REVIEW: “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on The Run”

REVIEW: “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on The Run”

March 4th, 2021

Martin Goodman

As of 2021, SpongeBob SquarePants had hit the skids. New episodes of the wildly popular Nickelodeon series (now in its 21st year) had dribbled down to a sporadic trickle, and with creator Steve Hillenburg gone, the fire seemed to have died. Several veterans of John Kricfalusi’s old Spumco outfit (aided by other veteran writers and animators), carry the torch, and the original voice cast soldiers on, but things were drying up in Bikini Bottom.

But fear not, Spongefans: the next phase of the saga comes with a fanfare from Squidward’s clarinet. The leadoff hitter is Sponge on The Run (SOTR from here on out). This is the third theatrical release featured the intrepid sponge and company, long-delayed due to the COVID-19 epidemic’s assault on movie theaters. The film can shortly be seen on the new Paramount+ streaming service. More on this later.

The plot is so simple that there are virtually no spoilers ahead. The film is based on a past SpongeBob episode, “Where’s Gary?” in which SB’s beloved pet snail goes missing (there are a few homages to that episode in the film). On this occasion, the pet has been snail-napped by King Poseidon (redesigned for this film) who uses snail slime as a rejuvenating face cream. His kingdom is in the “Lost City of Atlantic City”, and SpongeBob and his buddy Patrick Star take off in pursuit, aided by Otto, an unpredictable robot designed by resident scientist squirrel Sandy Cheeks. Also along for help and spiritual guidance is Sage (Keanu Reeves), a mystic who appears in a sagebrush.

There are obstacles in their way, such as the terrifying El Diablo, resident ruler of a ghost town inhabited by cowboy zombies (and Snoop Dogg). SpongeBob and Patrick also prove to be their own worst enemies when they succumb to the temptation of the lures of Atlantic City and end up imprisoned. Eventually they are joined by the rest of the cast—Sandy, Mr. Krabs, Sqiudward, and even Plankton (who got the whole plot rolling) who arrive just in time to prevent SpongeBob and Patrick from being executed in a lounge act/game-show kangaroo trial hosted by Poseidon. SpongeBob bravely tells the sea king that beauty comes from within, and offers his friendship, touching the king so deeply that he reveals his flawed self and frees everyone. Gary and the captive snails are released to the new Bikini Bottom snail refuge.

The voice cast is in fine form, as they have been for two decades. New performers such as Awkwafina as Otto and Tiffany Haddish as a Cirque du Soleil-inspired game-show emcee more than hold their own. Keanu Reeves, resembling a guru crossed with his John Wick persona, is a highlight of the movie.

As for the animation, Mikros Images did a wonderful job. The CGI animation does have some detailed texturing, especially in close-ups, but the overall feel is CGI in the service of a soft, cartoony appearance. The compositing, when it is used, is flawless. There are brief moments when the characters’ mouth movements appear to be a beat off from the dialogue, but not many. The depiction of Atlantic City is a carnivalesque triumph; the sequence that features it most prominently appears to be a homage to Pleasure Island in Disney’s Pinocchio. The physical distortions and facial “takes” are consistent with the style used in the last five years of the series, and even the incidental characters that inhabit Bikini Bottom are recognizably reproduced. One exception is the gray female character usually called Susie Fish, who now has ginger rather than white hair beneath her headband. For those whose knowledge of the series is on the Wiki level, there are plenty of nods to past episodes. One of the best is Plankton’s Wall of Failure; if one is quick enough, references to Plankton’s greatest failures are depicted.

The plot of neither as deep nor does it contain as many twists as the previous SBSP movie (Sponge Out of Water) but is sufficient to carry the story. SOTR was originally titled “It’s a Wonderful Sponge” and does reference the 1946 Frank Capra classic in the penultimate trial scene. However, there is a reason that the film is more kid-friendly and the trial scene plays the way it does: the sponge-saving testimonies in flashback by the Bikini Bottomites were an unabashed promotion for the upcoming Paramount + TV series Kamp Koral. Each flashback depicts summer days spent at the titular camp when all the main characters were young’uns.

This series does not appear to be as soppy as say, Muppet Babies or Baby Looney Tunes, but its inclusion in SOTR is an undeniable marketing ploy. While this series does not appear to be as soppy as, say, Muppet Babies or Baby Looney Toons, its promotion throughout SOTR is jarring, especially when many events are retconned; the first meeting between SpongeBob and Sandy Cheeks is shown as taking place at Kamp Koral (they were full-grown when they first met in the TV episode Tea at the Treedome). Another re-do is the childhood history of Mr. Krabs, much different from the events detailed in Friend or Foe. Kamp Koral will be part of the next phase of SpongeBob. I can hear kids demanding that their parents subscribe to the new streaming service after they see this movie, but longtime aficionados may not be as pleased.

Director/Writer Tim Hill channeled Steven Hillenburg for the feature and clearly understands the prevailing humor that underlies many of the modern SpongeBob episodes. Physical gags and gross-out humor takes precedence over wit, and the humor is as broad as anything seen on TV. Except for the Kamp Koral additions (which were likely forced on Hill by Nickelodeon/Paramount), SOTR resembles a SpongeBob episode successfully extended to feature length. It is a credible and quite entertaining entry to the SpongeBob cinematic trilogy, and even the blatant marketing of Kamp Koral does very little to blunt its enthusiastic joy.