The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge On The Run Parent Guide

Life in Bikini Bottom doesn’t change much, but when SpongeBob’s (Tom Kenny) beloved pet snail Gary (Tom Kenny) goes missing, things come to a halt. SpongeBob takes off in search of his friend with Patrick the starfish (Bill Fagerbakke). The trail leads them to the Lost City of Atlantic City, and King Poseidon, a dangerous tyrant who has kidnapped Gary for the skin-care qualities of his snail secretions. But SpongeBob’s absence throws life in Bikini Bottom out of balance. Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob’s longtime boss at “The Krusty Krab” finds that without his devoted fry cook to keep things going, even the hoarding of wealth has lost its appeal for him. With the help of Squidward (Rodger Bumpass), Sandy Cheeks (Carolyn Lawrence), and even the nefarious Plankton (Mr. Lawrence), Mr. Krabs sets out to help his favorite employee.

This movie is obviously geared at kids and doesn’t make much of an effort to crack jokes in their parents’ direction. Don’t go into this expecting Shrek’s double entendres or The Incredibles’ dry humor for the adults in the room. The characters are self-admitted idiots, and the sooner you come to terms with the fact that their idiocy is central to the charm of the piece, the sooner you’ll settle into it. As far as content is concerned, you won’t see anything here you didn’t see in the SpongeBob Square Pants TV show. Probably the crudest thing on display are one or two butt cheek jokes – both very comfortably in the realm of SpongeBob’s juvenile humor. There are some depictions of gambling (The Lost City of Atlantic City very much lives up to its namesake), but these are largely negative and end with SpongeBob and Patrick flat broke.

Where the adults in the room might have a little more fun is with the guest stars – and this little cartoon nailed some impressive Hollywood talent. Keanu Reeves is a wise tumbleweed named Sage, who becomes a spirit guide for SpongeBob and Patrick on their quest. Snoop Dogg turns up to perform a Thriller-style rap about some zombie-pirate-cowboys (don’t ask), who are led by the nefarious El Diablo the Evil, played by Danny Trejo. Reggie Watts and Awkwafina also have voice roles as some of the subaquatic denizens of The Lost City of Atlantic City.

SpongeBob isn’t for everyone – my own mother confessed she’d rather play in traffic than watch an episode, let alone a feature-length production. But if you are one of the show’s many fans, out of nostalgia or genuine appreciation for the Kafkaesque antics of the marine life, this movie seems as likely to hit the spot as any of the series’ other offerings.