Jerry Lewis, and Pee-Wee Herman (to name a few), I've enjoyed—since as a kid, and as a younger man—the numerous weekday adventures of the titular kitchen-looking sponge (voiced by Tom Kenny) and his supporting cast of sea creatures in the underwater world of Bikini Bottom. (The original three seasons, at least.) These include pet snail Gary (also Kenny), starfish best friend Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke), grouchy neighbor/coworker Squidward (Rodger Bumpus), greedy restaurant boss Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown), land squirrel Sandy (Carolyn Lawrence), and the megalomaniacal but miniscule Plankton (Mr. Lawrence).
Series creator and marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg helmed this aquatic feature-length comedy in 2004, based on an original idea of his. The plot follows the man-child sponge, who dreams of managing a new Krusty Krab restaurant ("Home of the Krabby Patty"), but is denied due to his kid-like nature. Eventually, he and Patrick journey to the surface world (a.k.a. "Shell City") to find and bring back King Neptune's golden crown, save a framed Mr. Krabs and stop Plankton from taking over Bikini Bottom via mind-control helmets. Reuniting the same crew (six of the original writers storyboarded the entire film) and voice cast from the series, Hillenburg and company also assembled a supporting cast of A-list talent, including Scarlett Johannson (as mermaid princess Mindy, who resembles Thora Birch from Ghost World), Jeffrey Tambor (as the aggressive and balding King Neptune), and Alec Baldwin (as the scary, intimidating, and spike-booted hitman Dennis).
The artists and writers were clearly inspired by the Golden Age of animation, particularly Max Fleisher cartoons (like Popeye), and the work of oceanographer Jacque Cousteau. (It’s interesting that Wes Anderson's edgy sea comedy, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, released the same year.) Live-action segments, fourth wall cutaways, and endlessly silly and bizarre humor, have helped make this show (and its anticipated movie debut) idiosyncratic. While the animation and other series trademarks seemed too lowbrow and low-quality compared with its competition in theaters at the time, it nevertheless holds up as a favorite among fans of its generation today. (I know, because I'm one of them.) That's especially astounding, considering it was released during a time when it seemed that 2D animation in movies had gone extinct. And contrary to CGI hits like Brad Bird's The Incredibles and Robert Zemeckis' motion capture The Polar Express, the makers and cast here maintain a distinctly independent vibe that remains true to the spirit of the series while raising the stakes in unexpected ways.
That being said, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is a darker and edgier flick than audiences were probably expecting, even for a SpongeBob story; it's sort of (but not quite) similar to how Ernest Scared Stupid was for that movie's titular wacky handyman in the early-1990s. The animation and tone recall movies from the 1980s, which were marketed to kids but featured scary, even traumatizing, elements. In fact, certain images and music cues make this 2004 release feel like a weird fever dream in retrospect. Plankton is portrayed as much more megalomaniacal and even murderous (which seems too out of character for him), framing Mr. Krabs to have him executed and hiring a hitman to take out SpongeBob and Patrick. Then there are some questionable moments and suggestive elements, including the sight of Patrick in high-heeled boots and fishnet stockings (what?!), as well as a flag between his rear cheeks in another scene. Did I also mention a sequence where SpongeBob and Patrick get drunk on ice cream?
Still, the movie has many genuinely funny (and now iconic) moments and memes, as well as an infectious soundtrack, including a catchy “Goofy Goober” jingle and an update of Twisted Sister’s "I Wanna Rock" (another 80s influence). An opening sequence finds a live-action pirate crew (riding the coattail of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean the previous year) getting tickets to the movie, while subsequent moments involving pit-stop workers ("Does that hat take ten gallons?") and a tough-man bar ("Who blew this bubble?!?") are riots. But the film’s biggest highlight may be the scene-stealing cameo by Baywatch veteran David Hasselhoff. Speaking of which, the live-action/animated moments throughout are effective and seamless. As far as themes are concerned, SpongeBob highlights what it means to be a kid, and what it means to be mature. Most of all, it touches on self-acceptance and worth ("You just got to believe”), resulting in a quirky and unlikely hero's journey with unexpected poignancy and unmistakable silliness. And that's a compliment.
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| (Courtesy IMDb) |
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie was originally intended as the finale to the TV series. But its popularity and acclaim produced more episodes and series. Creator Stephen Hillenburg decided to step down and hand show-running duties to story artist and writer Paul Tibbit, who carried the show for the next decade. I had only seen a few episodes since the end of Season Three in 2004. While said episodes have been exceptional, I understand or sense that subsequent adventures of the titular square dude and his fellow sea creatures lost that same creativity and wit that permeated the earlier years. Then in 2015, Hillenburg reunited with Tibbitt and crew for another feature film that brought the franchise back to its square roots while embracing new territory.
As the debut credit for the newly-formed Paramount Animation division, the more meta Sponge Out of Water introduced Antonio Banderas as the villainous (and live-action) culinary pirate Burger Beard, who seeks and finds a magical book that grants whatever is written or changed in it. Tibbett handled the animation direction, while DreamWorks veteran Mike Mitchell (Shrek Forever After) handled the live action portions of the film. The screenplay was written by Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger (also veterans of DreamWorks, having written the Kung Fu Panda series), based on a story by Tibbet and Hillenburg. Plus, composer John Debney wrote a very cinematic and rollicking score, while Pharrel Williams (fresh off his hit song "Happy" from Illumination's Despicable Me 2) contributed three original songs via his music N.E.R.D. (The prolific music producer/artist is a fan of the series.)
Some viewers found the plot of Sponge Out of Water too convoluted and the marketing misleading. (The advertised superhero aspect makes up the climax.) But don't let that dissuade you from seeing this absolute blast, which is both fun and funny. (Remember, it's a cartoon. And a movie.) This 2015 installment presents a creative and clever three-act structure that equally works as three different episodes in one. The main plot centers on a quest to find the ever-mysterious Krabby Patty secret formula, with everything from a militaristic food fight to an unlikely team-up between SpongeBob and Plankton after the formula magically disappears, and our main heroes going to the surface—in CGI (a first for the franchise). The artists and crew members take full advantage of the medium of animation (including stop-motion) and creative filmmaking in general, with clever homages to George Miller (i.e., Bikini Bottom as a post-apocalyptic, Mad Max-style wasteland), Stanley Kubrick (a la 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Shining), Sergio Leone (Ennio Morricone's score from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly makes an appearance), and even Marvel (arguably beating that year's Avengers: Age of Ultron at its own game, in terms of originality and idiosyncrasy). And I say that not only as a longtime SpongeBob fan, but as a lifelong cinephile as well.
As of this writing, The SpongeBob Movie marked the last hand-drawn animated theatrical release for Paramount and Nickelodeon. As such, the world of Bikini Bottom and its citizens are as bright and colorful as they've ever been. The filmmakers have truly captured the spirit of those earlier seasons, while making Sponge Out of Water as much an ensemble piece, giving several characters a moment to shine. Unlike his variation in the 2004 movie, Plankton is more like himself here and even has something of a redemptive arc (if only for a moment). Although I prefer the characters in their original cel animation form, their 3D counterparts retain their respective traits, nuances, and personalities, even when they become superheroes. Still, it kind of makes me wonder what this says about the medium and how times--and people's tastes--have changed.
Two years before this film's release, author Matthew Klickstein released an oral biography about the history of Nickelodeon from the late-70s to the early-2000s called Slimed, with SpongeBob being at the footend of that era. This movie recalls that same creative culture that had arguably been missing from the network for over a decade. Despite some mild paganistic references, a satire on our cultural obsession with fast food, and some mild toilet humor, The SpongeBob Movie manages to be surprisingly resonant and sincere, with themes about teamwork and working through or fixing things together rather than alone or selfishly. (SpongeBob's speech halfway through the story is enough to embody this.) The fourth wall humor is hilarious ("All secondary characters come with me"), and longtime fans will appreciate numerous Easter Eggs from earlier episodes. I love this movie. So much, that I ranked it as one of my favorites of 2015. Soak that in as you will.
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| (Courtesy IMDb) |
Riding the coattails of its transition from 2D to 3D animation--as well as groundbreaking techniques previously introduced/used in Warner Animation Group's Lego Movie, Sony Animation's Spider-Verse, and especially Blue Sky's Peanuts Movie, the artists and filmmakers behind a third SpongeBob feature film, Sponge On the Run, blend both CGI with stop-motion frame rates to present a distinct-if-experimental new look for an eye-popping adventure. Originally scheduled for a theatrical release in May 2020, it was moved to streaming in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming one of the first official releases on Paramount+.
Alvin and the Chipmunks director Tim Hill penned and helmed this installment, which was dedicated to series creator Stephen Hillenburg (who passed away from ALS/Lou Gehrig's Disease in 2018), based on a story co-written by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger (who wrote the last movie). In a plot reminiscent of the "Have You Seen This Snail" episode from Season __, the little square dude and his starfish friend, Patrick Star, go on a daring quest/road trip to find SpongeBob's missing pet snail, Gary. Their journey takes them to the Las Vegas-lookalike Lost City of Atlantic City, where the ruling King Poseidon (voiced by Matt Berry) is obsessed with good looks and uses snails for face cream (Gary apparently being the only one left). Soon enough, Sandy Cheeks, Mr. Krabs, Plankton, and Squidward Tentacles go on a quest to help the buddy duo.
Along with the original voice cast, the movie's supporting roster includes Awkwafina as an automated robot (invented by Sandy in an amusing subplot), and Tiffany Haddish as a stage performer. Because the visual style here fits closer to live-action, it's not surprising that several famous faces make appearances as well. Chief among them is a funny Keanu Reeves, as a rolling tumbleweed with a face (named Sage), who makes hilarious references to phone apps and video-on-demand. There are also rapper Snoop Dogg as an emcee of a horde of zombies (a la Michael Jackson's "Thriller") and Danny Trejo as a demonic gang leader (aptly named, El Diablo), in a supposed dream sequence that sugarcoats its underlying dark content, on par with something Robert Rodriguez could've directed. And let’s not forget one other sequence in the aforementioned Atlantic City, where SpongeBob and Patrick gamble, party, and karaoke to, of all things, Ricky Martin's “Livin' La Vida Loca.”
This ranks as the least of the SpongeBob movies by far. Some of the humor is more lowbrow. Patrick sounds smarter than usual (he did in the first season compared with others). And the plot recycles elements from previous episodes and movies (remember the Patty Wagon from 2004?), despite some clever Easter eggs (i.e., items in the Chum Bucket) and otherwise idiosyncratic comedy. It does have some worthy elements, including the importance of friendship and valuing how much of a difference that others make, with characters speaking up for SpongeBob and what he means. Plus, it is nice to see the cast working together.
The biggest change that this movie makes is how it retcons the backstory of how our main characters met, using a summer camp as the focal location--and eventual plot device. (The eponymous Camp Coral would become the basis for a subsequent spinoff series. And the characters are cute as kids, to be sure. Then again, that aspect alone makes it too kiddie, contrary to something like, say, Muppet Babies.) It's also become a cliche of archrival Plankton relentlessly trying to steal Mr. Krabs' secret Krabby Patty formula, this time using SpongeBob's kidnapped snail as an excuse to get the square dude out of the way of his plans. (Plus, didn't SpongeBob and Patrick go on a dangerous quest in the first movie?) While Sponge On the Run is otherwise fun to watch, its experimental approach has its ups and downs. Perhaps a different roadmap next time?
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