Plankton: The Movie

Last Thursday, I saw “Plankton: The Movie,” released on Netflix last month. How’s this spin-off compared to the last one?

Less than a year after the release of “Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie,” the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise releases another spin-off with “Plankton: The Movie.” Brian Orndorf said in his review, “It’s a sudden SpongeBobbing that’s a little disorienting, as someone, somewhere is determined to increase media ubiquity of the franchise and its cast of characters. “Sandy Cheeks” wasn’t entirely successful, but it remained an entertaining cartoon event, handling the presentation of a supporting player as she’s granted a starring role. “Plankton: The Movie” does away with heroism, electing to extend screen time with a villain, albeit one who never seems to have much success when disrupting daily life in Bikini Bottom. Thankfully, Plankton is an amusing irritant to follow, and while the production still maintains trouble with final acts, the offering is spirited and humorous, gifting co-writer/star Mr. Lawrence an opportunity to shine.”

Plankton (Mr. Lawrence) stays determined to want control of Bikini Bottom, wanting to steal the secret Krabby Patty formula from Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown). Launching “Operation Success,” Plankton prepares for victory, but his “computer wife” Karen, voiced by Jill Talley, is losing interest in this fight, wanting to bring Plankton back to normal with her idea of a Chum Bucket renovation. When Plankton refuses to give up his desire, Karen goes haywire, launching a giant magnet that pulls Bikini Bottom up from the depths, helping to create a giant metal machine that’s run by this once nice computer, who’s now split into three evil personalities. Now afraid, Plankton hurries to stop this destruction, only to end up with SpongeBob, voiced by Tom Kenny, who uses his therapy methods to find where the villain started this behavior and look back at when Karen was invented. Orndorf said, “Plankton returns to his past to combat his gigantic spouse, attempting to fight fire with fire while Bikini Bottom residents hope to introduce the scheming little cyclops copepod to a concept alien to his existence: empathy.”

“Plankton: The Movie” doesn’t waste time getting to the villain, catching up with the puny green man and his pet, Spot, as they finish up “Operation Success,” which is meant to finally bring Mr. Krabs’s secret recipe in Plankton’s hands, letting him begin his mission to take over the world. We’ve seen this before, and the screenplay (by Mr. Lawrence, Kaz, and Chris Viscardi) acknowledges this tiring situation, especially with Karen, who’s programmed to support Plankton, but is prepared to show him a happier life in a renovated Chum Bucket, bringing better food and a warmer atmosphere to paying customers. “Plankton: The Movie” gets some laughs out of the protagonist’s inability to think of the possibility of business, and it introduces the first of many songs (including I’m a Jerky Jerk), turning the film into a musical with the help from songwriters Bret McKenzie, Bob and Mark Mothersbaugh, and Linda Perry.

Orndorf said, “Karen and Plankton eventually split over their disagreement, but it’s no everyday marital spat, as the computer turns evil, creating different personalities while destroying Bikini Bottom with a giant magnet (which allows for plenty of sight gags). A journey of realization is created for Plankton, who needs SpongeBob’s help to access the past, transforming the yellow lunatic into a Freud-like analyst capable of hypnotizing his patient, and “Plankton: The Movie” returns to Karen’s origin, initially manufactured from a calculator, a roller skate, and a potato. Director Dave Needham has fun playing with different animation styles to explore these moments of mental time travel, and the writing tries to develop the relationship between Plankton and Karen. The past puts the eponymous character on an odyssey to save the future, taking the creatures on a side trip to Bikini State University, returning Plankton to his happiest days.”

Orndorf continued, ““Plankton: The Movie” is most entertaining during these examinations of personal history, and development of the main madman’s world is welcome, extending to a trip into his “basement of failures.”” Supporting characters eventually join the journey, including Sandy and her “gal pals,” who make the mistake of introducing SpongeBob to coffee. Orndorf ended his review by saying, “Community sequences shine here, but there seems to be some type of studio order that all of these features need to climax with chaos, and “Plankton: The Movie” is no different, mixing the promising storytelling journey of empathy with plenty of large-scale cartoon violence. It’s more of the same, but Needham gets something out of this spin-off, and Mr. Lawrence’s gloriously unhinged voice work as Plankton is always good for laughs, now provided with extra dramatic substance to help add fresh details to the tyrannical character.”

I thought this was an entertaining, enjoyable film to watch. If you have been a fan of this franchise and seen all of the past films, than don’t miss the chance to see this one on Netflix. Check it out and have an enjoyable time laughing at this film.

Thank you for joining in on this review tonight. Stay tuned this Friday for the conclusion of “Nick Nolte Month.”

Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie

Tonight, I watched “Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie,” released on Netflix last month, and I will let you know what I thought about it.

Bikini Bottoms and its famous citizens are celebrating 25 years of being on the air this year. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” series – created by animator Stephen Hillenburg – became famous worldwide. Tara Bennett said in her review, “The goofball sponge and his expanded circle of friends continue to be the poster children for the rare contemporary animated show that has generational legs (“my leg!”).” From memes to spin-off shows and movies, “SpongeBob” remains a huge hit. However, ever since it has been on air, the sponge has never let any of the other characters have the spotlight. Now, we have Sandy Cheeks, the Texan squirrel, get her own movie.

Bennett noted, “Much like 2020’s Sponge on the Run, The Sandy Cheeks Movie embraces 3D character animation for Bikini Bottom’s citizens, and then takes those 3D characters out into the “real world,” where they’re integrated into live-action plates set top-side in the wilds of Texas.”

Now viewers might be asking why would Texas being in a SpongeBob movie? Bennett answered, “Because that’s where Sandy (Carolyn Lawrence) is from, as her twangy accent and murky origin story has forever reiterated. The only outsider to call Bikini Bottom home, Sandy is a marine biologist by profession who wears a dive suit to breathe underwater and study the tiny hamlet of aquatic oddities. But now the brisket is being peeled back on everything Cheeks, as she and SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) are forced to return to the Lone Star State to save their beloved town after it’s literally scooped up and kidnapped right out of the ocean.”

As Bikini Bottom’s only reliably intelligent resident – despite Plankton, voiced by Mr. Lawrence, would argue that he is – Sandy uses science, math, and her own deductive reasoning to find out that the excavator came from BOOTS Marine Biology Lab, the lab she’s been giving data to since she moved into her biodome. Bennett said, “Incensed by her colleagues having anything to do with this travesty, Sandy grabs a despondent SpongeBob to give chase.” She calculates how they are going to get on an airplane so they can travel to the lab’s headquarters in Galveston.

Does it go smoothly? No, it does not, which gives them the ability to create a whole list of hilarious physical comedy. Bennett credits, “While The Sandy Cheeks Movie’s script and tone are typically broad and silly as a SpongeBob movie should be, director Liza Johnson (whose credits are live-action, including What We Do in the Shadows) brings a fresh perspective and sense of humor to the franchise.” Working from an actually funny script by Kaz and Tom Stern, Johnson does an excellent job perfectly placing the hilarious cartoon characters together with the silly “real world” villains: Wandy Sykes’ over-the-top Sue Nahmee, her dangerous dog ‘Cuda, and her vacuous employees, Phoebe (Ilia Isorelys Paulino) and Kyle (Matty Cardarople).

Bennett admitted, “All of that, along with Sandy being given the reins as the prime motivator of the story and SpongeBob just riding shotgun as comedic relief, enlivens the whole adventure. As a long-time fan of all things SpongeBob, the change in protagonist is welcome—if not a bit overdue—considering how well-established the core ensemble is to audiences after a quarter-century. Sandy’s smarts, tenacity and loyalty to her found family makes her a competent, proactive lead for the movie and changes up the usual bumbling, accidental nature to previous stories that typically place SpongeBob and Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke) front and center.”

As we find out finally how Sandy got the job at the bottom of the ocean. Bennett said, “Each acorn of discovery about Sandy’s past life is rolled out in an appropriately outlandish way—be it Stetson-wearing snakes or acrobatic relatives in a traveling circus—that are both funny and fitting for her outsized personality.” Carolyn Lawrence is clearly enjoying herself voicing Sandy, which adds to “The Sandy Cheeks Movie’s” positive vibes.

Nobody gets pushed off to the sides in this film. As Bikini Bottom’s use is revealed by Sue, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, voiced by Clancy Brown, and Plankton are all given their time. Even Squidward, voiced by Rodger Bumpass, gets a song, doing a very off-key Singin’ in the Rain tribute. “The Sandy Cheeks Movie” does have songs, the best being Sandy’s opening song (sang by Linda Perry from 4 Non Blondes).

Bennett credited, “Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie is a visually clever, character-redefining film for the strongest of animated smart gals, Sandy Cheeks. She is given her due and then some in a movie that rightly celebrates her heart, enthusiasm and grit.” The rest of the characters are not pushed to the side, giving their own part in helping save Bikini Bottom from the villains. It’s a good, funny film in the Bikini Bottom franchise.

If you’re a fan of this series, I would recommend it. As someone who has seen parts of the show, maybe a few episodes, I enjoyed this film. There were a few effects that I found absurd, as Sue Nahmee’s motivation, but still, I liked this film. Check it out on Netflix and enjoy.

Thank you for joining in on this review tonight. Tomorrow I will reveal what I will review this month.

SpongeBob SquarePants

Tonight I was able to watch the new “SpongeBob SquarePants” movie, so I will review all of the theatrical movies that have been released, starting with “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie,” released in 2004. I saw this movie On Demand for free with my younger cousins two years after it was released.

Rich Cline started his review by saying, “Like the TV series that inspired it, this movie is almost blissfully silly, poking fun at movie formulae even as it indulges shamelessly in them. But it does keep us giggling helplessly.”

In the underwater town of Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob, voiced by Tom Kenny, is just too happy and optimistic for descriptions. He finally loses the story when his grouchy boss, Mr. Krabs, voiced by Clancy Brown, fails to promote him to manager of the new Krusty Krabs. However, he gets a chance to prove himself traveling with his starfish friend Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke) to the dangerous Shell City to get back King Neptune’s (Jeffrey Tambor) stolen crown and clear the boss’ name. Also, don’t forget the helpful princess (Scarlet Johansson), the brutal hitman (Alec Baldwin) and the megalomaniac Plankton (Mr. Lawrence).

Cline said, “If there's a message here it's that old chestnut about valuing the kid inside you. SpongeBob and Patrick are uncontrollably juvenile, and they of course think they need to grow up in order to face the horrors of their epic quest. But the filmmakers refuse to get bogged down by this underlying message and instead focus on the warped and goofy humour that floods each frame.”

Everything is hilariously silly, from the original and surprisingly well-done characters to the surfaced animation and a number of live-action elements (a pirate framing story and a funny ridiculous appearance by David Hasselhoff). There are funny moments like SpongeBob and Patrick getting “drunk” on ice cream, the king’s ignorant pride, the Bubble Party in the Thug Tug. It’s just so deeply, completely silly that you can’t help but love it. Also the characters are voiced with warmth and personality that balances the strange designs nicely.

It’s the type of film that children will love for the number of insanity, while adults party in the smart satire and overall silliness. The story just knows enough in its spoof and detailed enough in its themes to make it deeper than it looks. However, the real point is to just have fun and that’s definitely enough.

Next came “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water,” released in 2015, a movie that I saw as a rental from the library.

Completely silly, this animated comedy sees SpongeBob SquarePants sent into the live-action world in amazingly rendered 3D. Cline credited, “Everything about this film is ridiculous, from the pun-packed script to the raucous action mayhem. And like the cartoon series, it's likely to entertain adults with its brainy humour while kids giggle at the wackiness.”

When the secret recipe for the delicious Krabby Patty is stolen, causing a catastrophe in the underwater town of Bikini Bottom, the obvious villain is fast-food enemy Plankton. However, Krabby Burger cook SpongeBob knows Plankton didn’t steal it, so he goes out to rescue it with his friends: airhead starfish Patrick, boss Mr. Krabs, ignorant Squidward (Rodger Bumpass) and uptight Sandy (Carolyn Lawrence). With help from the colossal-guardian dolphin Bubbles (Matt Berry), they’ll have to go above the surface to stop insane pirate Burger Beard (Antonio Banderas).

Cline mentioned,” Director Tibbitt seamlessly combines the usual cartoon scenes with lavish digital animation in which this band of misfits gains superpowers (just go with it) to confront the real-life Banderas, hamming it up for all he's worth. There isn't a single plot point that makes sense, as the screenwriters pack the story with deus ex machina elements that inexplicably solve every corner the script writes itself into. This requires the requisite sequences, including several frantic chases building up to an epic showdown.”

Cline continued, “The movie is so insanely freewheeling that it ignores every rule of animated storytelling to spiral off into absurd silliness. The animators have a field day with all of these crazy story elements, from a photo-booth time machine and the post-apocalyptic Bikini Bottom to a set of superpowers that reveals just how unimaginative and safe Big Hero 6 played it. At several points this overpacked film threatens to tip over into incomprehensible idiocy, but the script is much smarter than it looks.”

Along with the funny wordplay (“Release the condiments!” “With relish”) and nonstop movie references, Glenn Berger and Jonathan Aibel’s screenplay gets so beyond that it upsets in on itself. Cline said, “They also pepper the movie with riotously pointed gags (SpongeBob gets so upset at one point that he mixes the garbage with the recycling).” Also the essential everything is a subtle message about refusing to jump to scary conclusions while working together to solve problems. This is a message the adults need just as much as their children.

Now we come to the recent film, “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run,” released on NetFlix last year and today on Paramount+ and VOD. This really silly franchise is back on the big-screen for another enjoyable story, again using amazingly well-done 3D digital animation. Cline said, “Targeting gamers and stoners as usual, this relentlessly childish movie would be unwatchable if it weren't for the dopily endearing characters and a steady stream of snappy gags. Although with virtually no subtext, the film feels stretched out almost to the breaking point, never more than mindlessly enjoyable.”

Living happily under the sea in Bikini Bottom with his pet snail Gary, also voiced by Kenny, SpongeBob and his absent-minded starfish friend Patrick enjoy annoying their neighbor Squidward, who works with SpongeBob at Krusty Krab. However, underwater ruler Poseidon, voiced by Matt Berry, needs a snail to keep his green skin soft, and Gary is the last snail in the sea. When he’s captures, SpongeBob and Patrick travel to The Lost City of Atlantic City to rescue him. After being distracted by the theme park and casinos, they’re captured by Poseidon. Now they need their friends to rescue them.

All of this chaos was set up by the usual subplot, as the evil Plankton sends SpongeBob on his rescue mission so he can steal Mr. Krabs’ secret formula. Along the way, there are few detours, including several songs and a live-action Wild West dream scene with a wise Sage (Keanu Reeves) and a zombie dance team led by the Gambler (rapper Snoop Dogg) and their ruled by El Diablo (Danny Trejo). There are even a number of flashbacks to the friends when they first met each other as kids at summer camp (Antonio Raul Corbo, Jack Gore, Jason Maybaum, and Presley Williams).

Cline noted, “With its rubbery textures, the animation bursts with colour, and the animators add witty, elaborately expressive faces to the characters. So the voice cast has a lot of fun making this nutty group of critters consistently sparky. The attention to detail in both the imagery and the script is hilarious, packing the fast-paces scenes with more micro-jokes than you can catch. Although this makes the more emotional moments feel cornier than expected.”

Cline continued, “It's a surprisingly simple movie, with only the odd pop culture reference and fewer puns in the dialog. The themes are also the usual suspects, from a shout-out about how important friends are to learning that the courage is already inside us.” More interesting is a delicate comment on how we’re not really living our best life if we’re not being real. This is definitely something writer-director Tim Hill could have worked on just a little more to make this more than just a part of attractively silly enjoyment.

If you’re fan of the cartoon, see every single one of these films. You will love every one of them, I promise you because the original actors are voicing the characters and they bring their usual traits to make the characters just as enjoyable. Each one is good in their own way and you will have some nice laughs and feel the emotion when they have their parts.

Thank you for joining in on tonight’s review, stay tuned tomorrow to see what I will review for this month.