Before I begin this review, let me just explain my background in the SpongeBob universe. I have none. I have never seen an episode of the show, and I know nothing about it’s characters, places, events, etc. The only thing I can recall about SpongeBob is my initial refusal to take part in what I called a fad. This kiddie cartoon had turned people my age and older into fans, wearing t-shirts and all sorts of over-priced merchandise. I never understood it, never wanted to understand it. I found it childish and immature, and was even more so turned off by the people wearing the clothing and everything else (It didn’t help they were a “unique group of people). High school was a special time indeed.
But, flashing forward in time a bit, I first saw a preview of this movie half a year ago, I imagine, when I was sitting with my girlfriend waiting for some run-of-the-mill movie to start (Run of the mill if I can’t remember it). We both groaned out loud and dismissed the preview when it came on, vowing never to see it. As months passed and the release drew closer, word of mouth began to spread as initial screenings came in. I found myself surprised by the amount of positive buzz the film was receiving. Finally, the release day was only a week away, and I still hadn’t decided to see it. Hell, even on the forums here at Pulse, no one was exactly jumping at the chance to screen this one. Release day came and went, and no one had picked it up. So here I am, hard-core film enthusiast, ready to sit through SpongeBob so all of YOU faithful Pulse readers know what’s what with this film. (That, and I was tired of being inside and sick, so I needed out. Also, I can help but wait for the REAL Da Vinci code to come out some day.)
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
Tom Kenny …. SpongeBob SquarePants/Narrator/Gary/Clay (voice)
Clancy Brown …. Mr. Eugene H. Krabs (voice)
Rodger Bumpass …. Squidward Tentacles/Fixh #4 (voice)
Bill Fagerbakke …. Patrick Star/Fish #2/Chum Customer/Local Fish (voice)
Carolyn Lawrence …. Sandy Cheeks (voice)
Mr. Lawrence …. Sheldon J. Plankton/Larry the Lobster/Fish #7 (voice) (as Doug Lawrence)
Mary Jo Catlett …. Mrs. Puff (voice)
Jill Talley …. Karen the Computer/Old Lady (voice)
Alec Baldwin …. Dennis (voice)
Scarlett Johansson …. Mindy (voice)
Jeffrey Tambor …. King Neptune (voice)
The movie begins in SpongeBob’s head. He dreams of becoming the manager of the Krusty Krab 2, a new restaurant his boss, Eugene Krabs, is opening. SpongeBob has been employee of the month forever, so it’s pretty much confirmed in his head and in the head of his best friend Patrick. SpongeBob marches triumphantly to the opening ceremony, only to be devastated when he finds out he was not picked. An unexpected series of events quickly unfold, however, shoving the manager position problem to the back of SpongeBob’s mind. It turns out that Plankton, a rival restaurant owner, has hatched an evil scheme to implicate Krabs in the theft of King Neptune’s crown. SpongeBob has six days to find the crown and return it to the king, or Krabs will fry. So, SpongeBob and Patrick head out of Bikini Bottom to find the crown and save Krabs.
That’s the gist of the movie, with some minor plot twists here and there along the way. Well, not so much plot twists I was actually surprised at the content of this movie and the way it is presented (It has a PG rating to it). This movie is as much aimed at adults as it is kids, if not more so. In a theatre packed to the roof with kids of all ages going bonkers for half of the movie, plenty of people in the older age demographic (late teens, mid-twenties, and plenty of parents) were laughing hard at some parts while the kids just stared ahead with glossy-eyed glee. Near the beginning, for example, Patrick, unaware of SpongeBob’s failure to get the promotion, flies over the crowd naked with a flag held between his ‘cheeks’. A short time later, they go on a ‘binge’ at the Goofy Goober, and both wind up inebriated out of their minds. It leads to one of the funniest moments in the movie, when a ‘drunk’ SpongeBob, unshaven and barely standing, confronts the king and Krabs. And this is only within the first twenty minutes.
Thankfully enough, there is nothing overly annoying or grating with this film. Everyone on the cast does their job perfectly, and all the voice work is brilliant and spot on. Special guest voices like Alec Baldwin and Scarlett Johansson help make characters and dialogue memorable. The music is also amazing, and very well done. Nothing feels forced or out of place on the music side of things. It would be a surprise for anyone, kids and adults, to walk out of the film without the Goofy Goober theme in their heads.
This movie is beautiful. The visuals are top-notch, and bring reminders of the ‘glory days’ of film animation. This is especially evident in one scene where a lot of animation is mixed with live action. It’s all pulled off perfectly and leaves the viewer completely satisfied, as opposed to pulled out of the imaginary world they have so eagerly dived into.
This is a film with plenty of themes, including standing tall in the face of danger, not giving up when others don’t believe in you, and transitioning from childhood to adulthood, all the while being in touch with the inner kid inside. There is an admirable amount of characterization in this film, and it is portrayed in a believable enough way to be credible evolution for SpongeBob and Patrick (Credible for an animated movie, anyway).
There are some problems with the film. The idea that kids can accomplish big challenges is almost shoved down the viewers throats by the end of the film. Jokes about underwear and bear bottoms are tired early on, but continue for some time. But to be honest, nearly all of it is overshadowed or quickly forgotten, because the film almost instantly redeems itself moments later. This is a fun film and it remains that way from beginning to end.
