Plankton: The Movie Parent Guide

Plankton (Mr. Lawrence) has been unsuccessfully trying to steal the Krabby Patty Secret Formula for 25 years, failing despite the efforts of his wife, Karen (Jill Talley), who happens to be a computer, to guide him to more foolproof plans. Karen finally hits her limit after Plankton once again ignores her ideas, and she decides to conquer the world on her own. Desperate to get his wife back, Plankton turns to SpongeBob (Tom Kenny), who has his hands full trying to save Bikini Bottom from being destroyed by a robotic rampage.

I grew up with the SpongeBob SquarePants TV show and have a soft spot in my heart for the original 2004 film. I have seen many of the film adaptations since then, which vary in quality and faithfulness to the characters. Plankton: The Movie is Netflix’s second spinoff film, after Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie. If you saw that installment, you’ll have a good idea what to expect from this one.These productions are obviously created in a “made for TV” style, with low budget animation, short run times, and a lack of celebrity guest stars.

I will say I enjoyed Plankton more than Saving Bikini Bottom. The story feels more like a classic SpongeBob episode and has some fun, catchy songs. Plankton has always been a fun character, so it’s nice to get some extra time with him and his antics. The script stays focused on the relationship between Plankton and Karen, with SpongeBob and some other familiar faces supporting their story rather than distracting from it. The sense of humor is what you expect from this franchise, though with less potty humor than usual, which was a nice surprise. I really dislike the 3D animation that’s replaced the original 2D, but I’ve been complaining about that for about a decade now and the studio hasn’t listened to me yet, so I feel like I’m yelling into the void at this point.

Though overall a silly romp, the film has some messages around obsession, selfishness, and relationships that are strong enough for me to pretend that this was a worthwhile 87 minutes of my son’s life. There’s also a lack of negative content outside of the expected cartoon slapstick, making it appropriate for many audiences. Parents with less nostalgia than I will want to skip it, but for children and sentimental millennials Plankton is a fun addition to the franchise. It’s not great, but it’s good enough.