The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)
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SpongeBob and Patrick embark on a perilous journey to Shell City to retrieve a stolen crown and prove their maturity.
The story
After Mr. Krabs is framed for the theft of King Neptune's crown by his rival Plankton, SpongeBob and Patrick must travel to the mysterious Shell City to retrieve it. They are told they have only a limited amount of time to complete the quest before Krabs faces execution. Along the way, they must navigate dangerous obstacles and face the threat of the 'Cyclops' while trying to prove they are more than just 'kids'.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
When Plankton steals King Neptune's crown and frames Mr. Krabs, the crustacean is frozen by Neptune. SpongeBob and Patrick set off in the Patty Wagon to retrieve the crown from Shell City. Along the way, they are joined by Mindy, who encourages them with fake mustaches to appear more like 'men'. They face various dangers, including a treacherous trench and a hitman named Dennis. They are eventually captured by the Cyclops, a human diver, and taken to Shell City, a shop selling dried sea creatures. After a chaotic sequence involving a malfunctioning heat lamp and a rescue by David Hasselhoff, they return to Bikini Bottom just in time to stop Plankton's plan to take over the city. SpongeBob ultimately embraces his identity as a 'kid' while using the power of rock and roll to defeat Plankton's mind-control over the citizens. Krabs is unfrozen and promotes SpongeBob to manager of the Krusty Krab 2.
- First release year
- 2004
- Runtime (minutes)
- 87
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Stephen Hillenburg
- Writers
- Derek Drymon · writer; Tim Hill · writer; Stephen Hillenburg · writer; Kent Osborne · writer; Aaron Springer · writer; Paul Tibbitt · writer
- Cast and characters
- Tom Kenny · SpongeBob SquarePants; Bill Fagerbakke · Patrick Star; Clancy Brown · Mr. Krabs; Rodger Bumpass · Squidward Tentacles; Mr. Lawrence · Plankton; Alec Baldwin · Dennis; Scarlett Johansson · Princess Mindy; Jeffrey Tambor · King Neptune; David Hasselhoff · himself
- Genres
- adventure; comedy; animated
- Themes
- power of childhood; growth
- Tone and mood
- goofy; whimsical
- Premise and plot tags
- hero's journey; quest
- Source material / true-story basis
- SpongeBob SquarePants television series
- Franchise connections
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews and was described as a 'good-mood generator' that was 'surreally goofy and entertaining' for both children and adults.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 68% · scale: percentage · review count: 124; Metacritic · score: 67 · scale: 100 · review count: 32; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Annie Awards · Directing an Animated Feature Production · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was originally intended to serve as the series finale.; The production included a $100,000 replica of David Hasselhoff.; The film's promotion included a large-scale partnership with Burger King.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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