Product Description

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS TAKES LEAVE FROM THE TOWN OF BIKINI BOTTOMIN ORDER TO TRACK DOWN KING NEPTUNE'S STOLEN CROWN.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1798 in DVD
• Brand: PARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2005-03-01
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 87 minutes

Amazon.com
How many movies offer the rare spectacle of a parasailing pink starfish flying over a crowd with a congratulatory pennant clenched between his buttcheeks? And that's only the tip of the iceberg--The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is a freewheeling goof of a cartoon, full of surreal twists as its diminutive heroes head down a dangerous road to rescue the lost crown of King Neptune. SpongeBob (voiced by Tom Kenny), an arrested adolescent in the mold of Pee-wee Herman, works at a fast-food restaurant that serves something called Krabby Patties (as the restaurant owner is himself a crab, it's not clear what exactly they're made of). His best friend Patrick Starfish (Bill Fagerbakke) lives under a rock and has an IQ in the lower digits. Still, their friendship carries them through many a tight spot as they strive for manliness. Anyone seeking a coherent world will be disappointed; in this undersea adventure, things catch on fire or seem to be surrounded by air whenever it's convenient for a gag. The jokes are often more silly than actually funny, but there's an undeniably energetic joviality to the proceedings. Featuring the voices of Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Tambor, Alec Baldwin, and a fully fleshed appearance by David Hasselhoff. --Bret Fetzer

From The New Yorker
Nickelodeon's smash cartoon series gets a splashy sendoff in its first feature film. SpongeBob, his dim-witted sidekick, Patrick, his employer, Mr. Krabs, and the other residents of the undersea community Bikini Bottom appear in vibrant color, ready for another wacky adventure. The story line has SpongeBob passed over for a promotion, while King Neptune's crown (he wears it to hide his baldness) is stolen and Mr. Krabs is framed. As the squeaky-voiced hero sets out to right the wrongs, lessons are learned and audiences entertained. Stephen Hillenburg does a terrific job adapting his nautical toon for the screen: its fizzy animation pops, and there are some excellent musical moments (Wilco, the Flaming Lips) that buoy the action. -Bruce Diones
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Righteous!
Relentlessly optimistic, drunk and defeated, man-child, sponge-man -- this movie has it all. Most of the parents in the audience didn't get it. But I've been an outspoken SpongeBob fan for years. Hell, I'll bet I like the television show even more than my children do -- and they like it a lot.

It's hard to describe this film, at least in a way that will do it justice. Is it great? In it's own twisted, surreal way, sure. It's littered with double entendres, to be sure, and a few nautical butt cheeks, too. I suppose the studio insisted on the latter. The bottom line is that we need SpongeBob, maybe more than we ever did. His good cheer in the face of disaster is downright inspirational. Plus, he can blow bubbles with the best of them.

The evil villain, Plankton, speaks for all of us when he says, "His chops are too righteous!"

Absorbing adventure
The controversy over SpongeBob's sexual orientation has been quite absorbing but nowhere near as involving as this very funny movie based on the popular TV series on Nickelodeon. Just in case you've been living under a rock for the last five years, SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Mr. Krabs and all the residents of Bikini Bottom have become the most hip (and funny) half hour this side of "The Simpsons". More importantly, it's a program that almost all family members can watch without becoming offended (well, except for those folks wondering about SpongeBob's sexuality). It's a fun way to spend an hour and a half with the kids. After losing a treasured promotion to manage the Krusty Krab 2 restaurant because he's just a kid, SpongeBob is the only person who can stop Plankton from taking over Bikini Bottom. Plankton resorts to Plan Z (having used every other plan in the alphabet) to frame Mr. Krabs for the theft of King Neptune's crown. The diminutive Plankton hopes to discover the secret to the Krabby Patty and ultimately rule the undersea world! Meanwhile, Spongebob and his dim witted friend Patrick must travel to the dreaded Shell City to recover the King's crown and stop Plankton before it's too late.

Featuring a marvelous cast of guest voices including Jeffrey Tambor ("Arrested Development"), Scarlet Johansson ("Lost in Translation"), Clancy Brown ("The Shawshank Redemption"), Alec Baldwin and, of all people, David Hasselhoff, the film may lack the sparkle of the best episodes of the series but it more than makes up for this shortcoming with a number of witty gags. Kids will enjoy the antics of SpongeBob and Patrick while adult males will empathize King Neptune's attempts to hide his bald spot with his crown (he's desperate enough to resort to Hair in a Can at one point although that doesn't quite work out as planned) and envy David Hasselhoff as he uses his pecs to launch the duo back into the sea. There's also a serious message as Mindy the King's daughter encourages SpongeBob and Patrick to be kids and be OK with it.

Featuring a great transfer with bright and vivid colors, Bikini Bottom has never looked so, well, animated. A very sharp transfer with few digital artifacts to distract viewers from the absurd images, "Spongebob" looks better than any sponge has a right to. The 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround mix is used to good and sometimes very comic effect.

The 20 minute animatic segment gives viewers a peak into all the preparation work that went into producing the movie. Director Hillenburg's comments provide interesting and sometimes funny insights into the challenge of producing a movie much less a TV series as funny as this. The behind-the-scenes featurette is both charming and quite funny with a glimpse into everything from creating the absurd story at the heart of this film to the hilarious recording sessions featuring the voice cast. There's also a featurette The "THQ" game demo is actually quite fun but doesn't really provide that much of a taste as to what the game could do. The Case of Sponge "Bob" features Jean-Michel Cousteau in a tongue-in-cheek short documentary. We see an informative and fun discussion of real sponges with undersea footage narrated by Cousteau with writer/director Hillenburg. "Saving the Surf" features Chad Nelsen, Matt McClain and Steve Pezman founders of the Surfrider Foundation discussing the importance of keeping our environment clean and the impact of our pollution on the ocean and our beaches. The teaser trailer for "Submarine" features footage of "Das Boot", "U571" and "The Hunt for Red October" intercut with footage created for the cartoon trailer for "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie". There's also previews for other Paramount family friendly titles as well.

A funny visit with the denizens of the deep, "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" will keep you and the kids entertained. The film doesn't pander to kids and has just the right level of slapstick humor to keep adults entertained as well. Although it does have a serious message at its core, the film is a lot of fun.

Super Cooper
Here is the summary of the movie:
In a complicated plot to get the Krabby Patty formula, Plankton steals the crown of Neptune, the undersea ruler, and lays the blame on Mr. Krabs. SpongeBob promises to travel to far-off Shell City with Patrick to retrieve the crown if Neptune will spare Mr. Krabs's life. With SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs out of the way, Plankton makes a grab for the secret formula.