The Bottom Line
- A hysterical show becomes hysterical movie.
- SpongeBob and Patrick enter the real world.
- David Hasselhoff!
- Alec Baldwin!
- Scarlett Johansson is a fine actress, but not for cartoons.
- Too much of "guest stars" and not enough regulars, like Sandy.
Description
- "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie"
- The Absorbing Tale behind "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" featurette.
- "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" animatic featuring the writers and creator Stephen Hillenburg.
- "Saving the Surf" featurette.
- "Case of the Spongebob" "undersea" featurette.
- "SpongeBob SquarePants" THQ game preview.
Guide Review - "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie"
The silliness that I love in "SpongeBob SquarePants" was still there. And the naive optimism of SpongeBob himself, and Patrick's, shall we say, challenges, remained intact. The idea of whether they're adults or children was explored to much hilarity.
What I didn't like is that someone, probably the studio, insisted that the movie have some big names attached, like Jeffrey Tambor as King Neptune, Scarlett Johansson as his daughter Mindy and Alec Baldwin as Dennis, the hit man. Of these, Baldwin's performance was strongest because his voice was nearly unrecognizable, and he clearly had fun with the role. Jeffrey Tambor also did a good job. He has that kind of bombastic sense of humor that worked well. But Johansson, though a fine actress, was not cut out for voice work in a cartoon that calls for camp and zaniness.
Why didn't they use more of Squidward, Mr. Krabs, Gary, Mrs. Puff and all our other favorite secondary characters? Why does Hollywood think they have to mess with a successful TV formula when a show becomes a movie?
The standout guest star was, of course, David Hasselhoff as himself.
"The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" was a funny, fine cartoon film, and a wonderful family film. There are laughs for kids and adults, just like in the TV show.
