Alec Baldwin, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence

There's trouble brewing in Bikini Bottom. Someone has stolen King Neptune's crown, and it look like Mr. Krab, SpongeBob's boss, is the culprit. Though he's just been passed over for the promotion of h...( read more  read more... )is dreams, SpongeBob stands by his boss, and along with his best pal Patrick, sets out on a treacherous mission to Shell City to reclaim the crown and save Mr. Krab's life.

Flixster Users

74% liked it

219,072 ratings

Critics

69% liked it

118 critics

PG, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Sherm Cohen, Stephen Hillenburg

Release Date: November 19, 2004

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: March 1, 2005

Get It:

Stats: 10,874 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Your Rating



clear rating
Share on: Facebook Twitter

Flixster Reviews (10,874)


  • March 29, 2009
    SpongeBob SquarePants: And after the promotion ceremony, we're gonna party till we're purple.
    Patrick Star: Yay! I love being purple!

    A wonderfully enjoyable comedy that brings Nickelodean's SpongeBob Squarepants to the big screen. Its a lot of goofy fun that makes me smile.

    I...( read more)'ve been a big SpongeBob fan for a long time and I'm not a young child, I started watching while I was in High School and still enjoy him nearly a decade later. A lot of people (non-children) seem to enjoy SpongeBob while high. I don't do drugs, but I still find SpongeBob very enjoyable due to the combination of some weird imagery, absurdest humor, and the innocence of SpongeBob's character.

    Squidward Tentacles: [Finds SpongeBob in his shower with him] SpongeBob, what are you doing?
    SpongeBob SquarePants: I have to tell you something.
    Squidward Tentacles: Whatever it is, can't it wait until we get to work?
    SpongeBob SquarePants: There's no shower at work.
    Squidward Tentacles: What is it?
    SpongeBob SquarePants: I just wanted to let you know I'll be thanking you in my managerial acceptance speech today.
    Squidward Tentacles: [shouts] Get out!

    The story involves SpongeBob's journey to prove himself worthy of a manager's position at his job by helping retrieve the stolen crown of the king of SpongeBob's home town, Bikini Bottom. The stolen crown is the result of another plot created by the evil Plankton to succeed in his evilness. SpongeBob and his best friend Patrick must now go on their mission and complete it before they are too late.

    What certainly helps is how the plot does actually matter. It serves a purpose to keep the film going and even lends itself to a couple of themes involving responsibility while remaining true to oneself.

    That being said, this movie is perfectly enjoyable due to it having the same sense of humor that it does on television. It doesn't necessarily try to up the ante, just make a good enough story to last for 90 minutes. Although it does feature not one, but two amazing cameos. Alec Baldwin as a ruthless bounty hunter (comedy gold) and David Hasselhoff as David Hasselhoff (comedy platinum).

    I wouldn't say its an acquired taste, but if enjoy the show at all, or Nickelodean's Nick Toons, or feel like having a good goofy time, then this can appeal to you. It certainly makes me smile.

    Attendant #1: You two dipsticks wouldn't last ten seconds over the county line.
    SpongeBob SquarePants: Oh, yeah? We'll just see about that.
    [they drive over the line; a thief stops them]
    Thief: Out of the car, fellas.
    [thief drives off with Patty Wagon]
    SpongeBob SquarePants: How many seconds was that?
    Attendant #2: Twelve.
    SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star: In your face!
  • December 18, 2008
    "Bigger. Better. More absorbent."

    Something nefarious is afloat in the depths of Bikini Bottom: King Neptune's crown has been stolen, and the prime suspect is Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob's boss at Mr. Krabs' Krabby Patties. Despite the overwhelming evidence against Mr. Krabs -...( read more)- not to mention having been turned down for a long-awaited promotion at the restaurant -- SpongeBob (voice of Tom Kenny) refuses to believe that his boss is responsible and teams up with his best friend, Patrick (voice of Bill Fagerbakke), on a mission to Shell City, where he hopes he can exonerate Mr. Krabs and return the crown to its rightful owner. Of course, this is no easy task; once outside the safety of Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob is faced with the overwhelming dangers of the sea, not the least of which being a cyclops that many believe to be responsible for the deaths of countless other unfortunate sea-creatures who ventured outside county lines.

    Review
    The movie is conventionally animated, with SpongeBob and Patrick on a mission to reclaim King Neptune's crown. SpongeBob's boss, Mr. Krabs, has been framed for the crime, so our heroes hit the road for a forbidden zone known only as Shell City, where the crown supposedly has been taken. SpongeBob is not completely altruistic since he watches the world revolve around him. He's upset that he's been passed over for a promotion at the Krusty Krab restaurant where he toils a bit too happily as a minimum-wage slave. He figures that by saving the boss, he may take the manager job from Squidward, his boringly stable coworker. Along the way he and Patrick encounter a hit man biker named Dennis (voiced by Alec Baldwin) and Neptune's mermaid daughter Mindy (Scarlett Johansson), who encourages the two on their quest. Despite the juvenile antics, the movie has a well-defined sense of humor, thanks to creator Stephen Hillenburg, who links his love of marine biology and animation with a message that kids can accomplish the most just by being kids.
  • June 22, 2008
    Man, if there was an Oscar for cuteness, this would've have cleaned up. Even though Scarlett Johanssen doesn't have a good enough voice to warrant her being cast in this, I liked it anyway. Heehee, "psychic wall of energy".
  • June 1, 2008
    Why did they have to make a movie...are there that many bored people in the world :/
  • November 16, 2007
    OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS MOVIE!
  • November 6, 2009
    Our son loves Spongbob
  • October 29, 2009
    !Comercial or Stupid! :|
  • October 24, 2009
    my kids like spongebob
  • October 22, 2009
    Kids loved the movie
  • October 10, 2009
    Bloody funny. Spongebob is so hilarious! :D

Critic Reviews


November 19, 2004
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

What's remarkable about The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie is how much care Hillenburg and his crew of writers, animators and actors have taken to make it undeniably movielike. full review

November 19, 2004
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

It's all pretty goofy, occasionally perplexing (I dare not ask why Patrick sports fishnet stockings and heels in the final act), and very cute, in an off-the-wall sort of way. full review

November 19, 2004
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

SpongeBob looks so slapped together and indulgently cruddy that its cheapness seems like a thumb in the eye of anyone who paid to see it. full review

November 19, 2004
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

The show, Pop-art colourful and simple in design, is delivered in 11-minute hits, two per episode. Truth be told, the full 99-minute movie does not entirely hold water; it feels like three or four goo... full review

November 19, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

All of this happens in jolly animation with bright colors and is ever so much more entertaining than you are probably imagining. full review

November 18, 2004
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

The big-screen rendition of SpongeBob SquarePants is a marvel of unleashed childishness, like a birthday party on the edge of spinning out of control. full review

November 18, 2004
David Edelstein, Slate

I like my SpongeBob a little less lumbering, a little more free-associational, without that big, heavy anchor of a story structure to weigh him down. full review

View more The Spongebob Squarepants Movie reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • LifeIsACartoon8D
    January 16, 2009
    SPONGEBOB ROCKS!!!!!!.....i've seen every episode like 10 TIMES (including the movei)....and im still not sick of the show!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • mypeanut
    January 19, 2008
    SPONGEBOB IS THE BEST SPONGE IN THE WHOLE WORLD AND BIKINI BOTTOM!!!!
    I LOVE U SPONGEBOB!!!!!UR MY FAVORITE CARTOON SINCE I CAN REMMEMBER!!!!U ROCK!!!
  • AshyBearxxx
    September 25, 2007
    hee hee
    SPONGEBOB IS THE SHIZZLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • gloomgurl
    September 19, 2007
    I'M A GOFFY GOBBER YEAH! I am totally in love with spongebob. He is my favorite cartoon character. It is my favorite show. I even have all of the box-set DVDs of the series. Do you know how excited I was when this movie first came out! I was jumping up and down like a little kid. I love this movie. I have watched it so many times, that my DVD is starting to skip a little. I know all the songs, and can recite most of the lines. This movie rocked. It was funnier that I expected it to be, and the funniness hasn?t gotten old. Even though I have watched it like a million times. Hopefully, there will be another Spongebob movie in the future.
  • AshyBearxxx
    August 9, 2007
    i luuuuuuuved the movie and i'm a goofy goober 2!!!!
    lmao
  • tnolen
    August 5, 2007
    SPONGEBOB ROX MY SOCKIES OFF!!!! I <3 U SPONGEBOB!!!!!!!!!!!!LOL
  • lildavidamitchel
    July 13, 2007
    I'm a goofy gobber YEAHHHHH!!!!!!!
  • AGerardWayRomance
    June 17, 2007
    I LUVVVVVVVVVV PATRICK! Aww hes so cute wen he goes me me i wanna do the distraction. I luv it wen his tooth sticks out.
  • auntiehaha88
    June 17, 2007
    YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY! I LOVE SPONGE BOB!!!!
  • ashleighstinson1
    May 23, 2007
    i love spongebob

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

More Like This


Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Spider-Man
    Spider-Man (46%)
  • Grease
    Grease (56%)
  • Madagascar
    Madagascar (60%)
  • Space Chimps
    Space Chimps (75%)

Facts


No facts approved yet. Be the first

The Spongebob Squ... : Watch Free on TV


The Spongebob Squarepants Movie Trivia


  • What actor had a cameo in the SpongeBob Squarepants movie?  Answer »
  • Which movie has the tagline: " Bigger. Better. More Absorbent " ?  Answer »
  • Which movie has the tagline: " Bigger. Squarier. Spongier " ?  Answer »
  • Name the movie with this quote "I'm ready! I'm ready, I'm ready!!"  Answer »

Most Popular Skin