Who lives in a Pineapple under the sea?
"SpongeBob SquarePants"
Absorbent and yellow and porous is he,
"SpongeBob SquarePants!"
Yes, the Nickelodeon television show about a sponge, a crab, a starfish, an octopus and a squirrel is has spun off into a brand new film. This time, they set out to save their town from social disorder in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.
SpongeBob SquarePants first began life as a children television series on Nickelodeon, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Hillenburg had worked on Rocko’s Modern Life as a writer and storyboard artist when he began developing the concept. After Rocko was cancelled, he approach the company about producing his idea. From its premiere back in 1999, the show has been a runaway success now in its ninth series as well as a worldwide franchise phenomenon. The film first spawned its first feature film back in 2005 with this years Sponge Out of Water as its follow up.
First thing to note is that the film has a beyond flimsy story. It is very in keeping with the light hearted nature of the show. Yet what works in a show doesn't necessarily work in a feature.
The story also lacks any real structure which is felt more in the absence of good humour. It feels as if the filmmakers have transferred an episode to the big screen with a few extra scenes added instead of actually adapting a story and the concept to a feature.
The first three quarters are done in the traditional style of animation adopted by Nickelodeon. Reminiscent of shows such as Ren and Stimpy as well as Rocko’s Modern Life, the off-colour humour and innuendo are also characteristics that have aided the show’s popularity. Sadly, these are not present in this film. The humour is more likely to appeal to younger children rather than the large adult following the show once satisfied.
The final section change the done as SpongeBob and his friends being sent above water to land. This sequence is made up of live-action mixed with CGI. It is this section that really drags the film down. The CGI interpretations of the characters look awful and, frankly, cheap. This section is not appealing to look at. It you want to see live-action characters mingling with CGI ones then look at films such as Paddington or the classic Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
The voice cast from the show have all reprised their roles for the second feature film with Antonio Banderas as the Pirate being the newest addition to the cast. Although he is an actor that usually oozes charisma here he feels lost. As great as it is to see him play a silly role the character is just not funny, wasting Banderas screen presence.
For fans of the show, it is much of the same as the later series just with the added live-action/CGI sequence. For those never bowled over by the underwater sponge, this dodgy effort will not convert you.
A Sponge Out Of Water is out March 27th