SpongeBob SquarePants: The Great Patty Caper – DVD Review

DVD Reviews, Reviews

The power of SpongeBob Squarepants can’t be underestimated. “The Great Patty Caper” episode was a sensation when it aired last November. The only cable show that outdid its rating that week was Monday Night Football. Think of the hundreds of shows that have been considered sensations over the last decade and none have the staying power of the yellow, aquatic superstar. He does have the advantage over Disney Tween sensations since he’ll never grow old. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Great Patty Caper contains seven shorts from the seventh season.

“The Great Patty Caper” puts Spongebob and Patrick on an Orient Express style train mystery. Deep inside the Krusty Krab’s walk in freezer is a shocking event. Turns out there’s no more frozen crabby patties. It’s been so long since they made a batch of patties that Mr. Krabs can’t remember the real recipe. For safe keeping from Plankton, Krabs has the recipe sent to a bank on the other side of the world. Except he forgot to memorize the ingredients. This is why SpongeBob and Patrick Starfish end up on a long train ride. Plankton sneaks on board to steal the key to the safety deposit box. He wants the recipe so bad. This is a double length episode with plenty of time to develop the weirdness. The train goes completely off the tracks during the climax.

“Growth Spout” gives us the domestic life of Mr. Krabs. His whale daughter goes through a growth spurt which makes her very hungry. She can’t stop eating. Mr. Krabs turns to a life of crime to keep her mouth in motion. It’s up to SpongeBob to find the food that fills her up. “Stuck In the Wringer” is a bathing disaster. Instead of a towel, SpongeBob dries off by going through a wringer. As the title suggests, he gets stuck and can’t get out. He goes through his day while trapped inside the device. Patrick isn’t a great help. “Someone’s In the Kitchen with Sandy” brings us another plot from Plankton. This time he steals Sandy the Squirrel’s fur to disguise himself as her. How does a little plankton get to be a big squirrel? He makes a robot with her fur on the outside.

“The Inside Job” proves Plankton has no hope in his plot. He thinks he can get launched into Mr. Krab’s brain to get the recipe. But there’s a screw up that gets him trapped inside SpongeBob. Can Plankton still use his unique position to get the secret? Will he ever learn? “Greasy Buffons” touches upon the worst job in the kitchen of a fast food restaurant. Mr. Krabs must find someone to clean the grease trap. It’s been a while since it’s been pumped clean. They dump the stuff at Plankton’s Chum Bucket. He turns it into an new entree. It’s a hit. This is a fine commentary on what fast food places will serve. “Model Sponge” lets the star pose. SpongeBob thinks he’s getting fired so he gets himself into the fashion business. While he lands a gig, he discovers there’s some nudity required. Even with the controversial topic, this shouldn’t be too shocking for small kids. What child hasn’t seen a bare sponge in the kitchen?

The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The colors are bright with proper details in the animation. The audio is Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0. The mix is fine for the action. Not like they do too much sound effects under the sea.

Great Patty Caper Shorts (2:17) include Spongeholmes, The Porter Reveal and Gumshoe Squarepants. These were teasers run on Nickelodeon for the big episode.

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Great Patty Caper keeps up the little yellow guy’s superstar power. The seven cartoons from his seventh season are rather good. They still keep finding weird ways that Plankton plots to steal the recipe. The series after all these years remains fresh which is good for seafood.


Paramount Home Entertainment presents SpongeBob SquarePants: The Great Patty Caper. Starring the voices of Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass and Carolyn Lawrence. DVD Contents: 7 episodes on 1 DVD. Released on DVD: March 8, 2011.


Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.