The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water (2015) Retrospective

SpongeBob SquarePants returned in movie form on February 6th, 2015, 11 years after the first movie, with The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. It was directed by Paul Tibbitt, who also received story credit alongside SpongeBob SquarePants creator, Steven Hillenberg, with the screenplay writing by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger. The story was adapted from an idea conceived of Tibitt and Hillenburg, which the pair wanted to develop an idea that could only work strictly in movie form. Similar to the first film, the final act places the animated characters in live-action world but the animated characters became completely CGI animated in the live-action world. Those scenes themselves were directed by Mike Mitchell. This film was also Hillenburg’s proper return to the franchise after leaving as the show runner of the series after the release of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. While he still did review episodes and delivered suggestions from time-to-time, Sponge Out of Water would be his first time involved in the creative and writing process for SpongeBob since his departure. This film is dedicated to Ernest Borgnine, the voice of Mermaid Man, who died in 2023. This was also the final film role for Tim Conway, the voice of Barnacle Boy, who died in 2019.

The film, like it’s predecessor, received mostly positive reviews from critics, having the highest critical approval rating of any SpongeBob film to date on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the fans and audiences were more mixed on it, with most being frustrated at the film’s misleading title and marketing campaign, which made it feel like the whole movie would take place out of water and have the characters becoming superheroes but that’s really only for the final act of the movie. Even so, it was a big hit at the box office, earning over $325 million worldwide against it’s $60-74 million budget, making it the third highest-grossing Nickelodeon film to date and the 6th highest grossing animated film of 2015.

When it comes to how most folks responded to Sponge Out of Water, you can basically put them in the category of the good, bad, and the meh. There were those that thought it was genuine return to form for the franchise and thought it was the second leash on life it needed after the inconsistent quality since the first three seasons and movie. There were those that thought it was a complete dud and yet another reminder as to how far SpongeBob has fallen. And there was those that found it to be inoffensive but nothing that warranted making a whole movie out of. Because of that, I feel like it’s best to separate my thoughts of this movie into those three specific categories. The good, the bad, and the meh! It’s only fair that I point out every single pro, con, and in between I can think of when looking back at Sponge Out of Water nearly 10 (!) years later!

The Good

1.) The Animation

The animation is genuinely great though out this entire film, with the same classic 2D style hand drawn animation ripped straight from the show along with the proper 3D transition for the live-action bits of the film. Not only does it show off some unique visuals that make it worthy for the big screen but it’s able to perfectly translate the style of animation that the show is known for but make it work as a movie, even more so than the first SpongeBob movie did.

2.) Funny Spoofs

If I could think of one main reason as to why the crew wanted to put this story on the big screen, it would have to do with the amount of pop culture references and spoofs they could fit in there. At it’s core, there’s about three main spoofs that Sponge Out Of Water does it’s own spin on and each spoof basically acts as it’s own distinct act. You got the first act that plays like a more kid-friendly version of Mad Max, you have the second act that feels like SpongeBob and Plankton stepping into the realm of 2001: A Space Odyseey, and the third act (the one that the majority of the advertisements focused on) that is basically Avengers: Assemble but with SpongeBob characters. While doing those spoofs certainly played a factor into the film’s uneven pacing and storytelling and it probably could have done with just choosing one or two movies to spoof, I can imagine the cast and crew were having fun putting their own stamp of some of the most beloved film franchises out there.

3.) A Neat Twist To The Krabby Patty Formula Story

The whole “Plankton trying to steal the krabby patty formula” is perhaps the most “been there, done that” plot line in the history of SpongeBob. But what if, the moment that Plankton has possessing of it, it slips through his tiny fingers and falls into the hands of a human pirate? A human pirate that has exactly what Plankton wants, total power to do whatever he wants. That is easily the most creative story element of Sponge Out of Water that helps provide nice characterization to both SpongeBob and Plankton. Speaking of which!

4.) The Power of Teamwork

The first SpongeBob film had a very straight forward and obvious message, which is that never doubt yourself just because you are a kid. It might have been simple but it was still heartfelt for any kid my age back then. Sponge Out of Water provides a straight forward and obvious message about teamwork and working together with your friends and even enemies to solve your problems. This is the main motive that drives SpongeBob and Plankton throughout the entire second act and with SpongeBob and all his friends in the third act. It might beat you over the head with it more so than the first film did with its message but any kids movie that has a moral about working together with others is always welcome in my book.

5.) The Trippy Time Travel Sections

Yes, I love the heck out of the time travel sequences in this film! Is it trippy?! Yes! Is it absolutely crazy?! Yes! Does it make any lick of sense?! No, but I don’t care! Plenty of folks probably thought that these bits were a step too far but I don’t care. I like that these scenes went trippy and crazy! I don’t know what the people who thought of these sequences were eating, drinking, or smoking but I want it all!

The Meh

1.) The Humor

This might be subjective but I was honestly expecting Sponge Out of Water to be much more funnier than it was. Aside from some fun gags and spoofs, I found the humor to be rather stale with not a lot of memorable jokes. Most of them feel like rehashes from the show or ones that feel too water downed for little kids. There’s definitely some chuckles along the way but nothing that really made me belly laugh, especially during the moments where the film clearly wants me to belly laugh, such as when SpongeBob is torturing Plankton with the sound of his laughter. I won’t say the movie is completely unfunny but it’s also not completely funny either.

2.) The Action

It’s bizarre how this is a movie that is willing to go so out there in terms of its plot, visuals, and gags but seem to play it very safe when it comes to the action. Sequences such as the opening at the Krusty Krab or when SpongeBob and crew go into full superhero mode should be some of the most stand out sequences in not just the movie but perhaps in SpongeBob history. However, they are mostly just serviceable with the only memorable beats being the ones that you’ve seen in the trailers for it. I’m not expecting stellar choreography or anything like that but still action that felt more creative and imaginative than the action we get in Sponge Out of Water.

3.) The Way Certain Characters Were Handled

Despite all of SpongeBob’s friends being a main selling point for Sponge Out of Water, the majority of the fan favorites such as Patrick and Sandy don’t really get to do much. Heck, outside of SpongeBob and Plankton, hardly any of them get much of anything to do until the last third of the movie. They still do get much more screen time than they did in the first movie, outside of Patrick and Plankton, but it kinda makes me wish that most of them were along the ride with SpongeBob from the start instead of feeling written in at the last second, likely to appease fans that might have been upset by the lack of screen time from them in the first movie. The fact I can barely remember the exact moment where the whole gang got together to go out of water and find the Krabby Patty formula really says something about the way they were handled.

4.) Antonio Banderas

This might just be me but I can’t help but felt the most meh about this movie when it came to Antonio Banderas’s role and his character. I love Antonio Banderas but I don’t think he stands out as well as you would expect in a SpongeBob movie as a live human being. It’s basically a combinations of all the meh qualities of Sponge Out of Water in a nutshell. He could have been funnier, he could have stood out better in the action, and I felt he should have more screen time and/or presence in the actual movie. Antonio is by no means bad or weak in this movie but it feels like he is just there because we needed a big celebrity to play a certain role in this movie. And that should not be the case when it comes to Antonio Banderas of all people.

The Bad

1.) The Nonsensical Plot

The plot for Sponge Out of Water is about as coherent as Joe Biden speaking during a presidential debate. It’s absurdly all over the place, difficult to comprehend or put into words, and I don’t think that even the writers themselves knew what they were doing. It’s overstuffed with so many different ideas and spoofs that its internal logic falls apart at the first second of thought. It’s the same issue that the newer episodes would have to feel like there’s not attempt at telling a story but just feels like a bunch of random nonsense. It may not quite be the worst example of that in regard to SpongeBob but it also doesn’t help wonders here.

2.) Mr. Krabs

For all the talk about this film was about being a return to form for the characters, one character I found to be done very poorly is Mr. Krabs. He blames Plankton for the Krabby Patty formula disappearing even though SpongeBob was right there with them when it happened. Then not only does he not believe them but he literally turns his back on SpongeBob and orders citizens of Bikini Bottom to capture him and the do….God knows what. While I can understand not trusting Plankton at all, the fact that Mr. Krabs would go the extra mile to not believing SpongeBob and wanting vengeance against them doesn’t feel right at all. It felt like such a betrayal to the character to turn on his best employee like that, especially when he has zero reason to doubt him and believe he is not telling the truth.

3.) False Advertising

As I mentioned at the start of this retrospective, perhaps the most controversial element of Sponge Out of Water had to do with the incredibly dishonest marketing campaign. From both the trailers and title of the film alone, you would believe that Sponge Out of Water would actually be about SpongeBob and his friends being well…out of water. However, those sequences don’t actually take place until the final third of the movie, most notably the last 15 to 20 minutes of the film. That might not be the fault of the movie itself but that no doubt had to leave a sour taste in the mouth of some folks. Perhaps a different title or more faithful trailers would have helped this problem out.

4.) Did this need to be a movie?

Despite having the quality animation and clear references to well known film classics out there, I’m not entirely sure that Sponge Out of Water has enough substance to warrant for itself to be a film to be seen in theaters. The plot itself is all over the place as it is and it doesn’t so much feel like a plot for a movie but more of the plots of three to four different SpongeBob episodes smashed together into one film. In many ways, it feels like the films it spoofs off of feel more like a cover to justify this being a feature length film and not because they were actually trying to pay genuine tribute to certain films by giving them the SpongeBob treatment. It might have been a fun cover up but it still feels like a cover up regardless and one that could have been made as either a string of multiple episodes or just as a simple tv movie in general.

In Conclusion

I can totally understand why The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water is as divisive as it is among the fanbase. It contains some of the very best, very worst, and very “meh” parts of all of the SpongeBob movies thus far. That is basically what you get when you go with a whole “throw everything but the kitchen sink” approach to a movie. You will have some moments that stick, some that just don’t, and some that will just fly pass your mind the moment that the movie is over. I can certainly respect Sponge Out of Water for going as far and bonkers as it dares to go but I don’t think it all works as well as it’s suppose to nor do I think it holds a candle due it’s predecessor.

However, it still has most of the characters that I love from the show, some of which got very little to do in the first movie and have more to do here, it’s got some crazy visuals that I thought I would never see in a SpongeBob movie, some of the movie spoofs it provides were quite fun, and there is a moral, while simplistic and predictable, that I think can resonate with kids the way the first film’s “kids rock” message resonated with me. In some senses, Sponge Out of Water feels like Stephen Hillenburg and the crew from the original three seasons and first movie coming together, dipping their toes into the deep blue sea of Bikini Bottom before swimming back all the way underneath the surface.

When looking at it through those lenses, I would give Sponge Out of Water a pass and a mild recommendation to anyone curious. I can’t say for certain it will work for you nor will you find the movie to be necessary but if you are just looking for an excuse to hang with SpongeBob and his friends for an hour and a half with enough visuals and gags to keep you entertained, I think this will do you just fine. If anything, this was at least a start to a much better era of SpongeBob that awaited him, his best one since between 1999-2004. And it’s certainly not the worst SpongeBob movie out there. That is something I will be discussing in a few months from now!

Next Month: The “Other Good” Era (Seasons 9-11)