HOLLYWOOD—Jeez, I recall nearly 10 years ago how huge SpongeBob SquarePants was with my nephew. I mean he had every piece of memorabilia from the still popular cartoon character. “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water” is a sequel to the 2004 movie.
On this newest adventure, SpongeBob (voice of Tom Kenny) finds himself playing the role of hero once again to save his underwater world from chaos.
The narrative follows Burger-Beard (voice of Antonio Banderas) who is on the hunt for a magical book that allows any written text to become true. When Plankton (voice of Mr. Lawrence) makes it his quest to obtain the secret formula of the famous Krabby Patty that has the inhabitants of Bikini Town going kooky for it.
When Plankton attacks the Krusty Krab burger joint to obtain the formula, he has a tussle with SpongeBob that results in the disappearance of the formula for the beloved burger that creates chaos in the town. The rest of the movie intertwines famous faces from the cartoon series including Mr. Krabs, Patrick, Squidward and Sandy Cheeks, with tons of hilarious hi-jinks that will keep the kiddies thrilled and the adults laughing as well.
The movie has a strong message about the importance of teamwork and how when you work with others the end result is always great. It’s not always easy working with others, especially when different goals are in the midst. For Plankton, he wants to take down Krusty Krab, while SpongeBob wants to restore civility to his town that has run a ruckus in the absence of the popular treat.
There is a bit of time travel, elements of three-dimensional imagery and what every kid adores: live-action. Yes, I will admit the idea of a live-action animated flick with actual cartoon characters is no easy task to achieve. The last film I recall achieving such a feat was “Space Jam” in 1995 with Michael Jordan and the rest of the gang from Looney Toons.
It’s probably a difficult feat for the actors compared to the animated participants. The live action elements are treated with care by director Mike Mitchell, who implements the characters in real life situations in a way that plays well with the narrative and doesn’t come across as hooky. Trust me it’s very easy to make that happen in the animation arena.
The great thing about “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water” is the goofiness that it encompasses not only in its characters, but the narrative and the element of storytelling that is so whimsical that its charming and delightful to watch it all unfold on the big screen.
