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The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: A Review
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is the pinnacle of what makes SpongeBob SquarePants, to me, the best animated show ever made. It manages to make a plot that isn't super complex, and makes it into an adventure that is engaging to all that view it.
It shares this with the initial 3 seasons of the show. Episodes like Ripped Pants manage to have relatively simple plots, that are executed with such excellence, that it makes most other animated shows look inferior in comparison. Part of the reason for the status of the show (and film) are the instantly recognizable and lovable characters. Everyone knows the "Krusty Krew". Spongebob, Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Eugene Krabs, Plankton, and Sandy, amongst multiple side characters comprise what is easily considered a classic cast of characters, being quite nuanced if you watch enough episodes (although they are still great characters without "getting to know them"). However, having a great cast of characters isn't entirely what makes a show great. What Spongebob has that its contemporaries don't, is a unique style of humor that gets laughs from adults and children alike. There is a reason why people in their 20's, 30's, and even older still watch those episodes, and laugh just like they did all those years ago, when they were watching as children, or teenagers. Shanghaied is one of my favorite examples of this kind of humor, being strikingly clever, and even more funny to me as a 19 year old. The final aspect of Spongebob that I want to discuss that makes the show amazing is how emotional it can be. Grandma's Kisses being the prime example, being a sort of The Giving Tree-esque episode, which serves to resonate more with the older audience, rather than the younger audience. To summarize my thoughts (before getting into the movie itself), SpongeBob SquarePants is a show that stands the test of time. The humor, characters, and emotion of the first 3 seasons of the show continue to be beloved by people of all ages. For this, and many other reasons, I consider those seasons to be some of the finest pieces of TV known to man.
Now, does this greatness pass over to the movie? How will these elements be adapted into a work that is over an hour longer than any episode released? Can this be put next to Seasons 1-3 in the Hall of Greatness?
The answer is a resounding yes. All of these elements are present in the movie, and provide an experience that I have yet to see replicated in any other film, regardless of genre or style.
Lets start with the humor. Aged like a fine wine. Even the presence of Baywatch star David Hasselhoff, a figure that is mostly forgotten by younger people, still brings laughter from the concept of a now washed up TV star appearing in a film that he has no business being in. He was a fish out of water (ba dum tiss), and this is a motif in many humorous moments found throughout the film, as well as the show. Outside of this, the film can be somewhat dark with it's humor. Let's take the opening scene, for instance. When analyzing what the scene parodies, being an intense bomb defusal scene, it's a very interesting move to begin a film with that. However, just as it succeeds in being an unexpected beginning to a children's film, it succeeds in being a great beginning to a children's film. The somewhat morbid humor and themes don't stop there, however. There are funny moments throughout, laced with these themes of danger and doom. The man sent by Plankton to straight up kill Spongebob and Patrick is named Dennis, for crying out loud. Midway through the film, Spongebob goes to buy ice cream amongst a sea of skulls, and Patrick tries to engage in casual small talk with a dead skull. This kind of humor is not exclusive to the movie, of course. The ending of the episode Bubble Buddy is an attempted murder, which is unexpectedly blocked by the, now-sentient, Bubble Buddy. To sum it up, the spectacular humor found in the early seasons of the show are also present in the movie, and is cranked up, to the benefit of the film.
Before we go on to discuss the characters, I want to briefly mention the breaking of the 4th wall in the film. The film itself is being shown to a movie theatre of pirates, and we are essentially watching the film with the pirates in the movie theatre. Maybe it's just me, but I think that's a really genius move.
What about the main characters? Do they live up to their TV "counterparts"? Yes. Yes they do. Despite many of them being in a less prevalent role (many are enslaved by Plankton, like Sandy, Mrs. Puff, and even Gary, somehow), the ones that do have a more important place in the story are given as much (if not more) nuance and complexities than they were in the initial 3 seasons of the show. The best example of this would be the main antagonist of the show, Plankton. Plankton is the same as how he is in the show from a motive and personality standpoint. His goal? To steal the Krabby Patty Secret Formula. His personality? The episode aptly titled, "Plankton!" describes it best, as, "1% Evil, 99% Hot Gas". However, his goals did change a bit in the film. The Plan Z causes him to widen his scope. Of course, he still wants to steal the Formula, but now he wants to rule the world on top of that. The interesting part is, he actually succeeds in his goals. He is able to enslave every resident of the Bikini Bottom, and enact his rule over the innocents. Let me remind you, this is a children's film. Plankton is a villain that I really haven't seen in other films meant for children, being an evil that is hard to conceptualize, but able to have nuance. After all, Plankton is evil, but only 1% Evil. Spongebob is another very interesting character in this film. However, instead of talking about his overall motives and whatnot, I would rather discuss a single part of the film. After being rejected for the title of the Manager of the Krusty Krab 2 (for being a "kid"), Spongebob's character does a 180. His usual positive demeanor and resilience is given up out of weakness. He goes to Goofy Goober's, and gets blackout drunk (he eats way too much "ice cream"). He wakes up with a hangover. He is late for work. Realizing this, he displays vitriol, and hate. Spongebob experiences an entire character change, displaying a whole new Spongebob that we haven't seen before. Again, this kind of complexity isn't something that we see everyday. The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie utilizes characters that were already given plenty of depth from the show, and allows them to be more complex, and have more interesting motives and personality traits.
Finally, let's talk emotion. And yes, this film is quite emotional. The message of the film is quite simply, "Being a kid isn't going to prevent kids from doing great things. Being a kid is great, and you should always cherish it." A motif across the film is Spongebob being referred to as a kid. He is rejected for the position as Manager of the Krusty Krab 2 because he is a kid. Plankton calls him a "stupid kid". Dennis rips off his kelp mustache, which destroys the confidence that Spongebob held with it on, believing that having a mustache made you a "man". Throughout the film, Spongebob (and Patrick, to a lesser extent) is demeaned for being an immature kid. This causes Spongebob to hate his own immaturity, and makes his secondary motive throughout the film (aside from rescuing Mr. Krabs, and Neptune's Crown) to assert himself as a mature adult, as an attempt to gain respect from his peers. It's a goal that is somewhat relatable to most of us. As kids, we saw maturity as something to be strived for. We wanted recognition from mature people, and we didn't want to be seen as childish. However, Spongebob is consistently unable to assert himself as a mature adult. When he had the kelp mustache that he believed made him a mature man, it was stripped away by Dennis. When he rescues Neptune's Crown, and returns to the Krusty Krab right in the nick of time, Plankton dismisses his achievements, because he's just a kid. However, Spongebob realizes something. He is a kid. He is a goofball and a wingnut. But despite this, he rescued Neptune's Crown, he saved Mr. Krabs. He did everything that he wanted to do, he achieved all of his primary goals. So who cares if he's a kid? He saved the Bikini Bottom. What I mean to prove by all of this, is that the message of the film resonates with, and inspires the target audience. It rejects the notion that maturity is what achieves greatness, one that is so deeply permeated throughout the world today, that even some of the kids who saw the film chose to reject the message, and futilely continued to aspire to impress adults, that truly don't really care either way.
To wrap things up, I'd like to give some final personal thoughts on the film (and initial 3 seasons). This is my favorite film of all time. SpongeBob SquarePants is my favorite TV show of all time. It holds immense personal importance to me, and I'm thankful that I can share my feelings about this to others. Rest in Peace Stephen Hillenburg, thanks for everything.
SpongeBob SquarePants: BubbleStand/Ripped Pants (1999)
BubbleStand/Ripped Pants
Season 1 of SpongeBob SquarePants contains some of the finest episodes in Television history. Despite not being as polished visually as the later seasons (it was made from 1999-2000, to be fair), the humor, the characters, the stories, and the quotable moments, or in other words, what makes SpongeBob SquarePants my favorite cartoon ever made, are at its peak in Season 1, and by extension Seasons 2 and 3. BubbleStand and Ripped Pants, despite airing so early in the series, do a surprisingly good job at displaying these aforementioned defining traits, as they have an exceptional amount of quotable lines, quality jokes, and also introduce a staple character. Additionally, in the case of Ripped Pants, it teaches quite a valuable lesson (and has a pretty killer tune at the end).
First of note are the quotable lines. Easily the most notable line in the Episode(s) is the Technique from BubbleStand. Despite being repeated three times over the course of the episode, it never loses steam, personally. As for quotability? It's most certainly present, despite being such a long quote. The "bring it around town" part is especially quotable. Ripped Pants isn't as quotable, however. The most iconic quote is most likely Larry saying, "Observe". Despite the lack of quotable lines in Ripped Pants, it more than makes up for it in the joke category.
In opposition to the amount of quotable lines, BubbleStand is relatively dry in the field of jokes. Of course, there are still jokes, but not as many. My favorite of which is SpongeBob noting how peaceful of a day it is in the Bikini Bottom, then proceeding to conduct noisy construction work a few seconds later. BubbleStand has jokes, of course, but just as Ripped Pants focuses more on jokes than quotable lines, BubbleStand clearly is more notable for its quotable lines. Speaking of Ripped Pants, and jokes, Ripped Pants has some exceptional ones. In fact, laughter is the motivating force for the story of the episode. The start of the episode has a flurry of impressions from SpongeBob, that I really enjoy. Overall, Ripped Pants is a lot more humorous, but both episodes excel in being funny, one way or another.
Ripped Pants also introduces a new staple character! It's not a shock, being that it's the second episode of the series, but the introduction of Larry was a graceful one, being a well-meaning bodybuilding lobster. His role is quite minor in this episode, but it's still appreciated nonetheless.
Ripped Pants also has a lesson! Bubblestand is, admittedly, a filler episode, but a great one at that. Ripped Pants, as far as I'm concerned, isn't a filler episode. The lesson, despite being quite simple, is a good one, especially for the target child audience of the show. As the lyric from Ripped Pants states, "Be true to yourself". The ability to convey a message without sounding preachy is something that SpongeBob SquarePants, as a show, does quite well, and that is no different in Ripped Pants.
In conclusion, despite the lack of the character roster of later seasons, and the simplicity of the art style, and stories, BubbleStand and Ripped Pants prove to be some of the most enjoyable episodes of Season One, and a great next step for the show.