RJ Writing Ink

A Fan’s Retrospective on The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 20 Years Later

New Year’s Eve, 2003. Nine-year-old me is celebrating by watching Nickelodeon count down the final hours of 2003 with their best moments throughout the year. Then, the host, Pick Boy, segues into a teaser showing off what’s to come for Nickelodeon in 2004. While I don’t remember the rest of what was included, one image shown brighter in my eyes than the sun itself:

The following day, I woke up, went on Nick.com, and found the teaser trailer for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. I then proceeded to watch it hundreds of times.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Meant Everything to Me

To say that I was a fan of SpongeBob as a kid was an understatement. Until Avatar: the Last Airbender showed up a year later, SpongeBob was my favorite cartoon of all time. Even long after I’ve stopped watching the newer episodes, SpongeBob holds a special place in my heart. That little sponge was the coolest, funniest, and friendliest guy kid-me knew, and I wanted to be just like him. Throughout 2004, I would follow news about the film with a growing obsession, all leading up to the day when it finally came out in theaters, and I got my family to take me to see it. Even though I already knew most of the plot, I was still over the moon watching the movie, thanks to playing the tie-in games ahead of time. SpongeBob, my hero, is on the big screen! It was one of those moments that stayed rent-free in my head.

Now, here we are, twenty years to the day when SpongeBob and Patrick went on their biggest adventure ever. Having rewatched the whole film for the first time in years, I felt compelled to ask myself, “Is this film still good? Does it hold up after two decades of additional SpongeBob content?”

My answer: not only does The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie still hold up, but it’s even better as an adult.

I Relate to SpongeBob’s Struggles With Maturity

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you should know the film’s plot by this point. After Plankton steals the crown of King Neptune and frames Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob and Patrick have to go on a quest to get it back from the treacherous Shell City. However, the driving force behind the whole film is SpongeBob’s emotional conflict because of how others perceive him as an immature kid. They’re not wrong. SpongeBob is a kid at heart, but getting passed over for a promotion he had more than earned because of it really got to him. As a result, he, and to a lesser extent, Patrick, spend most of the film going through this character arc. First, they ignore what everyone says about them, then they try to act like how they think an adult should act. Eventually, though, SpongeBob makes peace with his childish nature. Instead of letting it get to him, he wears his childishness like a badge of pride, giving him the power he needs to save the day. And giving us one of the most epic guitar solos in animation history.

I already loved seeing SpongeBob prove his naysayers wrong as a kid. I had never seen a problem with the way SpongeBob acted before, after all. However, after going back and rewatching The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie as an adult (and listening to others review it for a whole day), I appreciate the themes even more as an adult. As we get older, our worldview starts to get more complicated as we see how stressful it can get. More often than not, it can become a trial to stay happy and have a positive attitude, especially when we’re going to inevitably fail. I’ve learned that all too well as I’ve become an adult and found myself working the same kinds of jobs that SpongeBob has. In addition, I’ve also been called out for my own perceived immaturity, something that bothers more than I would like to admit. Thus, I can relate to SpongeBob’s plight in this film.

And you know what? After seeing this movie again, it reminds me why I want to remain a kid at heart forever. Yeah, SpongeBob can be an immature goofball, something that’s gotten exaggerated in later seasons. But looking back on this film and seeing how happy he is with his life, a lot of people could stand to learn from it. Everyone should keep that inner child alive and well and maintain that youthful sense of optimism all their lives.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is Still Amazing

In short, I loved The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie as a kid, and I love just as much as an adult. I love it more when you consider the waxing and waning of quality in the post-movie era. If anything, having the show continue up to the present day has only allowed its popularity to endure to the point that it’s more than just a show. SpongeBob is a legend on par with Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny. And The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie played a large part in making that happen.

Also, this movie introduced me to the likes of David Hasselhoff and Scarlett Johansson. I didn’t even know Scarlett voiced Mindy until after she hit it big as the Black Widow!!

Jay’s Month of Screams, Day 31- Spongebob Squarepants

Alright, boys and ghouls, are you ready for Halloween? I know I am, thanks to my month of screams! I’ve had a blast talking about all the specials, movies, and scary web shows I’ve watched all October, and before it ends, I wanted to share one of my favorites. It’s a classic Halloween special from one of the greatest cartoons of all time. First, though, I need you guys to answer a question: who live nears a graveyard under the sea? SPONGEBOB SCAREDYPANTS!

Spongebob Scaredypants

Fed up with being the easiest person in to scare in Bikini Bottom, Spongebob decides to do the scaring on Halloween. So he dresses up as the Flying Dutchman, and after a quick shave courtesy of Patrick, he tries to get rid of his embarrassing nickname for good.

As kids, we could all sympathize with Spongebob’s desire to not be so scared on Halloween. Halloween’s about getting scared, yes, but it’s supposed to be in good fun. Therefore, not being able to enjoy it is the worst.

Unfortunately for him, Spongebob’s flimsy idea of a scary costume doesn’t scare anyone. At best, it confuses people to see someone run around with a sheet over him. That’s the joke, though, so it’s pretty funny.

Spongebob Scares Everyone

Taking said joke to its logical conclusion, Spongebob and Patrick try to crash the Halloween party at the Krusty Krab. However, thanks to a jellyfish sting, the operation goes belly up; or pants up. I know it may be a bit mean, but even I couldn’t help but laugh at Spongebob’s failure.

The first appearance of the Flying Dutchman was the perfect level of scary for me as a kid. He looked and sounded terrifying, but Brian Doyle-Murray knew how to ham it up so that kids could like him. However, that made his reaction to the sight of what’s underneath Spongebob’s costume even funnier.

While the sight of Spongebob’s brain was weird, I was too young to fully understand how weird it was. Besides, I liked everyone’s reactions.

Scaredypants Was An Instant Classic

It’s been twenty years since Spongebob premiered on Nickelodeon. Even two decades on, “Spongebob Scaredypants” remains one of my favorite Halloween specials. It’s got all the hallmarks of what would make Spongebob a legendary cartoon. The humor, the voice acting, even the music all blend perfectly to create a 90s classic. I watch it every Halloween, and I hope that it remains a classic for years to come.

Click here to see the FANDOM Article I did for Halloween last year.

Click here to see my other animation stuff. Or here to see all holiday related posts.

twitter.com/venomdeathninja/status/1181888125712261120

Hey everybody! It’s Leif Erickson day!

My Reaction to the remaster of Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom

That’s right, my fellow millennial and 90’s kids, one of the games that helped make our childhood is getting a long-awaited remake.

Earlier today, THQ Nordic released the above teaser trailer for “rehydrated” version of the classic Spongebob game, Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom.

Released in 2003 for the PC, PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, and Gameboy Advance, the basic plot’s the same across the board. Plankton tries building an army of robots, but they turn on him and start running amok! It’s up to Spongebob, Sandy, and Patrick to defeat the robots and save the city.

I played the game on the PC and console, and I still look back on it with fond memories. It most of the show’s cast (Clancy Brown couldn’t play Mr. Krabs for some reason) and all the silly humor of the show. I loved bashing away at enemies with Spongebob’s bubble blower or tongue-boarding down a mountain. This game was an instant classic, and while the critics had mixed reviews of it, fans of the show remember it as the best Spongebob game ever.

New Features

According to what THQ Nordic said, the remaster will feature modern graphics, improved game play, and greater resolution. Most important, though, are the new features being added. A multiplayer mode’s coming, and players will be able to play on split-screen or online, from what I heard. They’re even adding new content that was cut from the original game, like a giant robot Squidward. I didn’t even know they had thought of putting that in the game. So cool.

I, for one, am very excited about this. Spongebob Squarepants is one of my all-time favorite cartoons, and Battle for Bikini Bottom was one of my favorite games as a kid. This is the kind of nostalgia bait that I’ll support. I can’t wait to learn more

We do know that it will release on consoles and Steam, but no release date’s been set. With E3 only a week away, though, I don’t think this is a coincidence. THQ Nordic will be making an announcement about it at E3, and I’m ready! Are you ready, kids?

2019 Super Bowl’s Failed Halftime Show

I wanted to write this yesterday, but since the Super Bowl was still fresh in my mind, I decided I would get too emotional to do anything about it. So, I gave it an extra day to let myself cool off.

As many already know, in November, 2018, Stephen Hillenberg, the creator of the famous cartoon Spongebob Squarepants, died from ALS.

Shortly after his death, a petition began to go around the internet. With the Super Bowl coming up, one fan came up with an idea to create the perfect tribute to Hillenberg: have the song “Sweet Victory” play at the Super Bowl Halftime show.

Sweet Victory

Any fan of Spongebob has heard or seen “Sweet Victory”. At the climax of the Season Two episode “Band Geeks“, Spongebob helps Squidward lead the citizens of Bikini Bottom in playing the song at halftime for a spoof on the Super Bowl, the Bubble Bowl.

That performance and the final shot of Squidward leaping into the air in joyful triumph is legendary in cartoon lore. “Band Geeks” was critically acclaimed and is considered by most fans and critics to be the show’s best episode. I affectionately call it “Squidward’s finest hour.” So when that petition went up to play it at Super Bowl LIII, hundreds of thousands signed it as the ultimate tribute to the late Hillenberg.

In January, it looked like fans were going to get their wish:

Here’s what we got instead:

What. The heck. Was that? Just thinking about it makes me upset!

While some fans were happy that Spongebob got a cameo at the halftime, many were livid, myself included. So, we did what angry fans do: go to social media and spew our bile. Currently, the #1 trending video on YouTube, the Super Bowl LIII Halftime’s overwhelmingly disliked. It stands at 622k dislikes, last time I checked. And the comments are just as bad:

I don’t hate Sicko Mode, i actually think it’s an amazing song. But when you do Spongebob dirty like that, that’s when you’ve crossed the line

Lee Croc, YouTube

“Hey Patrick, what am I now? “”Uhh, stupid? “”No, I’m the NFL!” “What’s the difference!”

Hello, YouTube

We are disliking the video faster than nfl can remove it

Rocky Reyes, YouTube

I could go on! Everyone hated it!

We Got Ripped Off

I am aware that we were never outright promised that “Sweet Victory” would be played at the Super Bowl, but it was implied that it would be, given the footage of Spongebob in Maroon 5’s promo for the Halftime. I know that it can be argued that we should be lucky that we even got that cameo.

I don’t want to argue that, though. Because it felt like the cameo was an even bigger insult to the fans. The people who run the NFL and the Super Bowl thought that fans would be content with a brief cameo, but they underestimated us.

An Insult To the Fans

Having Spongebob reduced to a small cameo not only felt lazy, but disrespectful. Disrespectful to the fans who fought so hard for this, and disrespectful to Spongebob, Hillenberg, and the impact they’ve had on so many lives. Even if they didn’t have the cameo, the Halftime Show would have gotten a lot of hate. It was bland, forgettable, and honestly, it sucked.

At least there are people out there who have tried to do something to correct the NFL’s mistake. The morning after the Super Bowl, the Dallas Stars posted this video on their Twitter feed, giving us the halftime show fans deserve.

There’s no point in dwelling on the past any longer, though. All we can do is make sure the NFL learns their lesson and move on. Maybe someday, we can give Hillenberg the tribute he deserves, and get the sweet victory we deserve. As for Maroon 5, I hate them now. Plus side is, we have our first Dank Meme for 2019.

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The First Spongebob Christmas Special

This special has been on long enough that I don’t think I need to explain much about the plot. So let’s just go over the basics.

After Sandy teaches Spongebob about the concept of Christmas, he shares the holiday with the rest of Bikini Bottom, and soon everyone is in on it. Everyone except for Squidward, who thinks everyone is being stupid.

So Christmas Eve comes, and Squidward is being the Scrooge who refuses to celebrate the holiday. So while everyone is waiting for Santa to come, he goes to sleep. Santa doesn’t show up, and everyone becomes disillusioned with the holiday. Even Spongebob tearfully admits that Squidward was right. Feeling guilty, Squidward decides to dress up as Santa to make Spongebob happy, and then ends up giving away all his stuff as gifts. Then the real Santa shows up and thanks him.

Good Times With Spongebob

As a kid who was making the transition from Nick Jr. to Nickelodeon proper, this was one of the first Christmas specials that I saw growing up, and I loved it. I was a huge Spongebob fan throughout my childhood and tried to emulate him as much as possible. I enjoyed watching his Christmas special every year. That being said, there was one thing about the special that always bugged me: why did everyone stay up to wait for Santa?

As a kid growing up, I was always taught that if you wanted Santa Claus to show up, then you needed to go to sleep so that he wouldn’t be seen. Granted, I know that that was so that parents could put out the presents. Why wouldn’t Sandy tell him that? Most kids will know that idea.

Furthermore, I get why Squidward wanted to rub the fact that he was right in Spongebob’s face. I would be probably be annoyed by Spongebob’s attempts to get him into the holiday spirit. But being right doesn’t give him the right to be a total jackass. Even so, I think Squidward’s decision to dress up as Santa was one of the nicest things I’ve ever seen him do. Too bad I don’t see him do that any more.

In all, though, this remains one of my all-time favorite Christmas Specials, and I hope that you guys have a Merry Christmas.

Click here to see my other animation stuff. Or here to see all holiday related posts!

Before we start, I would just like to say that I do not, repeat, DO NOT consider Nickelodeon’s idea of “Spongebob Merrypants” to be a Christmas Special. Including Santa Claus in an episode does not make it a Christmas Special by default.

Now, today as a tribute to Stephen Hillenburg, the man who created their most popular cartoon, Nickelodeon ran an 8-hour marathon of SpongeBob. Some of the best episodes from the first three seasons of SpongeBob (AKA what fans call “The Golden Age”) running from noon to 8. Since I hadn’t watched a holiday special yet today, I decided to cap off the night with a SpongeBob Christmas special. 

I was tempted to do the first special, “Christmas Who?”, but I wanted to save that for another day. So instead, I did the more recent one, “It’s a SpongeBob Christmas!”

I had always loved SpongeBob, but once I reached a certain age, I moved on to new shows. Plus I had to worry about school more. I kept up with the show, but it didn’t entertain me as much as before. Then I saw the stop-motion SpongeBob Christmas Special and fell in love all over again!

Just Like The Old Days

This special has all the trappings of the legendary stop-motion Christmas Specials of the 1960s and 70s. Several songs about Christmas? Check. A problem that threatened to ruin Christmas? Check. An appearance by Santa Claus himself as Christmas is saved? Check! And as an added bonus, Patchy the Pirate even plays a mailman delivering mail to Santa. Well, more like he steals a mailman’s truck to get his letter to Santa

The whole special revolves around Plankton’s attempts to ensure that he finally gets on Santa’s nice list. Rather than be nice, though, he decides to turn everyone else in Bikini Bottom into jerks using a convenient new element called Jerktonium. It turns everyone who ingests it into jerks, so he laces fruitcake with it, and tricks SpongeBob into feeding it to everyone in Bikini Bottom.

Pretty soon everyone in town is mean and grumpy. Except for SpongeBob, whose love of the holidays makes him immune. It also means he’s the only one who can save Christmas. One Christmas Song later…

It works, though Santa nearly writes off the whole town as naughty. Thankfully, Plankton’s Plan B (release a robot SpongeBob to ruin his good name) backfires when tries to kill Santa.

SpongeBob ends up saving Santa and everyone gets back on their rightful place on Santa’s list, but I’m confused at how Plankton thought this would work. It was two days before Christmas. How could everyone being jerks in two days put them on the naughty list so easily, or get Plankton off it? 

Thank You, Spongebob Christmas

Well, it doesn’t really matter. I liked this special. It was original, it captures the spirit of the original SpongeBob Christmas Special, and it hearkens back to some of the specials that my parents grew up on. It was an excellent way to cap off a day dedicated to the memory of the man who helped make my childhood. RIP Stephen Hillenburg! And to all of my readers, happy holidays!

Click here to see my other animation stuff. Or here to see all holiday related posts!

My fellow goofy goobers, nickelodeoneans, and millennials: yesterday Nickelodeon announced on social media that Stephen Hillenberg, creator of the legendary show Spongebob Squarepants, had passed away from ALS.

You may now commence with the crying.

 I’m crying too, by the way. But not just out of sadness. I’m crying tears of joy, laughter, and gratitude. Growing up, Spongebob was probably my favorite cartoon to watch on TV, not counting Avatar: The Last Airbender. I loved watching Spongebob and his friends in their adventures through Bikini Bottom. I played the video games, I saw the original movie, and read the comics. For a time, my parents even banned me from watching the show because it was making me too silly. That just made me love it more 😉

Spongebob was a massive part of my childhood, and I’m taking the creator’s passing pretty hard. As hard as I took Stan Lee’s passing. But after I wipe the tears off my face, I just started remembering all the good memories Spongebob gave me. And then I wanted to just start laughing. Now, I just want to talk about a few of my favorite episodes and moments in Spongebob in honor of the man who gave us so many laughs. In no particular order, by the way.

Pranks a Lot

I remember this one very well. It came out on video before it ever aired on TV, so I got my parents to haul me to the Library to check it out first chance I got. Spongebob and Patrick bought that can of invisible spray from a jokes shop and decide to use to prank everyone in Bikini Bottom. So they strip down and go around scaring the whole town into thinking they’re ghosts. But when they try and scare Mr. Krabs, he turns the tables on them and exposes them.

The whole plot of the episode is funny enough as it, watching everyone freak out over the “ghosts.” But the real clincher is how Mr. Krabs gets payback on the duo. Instead of getting mad, he pretends to laugh it off. But as soon as the two leave the bathrooms in the Krusty Krab, this happens:

I don’t remember if I laughed at this or just sat there smiling, but I can imagine that I was laughing myself to death on the inside. The way Mr. Krabs sets up the prank by fooling Spongebob and Patrick and then timing it just as the episode ends is comedic gold. Now THAT is what I call comedic gold.

I Had an Accident

I think this episode aired right before the Kid’s Choice Awards in 2003. Spongebob breaks his butt in a sand-sledding accident and then gets too scared to leave his house. Then a gorilla attacks Sandy and Patrick and he has to go outside and save them.

I liked this episode as a whole, but the really funny came at the end, with this:

To this very day, I have no idea what it was that I had witnessed. Like, no idea at all. I think that that was the point, though: to get people to laugh at the sheer absurdity of what had happened. That or the staff couldn’t come up with an ending. Either way, Stephen Hillenberg did good.

Goofy Goober Rock!

I loved this movie as a kid! I was one of the first people in line to go see The Spongebob Squarepants Movie. Not to mention I read the junior novel and played the video game. But this was my favorite scene by far because it has to do with the underlying message of the film: it’s alright to be yourself.

Spongebob spends the whole movie trying to prove to everyone that he’s not a kid, but by the film’s climax, he learns to accept that he is very much a kid in a man’s body. And he’s fine with that because he still managed to do everything a “kid” shouldn’t do. Then he proceeds to jam out to one of the coolest songs I had heard in my childhood. 

The message rings true even today now that I’m grown up. With everything negative that comes with being an adult, it’s easy to end up being a Squidward. I’d rather be an optimistic goofball like Spongebob and enjoy my life than spend it being a Squidward! #GoofyGoober4Life

Help Wanted. Stephen’s Legend Begins

This was the episode that started it all: Help Wanted. Spongebob goes to get his dream job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab (not something most people would want, but Spongebob made it look cool). Mr. Krabs and Squidward sent him on that wild goose chase, and then the infamous scene happens:

I wish I had a video of what happens next, but YouTube seems deadset on not letting that happen. But it was one of the coolest things I had ever seen in my life.

Band Geeks

For nearly every fan of Spongebob out there, this is considered to be the best episode of the entire show. The finest moment of Stephen Hillenberg. It gave us so many jokes and funny moments: from the “dying animal” joke at the start, to the “kicking” incident, and of course, Patrick’s words of wisdom up above. Also, eager face:

But that’s not why it’s the best. It’s the ending. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call it one of the greatest moments in cartoon history. IT’S THAT GOOD! I actually call it “Squidward’s Finest Hour”, because it is one of the few times that Squidward, or any of the other cast members, is able to be this successful. I read a tweet on Twitter yesterday from another fan, saying that they felt this moment perfectly encapsulates Spongebob’s rise to success: it was nervous and unsure of itself, but once it got going, everybody loved it, and everyone loved Stephen Hillenburg for giving it to us. Just look at how much love the clip of it got when someone posted it on Twitter. It’s clear that Spongebob meant a lot to my generation, and that a lot of us will miss Stephen Hillenburg and thank him for what he gave us.

What Stephen Hillenburg and so many others created nearly twenty years ago has become one of the greatest cartoons of all time, with a cast that’s right up there with the gods of cartoons like Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, and the Simpsons. Decades from now when it’s all over, the fans of today are probably going to be sharing this with their grandchildren and scholars are gonna study it as an example of what cartoons can do for our culture. So, I’m only going to say this once: Stephen Hillenberg, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!!!!

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