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THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE
By Tom McCurrie
Nowadays, too many children's movies either lecture kids or bore parents (or both). So it's a pleasure to report that "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" avoids the children's movie trap with gusto, turning out to be a sterling entertainment for all ages.
Based on the popular animated series on Nickelodeon from producer/director Stephen Hillenburg, "SpongeBob" begins with a live-action sequence showing a bunch of pirates taking a treasure chest aboard their vessel. As the pirates open the chest, we think we've accidentally stumbled into a screening of "Pirates of the Caribbean 2." But instead of gold doubloons, the pirates fish out a shipload of tickets to "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie." The cutthroats rush back to port like excited little kids, dashing into the local bijou and plopping themselves down in the front row. As the curtain opens and "SpongeBob" begins for the pirates, the animated portion of the film begins for us, too. As this opening sequence shows, "SpongeBob" works on two levels, captivating both kids and adults simultaneously. The kids get pirates (or kooky sea critters, or scary sea monsters) and the adults get clever in-jokes (later on, there's a hilarious nod to the Mt. Rushmore scene in Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" when little SpongeBob is chased up-and-down the legs of Baywatch guy, and general good sport, David Hasselhoff). "SpongeBob" is simply the wittiest kid's movie out there.
The bulk of the plot involves a perky talking sponge named (appropriately) SpongeBob and his goofy but big-hearted starfish pal Patrick Star, both denizens of the undersea town of Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob works at a fast-food joint run by kindly Mr. Krabs. But Krabs' competitor, Plankton, wants to put Krabs out of business (amongst other evil deeds). He frames Krabs for stealing King Neptune's crown, forcing SpongeBob to retrieve the crown before Neptune turns Krabs into French-fried crab cakes. Trouble is the crown is in Shell City, a place from which no sea critter has ever returned.
Now "SpongeBob" has a lot going for it: sly humor, expert voice-work (especially Jeffrey Tambor's bellowing Neptune) and even catchy musical numbers. But surprisingly, where "SpongeBob" really excels is in its script, which is superior to those in movies made for adults. (This is quite unusual with six credited writers on the project, often the sign of a turkey.) There's a clear, sympathetic goal for SpongeBob (to save Krabs), giving him a great deal of rooting interest. This goal is also established early on, keeping the story from drifting. "SpongeBob" has plenty of action (always good for the visual medium of film), plenty of life-and-death threats (always good for boosting suspense), and some nifty twists as well (the best involving the true nature of Shell City). "SpongeBob" also has a very strong theme for kids: the only way to be happy is to be yourself. To the script's credit, it doesn't lecture or condescend; it delivers its message through humor, almost as an afterthought, making it feel less like learning and more like fun -- and making it more likely that message will get through to kids.
The only downside to "SpongeBob" is the rather cut-rate animation. It's supposed to be cheesy on purpose, of course, but that doesn't make it any more pleasurable to watch, especially blown-up on the big screen. And when the movie tries to combine live-action with animation, the result is far from seamless.
Nevertheless, all parents should take their children to see "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie." It'll be as much fun for you as it will be for them (maybe more)!
Responses, comments and general two-cents worth can be E-mailed to gillis662000@yahoo.com.
(Note: For all those who missed my past reviews/articles, they're now archived on Hollywoodlitsales.com. Just click the link on the main page and it'll take you to the Inner Sanctum. Love them or Hate them at your leisure!)
A graduate of USC's School of Cinema-Television, Tom McCurrie has worked as a development executive, a story analyst and a screenwriter. He is currently writing a novel about Spaghetti Westerns.
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