The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

Eugene Krabs opens a second location of the Krusty Krab, right next to the original. His optimistic fry cook, SpongeBob SquarePants, hopes to be promoted to manager of this new establishment, but Krabs instead selects his co-worker, Squidward Tentacles, explaining to SpongeBob that he's a "kid," being too immature to handle the position. Depressed, SpongeBob goes to the Goofy Goober ice cream parlor, where he and his best friend Patrick Star indulge excessively in ice cream. Meanwhile, Krabs' rival Plankton, owner of the unappealing Chum Bucket, activates "Plan Z." He steals King Neptune's crown, sends it to Shell City, and frames Krabs for the crime.

King Neptune confronts Krabs about his stolen crown and is convinced of his guilt when a woozy SpongeBob smears him. Regretted, SpongeBob vows to retrieve the crown from Shell City; Neptune then freezes Krabs, insisting that SpongeBob returns in six days or Krabs will be executed. Neptune's daughter, Mindy, encourages SpongeBob but warns about a dangerous Cyclops near Shell City.

SpongeBob and Patrick head for Shell City in the Patty Wagon, a Krabby Patty-shaped car stored underneath the restaurant. Immediately upon leaving Bikini Bottom, they are carjacked. They follow the thief to a dive bar, where they cause a scene by blowing bubbles in the bathroom but escape with the car.

Meanwhile, Plankton steals the Krabby Patty formula from the frozen Krabs and uses it to sell Krabby Patties at the Chum Bucket, where he gives away free helmets that brainwash customers into doing Plankton's bidding. He subsequently takes over Bikini Bottom and renames it "Planktopolis," hiring a hitman named Dennis to prevent SpongeBob from returning with the crown.

SpongeBob and Patrick encounter a dangerous trench, lose the Patty Wagon once more, and contemplate giving up. Mindy appears and encourages them by applying fake mustaches made of seaweed, convincing them that she magically turned them from "kids" into men. Armed with newfound confidence, the two successfully traverse the trench and encounter Dennis on the other side. He yanks off the mustaches and readies himself to squash the duo with his giant boot but is suddenly stepped on by an even larger boot - belonging to the "Cyclops", a human diver, who takes the duo away.

SpongeBob and Patrick wake up in a fish bowl, placed under a heat lamp by the Cyclops, and learn they are in "Shell City," a gift shop selling dried sea creatures. Proud of achieving their goal, they shed a tear just before dying, which short-circuits the lamp and activates the emergency sprinklers, reviving them and the dried sea creatures. While the sea creatures attack the Cyclops, they grab the crown and head to the beach, where David Hasselhoff offers them a ride home. Dennis catches up and fights them on Hasselhoff's back, ultimately falling into the sea as Hasselhoff passes under a catamaran.

Neptune arrives to execute Krabs, but SpongeBob and Patrick return with the crown just in time thanks to ample stalling by Mindy. Plankton drops a mind-control helmet on Neptune and surrounds SpongeBob, Patrick, and Mindy with his army of slaves. SpongeBob, embracing the fact that he's accomplished so much despite being a kid, uses the power of rock and roll to play "Goofy Goober Rock", freeing Neptune and the citizens of Bikini Bottom from Plankton's control. As Plankton is arrested by the police, Neptune unfreezes Krabs and SpongeBob is finally made manager of the Krusty Krab 2.

{{See also|List of SpongeBob SquarePants cast members|l1=List of SpongeBob SquarePants cast members|List of SpongeBob SquarePants characters|l2=List of SpongeBob SquarePants characters}}

{{Cast listing|

• Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants
• Kenny also voices the French Narrator, Gary the Snail, and various other characters
• Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick Star and others
• Clancy Brown as Eugene Krabs
• Rodger Bumpass as Squidward Tentacles
• Bumpass also voices Fish #4
• Mr. Lawrence as Sheldon J. Plankton and others
• Alec Baldwin as Dennis
• Scarlett Johansson as Princess Mindy
• Jeffrey Tambor as King Neptune
• David Hasselhoff as himself
• Jill Talley as Karen Plankton
• Talley also voices an Old Lady
• Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy Cheeks
• Mary Jo Catlett as Mrs. Puff

}}

Other characters from the television series also appear in the film, including Pearl Krabs, voiced by Lori Alan. Other supporting voice actors include Carlos Alazraqui, Dee Bradley Baker, Sirena Irwin, Thomas F. Wilson, and Joshua Seth.

Aaron Hendry portrays the Cyclops physically while Neil Ross provides the character's voice. In a post-credits scene, Mageina Tovah portrays a theater usher.

Crew members Derek Drymon, Stephen Hillenburg, and Aaron Springer make vocal cameo appearances.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie was long-planned; Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures had approached series creator Stephen Hillenburg for a film based on SpongeBob SquarePants, but he refused for more than a year.{{cite news|last=Edelstein|first=David|title=He Lives in a Pineapple, but Then What?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/07/movies/moviesspecial/07edel.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 19, 2013|date=November 7, 2004|page=1|location=Burbank, California|archive-date=December 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220032301/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/07/movies/moviesspecial/07edel.html|url-status=live}} Hillenburg was concerned, after watching The Iron Giant (1999) and Toy Story (1995) with his son, about the challenge of SpongeBob and Patrick doing something more cinematically-consequential and inspiring without losing what he called the SpongeBob "cadence". Hillenburg believed that, "to do a 75-minute movie about SpongeBob wanting to make some jellyfish jelly would be a mistake, I think this had to be SpongeBob in a great adventure. That's where the comedy's coming from, having these two naïve characters, SpongeBob and Patrick, a doofus and an idiot, on this incredibly dangerous heroic odyssey with all the odds against them."

In 2002, Hillenburg and the show's staff stopped making episodes to work on the film after the show's third season.{{cite news|last=Koltnow|first=Barry|title=SpongeBob creator is soaking up success|url=http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/get_out/article_08af58a9-3a6c-5af6-a86a-2754502d0bd9.html|access-date=June 16, 2013|newspaper=East Valley Tribune|date=November 14, 2004|archive-date=February 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208163702/http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/get_out/article_08af58a9-3a6c-5af6-a86a-2754502d0bd9.html|url-status=live}} The film's plot originally had SpongeBob rescue Patrick from a fisherman in Florida; an obvious reference to the film Finding Nemo (2003), this was later said by Tom Kenny (the voice of SpongeBob) to be a "joke" plot to keep fans busy. Hillenburg directed and produced the film, and also co-wrote it with five other writer-animators from the show (Paul Tibbitt, Derek Drymon, Aaron Springer, Kent Osborne, and Tim Hill) over a three-month period in a room of a former Glendale, California bank. Osborne said, "It was hugely fun; although it did get kind of gamey in there." At the beginning of the series, Hillenburg screened a number of silent shorts (from Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, and Buster Keaton) and work by two modern comic actors: Jerry Lewis and Pee-wee Herman, both obvious inspirations for SpongeBob.{{cite news|last=Edelstein|first=David|title=He Lives in a Pineapple, but Then What?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/07/movies/moviesspecial/07edel.html?pagewanted=2|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 19, 2013|date=November 7, 2004|location=Burbank, California|page=2|archive-date=February 14, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214205819/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/07/movies/moviesspecial/07edel.html?pagewanted=2|url-status=live}} For the film, the writers created a mythical hero's quest: the search for a stolen crown, which brings SpongeBob and Patrick to the surface. Bill Fagerbakke (the voice of Patrick) said about the plot, "It's just nuts. I'm continually dazzled and delighted with what these guys came up with."

When the film was completed, Hillenburg wanted to end the series "so it wouldn't jump the shark". However, Nickelodeon desired more episodes;{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/spongebob-squarepants-movie-show-end-steve-hillenburg-reason/|title=How SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Almost Ended The Show|work=Screen Rant|author=Adrienne Tyler|date=June 10, 2020|access-date=December 2, 2023}} Hillenburg stated: "Well, there was concern when we did the movie [in 2004] that the show had peaked. There were concerns among executives at Nickelodeon."{{cite news|last=Cavna|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Cavna|title=The Interview: 'SpongeBob' Creator Stephen Hillenburg|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2009/07/_tom_kenny_who_voices.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=July 14, 2009|archive-date=October 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006111645/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2009/07/_tom_kenny_who_voices.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|title=The brilliance behind SpongeBob|url=https://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2009/07/16/interview_with_spongebob_squarepants_cartoonist_steve_hillenburg/|newspaper=Boston.com|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=July 16, 2009|last=Cavna|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Cavna|archive-date=October 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017193547/http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2009/07/16/interview_with_spongebob_squarepants_cartoonist_steve_hillenburg/|url-status=live}} As a result, Hillenburg resigned as the series' showrunner, appointing writer, director, and storyboard artist Paul Tibbitt to succeed him.{{cite web|last=Fletcher|first=Alex|title=Paul Tibbitt ('SpongeBob SquarePants')|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/interviews/a312387/paul-tibbitt-spongebob-squarepants.html|work=Digital Spy|access-date=May 25, 2013|date=April 3, 2011|archive-date=October 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031235346/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/interviews/a312387/paul-tibbitt-spongebob-squarepants.html|url-status=live}} Tibbitt was one of Hillenburg's favorite crew members:{{cite video | people=Hillenburg, Stephen|date=2009|title=The First 100 Episodes - Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants| medium=DVD|publisher=Paramount Home Entertainment}} "[I] totally trusted him."{{cite news|last=Cavna|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Cavna|title=The Interview: 'SpongeBob' Creator Stephen Hillenburg|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2009/07/_tom_kenny_who_voices.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=May 25, 2013|date=July 14, 2009|archive-date=October 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006111645/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2009/07/_tom_kenny_who_voices.html|url-status=dead}} Tibbitt would remain showrunner until he was succeeded in 2015 by the show's creative director Vincent Waller and staff writer Marc Ceccarelli. He also acted as an executive producer from 2008 to 2018.{{cite web|last=Rae|first=Fiona|title=Paul Tibbitt interview|url=http://www.listener.co.nz/commentary/television/paul-tibbitt-interview/|work=New Zealand Listener|access-date=May 25, 2013|date=September 26, 2009|archive-date=November 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102130532/http://www.listener.co.nz/commentary/television/paul-tibbitt-interview/|url-status=live}} While Hillenburg no longer wrote or directly ran the show on a day-to-day basis, he reviewed each episode and submitted suggestions: "I figure when I'm pretty old I can still paint I don't know about running shows."{{cite web|last=Bauder|first=David|title=SpongeBob Turns 10 Valued At $8 Billion|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/14/spongebob-turns-10-valued_n_231304.html|work=Huffington Post|access-date=May 22, 2013|date=July 13, 2009|archive-date=February 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208163834/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/14/spongebob-turns-10-valued_n_231304.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Nickelodeon's 'SpongeBob SquarePants' Reaches A Milestone: 10 Years|url=http://www.accesshollywood.com/nickelodeons-spongebob-squarepants-reaches-a-milestone-10-years_article_20514|work=Access Hollywood|access-date=May 25, 2013|date=July 13, 2009|archive-date=October 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030154235/http://www.accesshollywood.com/nickelodeons-spongebob-squarepants-reaches-a-milestone-10-years_article_20514|url-status=live}} Kenny, Fagerbakke, and the crew confirmed that they had completed four episodes for broadcast on Nickelodeon in early 2005, and planned to finish a total of about 20 for the fourth season. In 2015, Hillenburg returned to the show following the completion of the second film as an executive producer, having greater creative input and attending crew meetings until his death on November 26, 2018.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/spongebob-squarepants-creator-dead-dies-stephen-hillenburg-1203037362/|title='SpongeBob Squarepants' Creator Stephen Hillenburg Dies at 57|last=Otterson|first=Joe|date=November 27, 2018|work=Variety|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201084613/https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/spongebob-squarepants-creator-dead-dies-stephen-hillenburg-1203037362/|archive-date=December 1, 2018|url-status=live|access-date=November 26, 2018}}

In September 2003, Jules Engel, Hillenburg's mentor when he studied experimental animation at the California Institute of the Arts, died.{{cite web|title=Jules Engel Centennial Celebration Honored Legendary Animator and Founder of CalArts Animation|url=http://calarts.edu/news/2009-apr-22/jules-engel-centennial-celebration-honored-legendary-animator-and-founder-calarts-a|publisher=California Institute of the Arts|access-date=August 18, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921053935/http://calarts.edu/news/2009-apr-22/jules-engel-centennial-celebration-honored-legendary-animator-and-founder-calarts-a|archive-date=September 21, 2013}} Hillenburg dedicated the film to him: "He truly was the most influential artistic person in my life. I consider him my 'Art Dad.'"{{cite AV media |date= March 8, 2012|title= (SpongeBob Creator's "Art Dad": JULES ENGEL [Short Form of Feature]|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKKEmJJqbaY|access-date= September 1, 2018|format= YouTube|publisher= iiaci}}{{cite web|last=Amidi|first=Amid |author-link=Amid Amidi|title=More Thoughts on the SpongeBob Movie|url=http://www.cartoonbrew.com/old-brew/more-thoughts-on-the-spongebob-movie-669.html|work=Cartoon Brew|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=November 28, 2004|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060737/http://www.cartoonbrew.com/old-brew/more-thoughts-on-the-spongebob-movie-669.html|url-status=live}}

{{See also|List of SpongeBob SquarePants characters|l1=List of SpongeBob SquarePants characters}}

The film stars the series' main cast members: Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants, Gary the Snail, and the French Narrator, Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick Star, Rodger Bumpass as Squidward Tentacles, Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs, Mr. Lawrence as Plankton, Jill Talley as Karen, Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy Cheeks, Mary Jo Catlett as Mrs. Puff, and Lori Alan as Pearl Krabs. It also features Dee Bradley Baker as Perch Perkins, Carlos Alazraqui as King Neptune's squire, Aaron Hendry as the Cyclops, and Neil Ross as the voice of the Cyclops. In addition to the series' cast, it was reported on March 23, 2004, that Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Tambor, and Alec Baldwin would voice new characters Princess Mindy, King Neptune, and Dennis, respectively, and David Hasselhoff would appear as himself.{{cite web|title=Scarlett Johansson, Alec Baldwin and Jeffrey Tambor to voice 'The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie'|url=http://www.movieweb.com/news/scarlett-johansson-alec-baldwin-and-jeffrey-tambor-to-voice-the-spongebob-squarepants-movie|website=MovieWeb|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=March 23, 2004|archive-date=December 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208010411/http://www.movieweb.com/news/scarlett-johansson-alec-baldwin-and-jeffrey-tambor-to-voice-the-spongebob-squarepants-movie|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Johansson And Baldwin In SpongeBob Movie|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news-article/johansson-and-baldwin-in-spongebob-movie|work=Contact Music|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=March 25, 2004|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203005230/http://www.contactmusic.com/news-article/johansson-and-baldwin-in-spongebob-movie|url-status=live}}

Johansson accepted the role because she liked cartoons and was a fan of The Ren & Stimpy Show.{{cite magazine|last=Kirschling|first=Gregory|title=Sponge Worthy|url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,607076,00.html|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-date=November 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110191544/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,607076,00.html|url-status=dead}} When Tambor signed for his voice cameo, he saw his character (King Neptune) and joked, "This is me." He remembered the first cartoon he saw, Bambi (1942): "My first cartoon, I had to be carried out crying. It was Bambi. It's like the great American wound: the death of Bambi's mother. 'Run, Bambi, run!'"{{cite magazine|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) Movie Preview|url=https://ew.com/article/2004/08/11/spongebob-squarepants-movie/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203010457/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,679888,00.html|url-status=live}} Stephen Hillenburg said that Baldwin recorded his character Dennis on a "phone": "I wouldn't say that about his performance. He might be mad if we said that. Technically, it was like he was in another booth in the studio."

Hasselhoff accepted the role when his daughters, Taylor-Ann and Hayley, urged him:{{cite web|title=David Hasselhoff - Hasselhoff Glad He Accepted SpongeBob Movie Role|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news/hasselhoff-glad-he-accepted-spongebob-movie-role_1217373|work=Contact Music|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=May 9, 2011|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203010907/http://www.contactmusic.com/news/hasselhoff-glad-he-accepted-spongebob-movie-role_1217373|url-status=live}} "I got an offer to do a cameo in the SpongeBob Movie and I turned to my girls, who were like 16 and 14, and I said, 'Who's SpongeBob?' and they said, 'Oh my gosh, Dad, it's the number one cartoon in the world, you gotta do it.'" Hasselhoff enjoyed his cameo: "It was great fun and to this day around the world kids stop me and say, 'Are you David Hasselhoff?' because I was the only human in the picture." Hasselhoff said that the film gained him new fans: "It's amazing - so many of the kids were so young and didn't see Baywatch and Knight Rider so I got a whole new legion of fans."

There were a number of stages involved in the making of the film, beginning with a rough animation process of ideas drawn on Post-it notes. The writers drew, working from rough outlines rather than scripts (which made the humor more visual than verbal). The storyboard artists, including Sherm Cohen, then illustrated ideas conceived by the writers. In the series Tom Yasumi and Andrew Overtoom do the animatics, but Hillenburg and Drymon did the animatics for the film.{{cite web|title=Andrew Overtoom Looks Back On VFS, Angry Beavers And SpongeBob SquarePants|url=http://blog.vfs.com/2013/04/08/andrew-overtoom-looks-back-on-vfs-angry-beavers-and-spongebob-squarepants/|publisher=Vancouver Film School|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=April 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130806145213/http://blog.vfs.com/2013/04/08/andrew-overtoom-looks-back-on-vfs-angry-beavers-and-spongebob-squarepants/|archive-date=August 6, 2013|url-status=dead}} Yasumi and Overtoom were the film's animation-timing directors, concentrating on the sheets. The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, like the series, was animated at Rough Draft Studios in South Korea.{{cite web|last=Richmond|first=Ray|title=Special Report: Animation|url=http://www.roughdraftstudios.com/press/press_20040115.html|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=January 15, 2004|archive-date=March 10, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080310222309/http://www.roughdraftstudios.com/press/press_20040115.html|url-status=live}} The animators worked semi-digitally with pencil-drawn poses that would be composited into layouts in Photoshop.{{cite web|url=http://sherm.tumblr.com/post/46618312119/while-making-the-spongebob-movie-it-was-the-first#notes|website=Tumblr|author=Cohen, Sherm|title=While making the SpongeBob movie, it was the first...|date=March 29, 2013|access-date=August 23, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203060200/http://sherm.tumblr.com/post/46618312119/while-making-the-spongebob-movie-it-was-the-first#notes|url-status=live}}

Series writer and storyboard artist Erik Wiese left the show for a year to work on Samurai Jack and Danny Phantom, but returned to do storyboards and character layout for the film. He "always wanted to be a feature animator, and the movie felt like I was on the character animation end", describing the experience as "a blast it felt like coming home."

Hillenburg enjoyed the process of making the film: "The TV schedule is tight, and you don't always have a lot of time to work on your drawings." He appreciated the film's hand-drawn animation: "I think the movie's drawings are much superior than the TV show", although CGI animation was flourishing at the time of the film's release. "There's a lot of talk about 2-D being dead, and I hope people don't think that. Even Brad Bird is a proponent of 2-D. He would agree with me that it's all about what you're trying to say. There are many ways to tell a story, and what's unique about animation is that there are many styles with which to tell a story." The clay animation scenes were shot by Mark Caballero, Seamus Walsh, and Chris Finnegan at Screen Novelties in Los Angeles.

The film features live-action scenes directed by Mark Osborne in Santa Monica, California.The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: The Absorbing Tale Behind The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. DVD. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2005. The ship used during the 30-second opening featuring the pirates singing the theme song was the Bounty,{{cite web|last=Burgeson|first=John|title=HMS Bounty, star of 1962 'Mutiny,' in Bridgeport this weekend|url=http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/HMS-Bounty-star-of-1962-Mutiny-in-Bridgeport-3788147.php|work=Connecticut Post|access-date=August 23, 2013|date=August 14, 2012|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203005048/http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/HMS-Bounty-star-of-1962-Mutiny-in-Bridgeport-3788147.php|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Siegel|first=Andrea F.|title=Tall ship, replica of Bounty docked in Annapolis for tours|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2012/06/14/tall-ship-replica-of-bounty-docked-in-annapolis-for-tours/|work=The Baltimore Sun|access-date=August 23, 2013|date=June 14, 2012|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203030428/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-06-14/news/bs-md-ar-bounty-20120616_1_tall-ship-sailing-ships-robin-walbridge|url-status=live}} a {{convert|180|ft|adj=on}}-long, enlarged reconstruction of the 1787 Royal Navy sailing ship HMS Bounty built for Mutiny on the Bounty (1962). The ship appeared in a number of other films, including Treasure Island (1999), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007).{{cite web|last=Curtis|first=Abigail|title=Ship replica used in 'Mutiny on the Bounty,' 'Pirates of the Caribbean' opens to visitors in Belfast|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2012/08/08/news/midcoast/ship-used-in-mutiny-on-the-bounty-pirates-of-the-caribbean-opens-to-visitors-in-belfast/|work=Bangor Daily News|access-date=August 23, 2013|date=August 8, 2012|archive-date=July 28, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728182640/http://bangordailynews.com/2012/08/08/news/midcoast/ship-used-in-mutiny-on-the-bounty-pirates-of-the-caribbean-opens-to-visitors-in-belfast/|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|last=Suehle|first=Ruth|title=Remembering the HMS Bounty and Her Role in the Movies|url=https://www.wired.com/geekmom/2012/10/hms-bounty-in-movies/|magazine=Wired|access-date=August 23, 2013|date=October 31, 2012|archive-date=August 1, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801004932/http://www.wired.com/geekmom/2012/10/hms-bounty-in-movies|url-status=live}} In film trailers, live-action scenes were taken from Das Boot (1981), The Hunt for Red October (1990), and U-571 (2000).

File:David Hasselhoff replica for The SpongeBob Movie.jpg in filming the fight scene with Dennis.]]

David Hasselhoff made a cameo in the live-action scenes, offering SpongeBob and Patrick a ride to Bikini Bottom.{{cite web|title=Movie chat: Actor David Hasselhoff|url=http://cgi1.usatoday.com/mchat/20041116002/tscript.htm|work=USA Today|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=November 11, 2004|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921061248/http://cgi1.usatoday.com/mchat/20041116002/tscript.htm|url-status=live}} The scene was originally written before consulting Hasselhoff.{{cite web|title=10 secrets of SpongeBob SquarePants|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2004/11/19/10-secrets-of-spongebob-squarepants/|work=The Chicago Tribune|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=November 19, 2004|archive-date=August 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821073457/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-11-19/news/0411200079_1_spongebob-and-patrick-spongebob-creator-stephen-hillenburg-starfish-friend-patrick|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Ten secrets of the SpongeBob movie|url=http://www.today.com/id/6494823/ns/today-entertainment/t/ten-secrets-spongebob-movie/#.UVTqlxf-GZc|work=Today|date=November 15, 2004 |access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-date=November 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102151818/http://www.today.com/id/6494823/ns/today-entertainment/t/ten-secrets-spongebob-movie/#.UVTqlxf-GZc|url-status=live}} Hillenburg was pleased with the storyboards; Lead storyboard artist Sherm Cohen said, "He had been wrestling with the ending for quite a while, and finally he was ready to pitch his ideas to some of the other board artists." Hillenburg was counting on casting Hasselhoff, and the first question he asked him was "So, do we have Hasselhoff?" He replied "No", with a grin. Hasselhoff eventually agreed, before seeing the script. Hillenburg said about the actor, "He's a great guy. ... He was great at making fun of himself."

The crew built a {{convert|750|lb|adj=on}}, {{convert|12|ft|adj=on}} replica of Hasselhoff.{{cite web|last=Brockes|first=Emma|title=David Hasselhoff: 'If we have to go with the Hoff to pay the rent, let's go with the Hoff'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/aug/05/david-hasselhoff-hoff-baywatch|work=The Guardian|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=August 5, 2012|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203134625/http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/aug/05/david-hasselhoff-hoff-baywatch|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Winters|first=Rebecca|title=Q&A David Hasselhoff|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,995607,00.html|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=November 15, 2004|archive-date=August 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130817042702/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,995607,00.html|url-status=dead}} The $100,000 replica was kept at Hasselhoff's home;{{cite web|last=Bans|first=Lauren|title=The GQ&A: David Hasselhoff|url=https://www.gq.com/entertainment/celebrities/201110/david-hasselhoff-interview-sons-anarchy-porn|work=GQ|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=October 2011|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203020512/http://www.gq.com/entertainment/celebrities/201110/david-hasselhoff-interview-sons-anarchy-porn|url-status=live}} he has said, "It freaked me out because it was so lifelike, with teeth, when you touch it it feels like real skin. It's soft, like your skin." At the completion of filming, Hasselhoff said, "That's ridiculously awesome. What are you gonna do with it?" Asked by the crew if he wanted to keep it, he answered, "Uh, yeah. Okay." Hasselhoff filmed in cold water, where he was pulled by a sled nine yards across the sea; he described the experience as "cold but a lot of fun."The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Inside the Pineapple. DVD. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2005.

In late March 2014, Hasselhoff offered the replica up for auction with other memorabilia collected during his career. Julien's Auctions handled the item's sale, which was expected to bring in between $20,000 and $30,000. Ultimately, Hasselhoff pulled the item, just a few days before the auction.{{cite magazine|last=Bacle|first=Ariana|title=David Hasselhoff auctions off 'Baywatch' pinball machine, model of himself|url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/03/28/david-hasselhoff-auction/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=March 31, 2014|date=March 28, 2014|archive-date=March 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329010230/http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/03/28/david-hasselhoff-auction/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=O'Neal|first=Sean|title=Buy a lifelike model of David Hasselhoff or other insane things|url=https://www.avclub.com/article/buy-lifelike-model-david-hasselhoff-or-other-insan-202797|work=The A.V. Club|access-date=March 31, 2014|date=March 28, 2014|archive-date=March 31, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331111605/http://www.avclub.com/article/buy-lifelike-model-david-hasselhoff-or-other-insan-202797|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Kit|first=Borys|title=David Hasselhoff Decides Not to Auction Off Lifelike Model of Himself|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/david-hasselhoff-decides-not-auction-695061|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=April 11, 2019|date=April 10, 2014|archive-date=April 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412031319/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/david-hasselhoff-decides-not-auction-695061|url-status=live}}

File:SpongeBob, Patrick and Sandy (animatic).jpg

The DVD and Blu-ray releases include animatics of deleted scenes from the film, including SpongeBob and Patrick's meeting with Sandy Cheeks (a squirrel) on the surface after they escape from Shell City.The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. DVD. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2005. Patrick repeatedly vomits, upset by Sandy's unusual appearance. The squirrel is pursued by black-suited exterminators, and defends herself with acorns. She informs SpongeBob and Patrick that they can return to Bikini Bottom by taking a bus at the beach. This idea was later used for the second film The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015), where Sandy became a giant realistic squirrel.

In 2013, the film's lead storyboard artist, Sherm Cohen, released a storyboard panel of a deleted scene from the film with SpongeBob awakening from his dream saying "WEEEEE!" and Mr. Krabs holding a manager's hat.{{cite web|last=Cohen|first=Sherm|title=WEEEEE!!! SpongeBob's dream...Deleted-scene...|url=http://storyboardsecrets.tumblr.com/post/57284767924/weeeee-spongebobs-dream-deleted-scene|work=Storyboard Secrets|access-date=August 26, 2013|date=August 3, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203061336/http://storyboardsecrets.tumblr.com/post/57284767924/weeeee-spongebobs-dream-deleted-scene|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Cohen|first=Sherm|title=SpongeBob Movie storyboard: WEEEEE!!!|url=http://shermcohen.deviantart.com/art/SpongeBob-Movie-storyboard-WEEEEE-390539498|website=deviantArt|access-date=August 26, 2013|year=2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203050728/http://shermcohen.deviantart.com/art/SpongeBob-Movie-storyboard-WEEEEE-390539498|url-status=live}}

{{See also|The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie – Music from the Movie and More...|l1=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie – Music from the Movie and More...|The Best Day Ever|l2=The Best Day Ever}}

Gregor Narholz composed the score for the film,{{cite web|title=APM Film and Television Composer Gregor Narholz Signs on to Score Activision's X-Men(TM) Legends Sequel|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/apm-film-and-television-composer-gregor-narholz-signs-on-to-score-activisions-x-mentm-legends-sequel-54194902.html|publisher=PR Newswire|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=March 9, 2005|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203022347/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/apm-film-and-television-composer-gregor-narholz-signs-on-to-score-activisions-x-mentm-legends-sequel-54194902.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=APM Film and Television Composer Gregor Narholz Signs on to Score Activision's X-Men(TM) Legends Sequel|url=http://investor.activision.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=157576|publisher=Activision|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=March 9, 2005|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921061548/http://investor.activision.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=157576|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Gregor Narholz Scores X-Men|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/03/10/gregor-narholz-scores-x-men|website=IGN|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=March 10, 2005|archive-date=February 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222071211/http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/03/10/gregor-narholz-scores-x-men|url-status=live}} conducting the recording sessions (in 5.1 surround sound) with the London Metropolitan Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London.{{cite web|first=Gregor|last=Narholz|title=Recording SpongeBob SquarePants|url=http://www.gregornarholz.com/media_SB.html|website=GregorNarholz.com|access-date=August 22, 2013|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060330/http://www.gregornarholz.com/media_SB.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tutorialfinder.com/article/Spongebob-Squarepants-Movie-Taps-APM/Sonoton-29228|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055801/http://www.tutorialfinder.com/article/Spongebob-Squarepants-Movie-Taps-APM/Sonoton-29228|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 21, 2013|title=SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Taps APM/Sonoton|date=November 17, 2004|access-date=August 23, 2013|work=Tutorial Finder}} Narholz was signed when series music editor Nick Carr recommended him to Hillenburg after they worked together at the Associated Production Music library.{{cite web|url=http://cartoonician.com/the-oral-history-of-spongebob-squarepants/|title=The Oral History of SpongeBob SquarePants|date=September 21, 2012|access-date=August 23, 2013|work=Hogan's Alley|author=Heintjes, Tom|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502193606/http://cartoonician.com/the-oral-history-of-spongebob-squarepants/|archive-date=May 2, 2019|url-status=dead}} Narholz was honored at the 2005 ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards for his work on the film,{{cite web|last=Gallo|first=Phil|title=Composers score kudos|url=https://variety.com/2005/film/news/composers-score-kudos-1117921803/|work=Variety|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=April 27, 2005|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921075900/http://variety.com/2005/film/news/composers-score-kudos-1117921803/|url-status=live}} and received a nomination for Music in an Animated Feature Production at the 32nd Annie Awards.{{cite web |title=32nd Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (2004) |url=http://annieawards.org/32ndwinners.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509064634/http://annieawards.org/32ndwinners.html |archive-date=May 9, 2008 |access-date=May 22, 2013 |publisher=Annie Award}}{{cite web|title=SpongeBob Composer|url=http://www.ascap.com/playback/2005/winter/faces_places/filmtv/spongebob.aspx|publisher=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=December 1, 2005|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055702/http://www.ascap.com/playback/2005/winter/faces_places/filmtv/spongebob.aspx|url-status=live}}

File:The Flaming Lips SoCo Music Experience 01-2007-09-08.jpg

American rock band The Flaming Lips recorded "SpongeBob And Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy".{{cite magazine|title=Lips, Shins Kick Back With 'SpongeBob'|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/65812/lips-shins-kick-back-with-spongebob|magazine=Billboard|access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-date=October 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006034222/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/65812/lips-shins-kick-back-with-spongebob|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Flaming Lips and Wilco Featured on New SpongeBob Soundtrack|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2004/10/flaming-lips-and-wilco-featured-on-new-spongebob-s.html|work=Paste|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=October 13, 2004|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921064019/http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2004/10/flaming-lips-and-wilco-featured-on-new-spongebob-s.html|url-status=live}} They shot the song's music video, directed by band member Wayne Coyne and filmmaker Bradley Beesley, in Austin, Texas. Coyne said, "Stephen Hillenburg seems to be a fan of the weirder music of the late '80s and early '90s. He wanted to evoke the music he got turned onto back then." Coyne suggested a duet with Justin Timberlake, but Hillenburg refused,{{cite web|last=Dufour|first=Matt|title=SpongeBob Soundtrack Boasts Shins, Wilco, And Flaming Lips Songs|url=http://www.thefader.com/2004/10/04/spongebob-soundtrack-boasts-shins-wilco-and-flaming-lips-songs/|work=The Fader|access-date=August 18, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207145020/http://www.thefader.com/2004/10/04/spongebob-soundtrack-boasts-shins-wilco-and-flaming-lips-songs/|archive-date=December 7, 2013}} saying "I don't want any of those sort of commercial weirdos on there. I don't like those commercial people. I like you guys, and Wilco and Ween." American band Wilco wrote and recorded "Just a Kid".{{cite magazine|last=Devenish|first=Colin|title=Wilco Swim With SpongeBob|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/wilco-swim-with-spongebob-20040910|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=September 10, 2004|archive-date=September 25, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925093653/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/wilco-swim-with-spongebob-20040910|url-status=live}} One of the film's producers contacted frontman Jeff Tweedy after seeing a SpongeBob air freshener hanging from Tweedy's rearview mirror in I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco (2002). Tweedy said, "I fell in love with SpongeBob when I heard him describe the darkness at the bottom of the sea as 'advanced darkness'. How could I not write a song for this film? It automatically makes me the coolest dad on the block." Avril Lavigne recorded the series' theme for the soundtrack.{{cite magazine|last=Mar|first=Alex|title=Avril Sings "SpongeBob"|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/avril-sings-spongebob-20041001|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=October 1, 2004|archive-date=September 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923091020/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/avril-sings-spongebob-20041001|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|title=Avril Soaks Up 'SpongeBob' Theme|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/66289/avril-soaks-up-spongebob-theme|magazine=Billboard|access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-date=July 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713023821/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/66289/avril-soaks-up-spongebob-theme|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=AVRIL TO SING SPONGEBOB SOUNDTRACK |url=http://www.mtv.tv/news/Avril-to-Sing-SpongeBob-Soundtrack-13820/ |publisher=MTV |access-date=August 18, 2013 |year=2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921120529/http://www.mtv.tv/news/Avril-to-Sing-SpongeBob-Soundtrack-13820/ |archive-date=September 21, 2013 }} Other artists contributing to the soundtrack were Motörhead, singing "You Better Swim" (a derivative of their 1992 song "You Better Run");{{cite web|last=D'Angelo|first=Joe|title=Flaming Lips, Wilco, 'Commercial Weirdo' Avril Lavigne Head Up 'SpongeBob' LP|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1491510/avril-lavigne-flaming-lips-on-spongebob-lp.jhtml|publisher=MTV|access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-date=November 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128045458/http://www.mtv.com/news/1491510/flaming-lips-wilco-commercial-weirdo-avril-lavigne-head-up-spongebob-lp/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Motorhead Record Song For SpongeBob SquarePants|url=http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=9847|work=Metal Underground|access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055339/http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=9847|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=INTERVIEW: Lemmy from Motorhead|url=http://blogcritics.org/interview-lemmy-from-motorhead/|website=Blogcritics|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=February 10, 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060633/http://blogcritics.org/interview-lemmy-from-motorhead/|archive-date=September 21, 2013}} Prince Paul ("Prince Paul's Bubble Party"); Ween ("Ocean Man"), and the Shins ("They'll Soon Discover", partially written in 2001).{{cite web|title=From 'Garden State' to 'SpongeBob,' the Shins explode|url=http://www.theeagleonline.com/scene/story/from-garden-state-to-spongebob-the-shins-explode/|work=The Eagle Online|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=November 21, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116134330/http://www.theeagleonline.com/scene/story/from-garden-state-to-spongebob-the-shins-explode/|archive-date=November 16, 2012|url-status=dead}}

"The Best Day Ever", written by Tom Kenny (SpongeBob's voice actor) and Andy Paley, was featured in the film and on its soundtrack. Kenny and Paley were working on what would become the album The Best Day Ever, writing "The Best Day Ever" and "Under My Rock".{{cite web|author=Plume, Ken|title=Interview: Tom Kenny|url=http://asitecalledfred.com/2006/11/06/interview-tom-kenny/4/|publisher=Fred Entertainment|access-date=August 2, 2013|author-link=Kenneth Plume|archive-date=September 28, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928042943/http://asitecalledfred.com/2006/11/06/interview-tom-kenny/4/|url-status=live}} The film's production team needed two more tracks for the soundtrack; Hillenburg heard the songs, and decided to include them. "The Best Day Ever" ended up being played during the film's closing credits.

Julia Pistor, the film's co-producer, said that although Nickelodeon (which owns the SpongeBob trademark) wanted to sell character-themed backpacks, lunch boxes, and wristwatches it respected Hillenburg's integrity and gave him control of merchandising. Hillenburg had no problem with candy and ice cream tie-ins, Pistor said (because of the treats' simplicity), but he had issues with fast food tie-ins; according to him, the latter was "full of hidden additives." Pistor said, "The trouble is that you can't go out with animated films without a fast-food tie-in. People don't take you seriously." Hillenburg replied, "Yeah, well, my take on that is that we shouldn't do that. We didn't want to suddenly become the people serving up food that's not that good for you, especially kids. We work with Burger King, and they make toys and watches. But to actually take the step of pushing the food, that's crossing the line. I don't want to be the Pied Piper of fast food." Variety estimated the media value was $150 million.{{Cite web |last=McNary |first=Dave |author-link=Dave McNary |date=March 23, 2004 |title=Thesp trio absorb 'Sponge' work |url=https://variety.com/2004/film/markets-festivals/thesp-trio-absorb-sponge-work-1117902164/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20211010233331/https://variety.com/2004/film/markets-festivals/thesp-trio-absorb-sponge-work-1117902164/ |archive-date=October 10, 2021 |access-date=October 10, 2021 |website=Variety}}

The film was promoted across the United States. Nickelodeon joined Burger King for a 12-figure toy line based on the film, and about 4,700 Burger King stores perched {{convert|9|ft|adj=on}}, inflatable SpongeBob figures on their roofs as part of the promotion (one of the largest in fast food history).{{cite web|title=Burger King Corporation Offers 'Reward' For Missing SpongeBob SquarePants Inflatables|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/burger-king-corporation-offers-reward-for-missing-spongebob-squarepants-inflatables-75655527.html|publisher=PR Newswire|access-date=August 17, 2013|date=December 2, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023000715/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/burger-king-corporation-offers-reward-for-missing-spongebob-squarepants-inflatables-75655527.html|archive-date=October 23, 2012}} Customers could also purchase one of five different SpongeBob-themed watches for $1.99 with the purchase of a value meal.

On November 11, 2004, it was reported that a number of the inflatables had been stolen from Burger King roofs nationwide.{{cite web|title=SpongeBob to go|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2004/12/02/spongebob-to-go/|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=August 17, 2013|date=December 2, 2004|archive-date=September 28, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928120940/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-12-02/news/0412030058_1_burger-king-spongebob-squarepants-balloons|url-status=live}} Burger King chief marketing officer Russ Klein said, "As to the motives behind these apparent 'spongenappings', we can only speculate.{{cite web|last=Baisley|first=Sarah|title=Missing SpongeBob SquarePants Inflatables Net Burger King Reward|url=http://www.awn.com/news/business/missing-spongebob-squarepants-inflatables-net-burger-king-reward|publisher=Animation World Network|access-date=August 17, 2013|archive-date=September 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929212307/http://www.awn.com/news/business/missing-spongebob-squarepants-inflatables-net-burger-king-reward|url-status=live}} We did receive one ransom note related to an inflatable SpongeBob disappearance in Minnesota." The chain offered a year's supply of Whopper sandwiches as a reward for information leading to the return of inflatables stolen in November.{{cite web|title=A 'Whopper' SpongeBob reward|url=https://money.cnn.com/2004/12/03/news/midcaps/spongebob_reward/|work=CNN|access-date=August 17, 2013|date=December 3, 2004|archive-date=September 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929063404/http://money.cnn.com/2004/12/03/news/midcaps/spongebob_reward/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Burger King wants its SpongeBobs back|url=http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2004/12/03/Burger-King-wants-its-SpongeBobs-back/UPI-48031102100700/|publisher=UPI.com|access-date=August 17, 2013|date=December 3, 2004|archive-date=September 28, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928081413/http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2004/12/03/Burger-King-wants-its-SpongeBobs-back/UPI-48031102100700/|url-status=live}} One was found attached to a railing at the football-field 50-yard line at an Iowa college,{{cite web|last=Freedlander|first=DB|title=Spongenappings Sweep Nation|url=http://thecelebritycafe.com/feature/spongenappings-sweep-nation|work=The Celebrity Cafe|access-date=August 17, 2013|date=December 7, 2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927135015/http://thecelebritycafe.com/feature/spongenappings-sweep-nation|archive-date=September 27, 2013}} and another under a bed in Virginia. A ransom note was found for a third: "We have SpongeBob. Give us 10 Krabby Patties, fries, and milkshakes." Steven Simon and Conrad (C.J.) Mercure Jr. were arrested after stealing an inflatable from a Burger King in St. Mary's County, Maryland.{{cite news|last=Santana|first=Arthur|title=Square Guy Too Cool to Pass Up - Page 1|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23502-2004Nov30.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=August 17, 2013|date=December 1, 2004|archive-date=October 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022115741/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23502-2004Nov30.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Burger joints losing blowup SpongeBob SquarePants|url=http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2002106665_spongebob02.html|work=The Seattle Times|access-date=August 17, 2013|date=December 1, 2004|archive-date=September 27, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927165759/http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2002106665_spongebob02.html|url-status=live}} While facing up to 18 months in jail and a $500 fine, Simon and Mercure said they were proud of what they did;{{cite news|last=Santana|first=Arthur|title=Square Guy Too Cool to Pass Up|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23502-2004Nov30_2.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=August 17, 2013|date=December 1, 2004|archive-date=October 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022115738/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23502-2004Nov30_2.html|url-status=live}} Simon said, "Once we got caught by the police, we were like, now we can tell everybody." The following year, Burger King took "extra security precautions" in response to the SpongeBob incident, when Stormtroopers from George Lucas' Star Wars guarded the delivery of Star Wars toys to a Burger King in North Hollywood as part of a promotion for Revenge of the Sith (2005).{{cite web|last=Goldman|first=Susan|title=Stormtropers guard Burger King|url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-0510burgerkingtroops.jpg,0,1521299.photo|work=Sun-Sentinel|access-date=August 17, 2013|date=May 10, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928011024/http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-0510burgerkingtroops.jpg,0,1521299.photo|archive-date=September 28, 2013|url-status=dead}}

The Cayman Islands joined with Nickelodeon to create the first Cayman Islands Sea School with SpongeBob for the film. The partnership was announced by Pilar Bush, Deputy Director of Tourism for the Cayman Islands, on March 10, 2004. As part of the agreement, the Cayman partnership was seen on Nickelodeon's global multimedia platforms, including on-air, online, and in magazines.{{cite web|title=The Cayman Islands and Nickelodeon Announce SpongeBob Movie Partnership|url=http://www.inetvacation.com//Article-Contents.asp?id=91|work=iNet Vacation|access-date=August 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060317203130/http://www.inetvacation.com//Article-Contents.asp?id=91|archive-date=March 17, 2006}} Other promotional partners included Mitsubishi, Holiday Inn, Kellogg's, and Perfetti Van Melle.

In 2005, Nickelodeon and Simon Spotlight released a book, Ice-Cream Dreams, as a tie-in to the film.{{cite web|title=Ice-Cream Dreams (SpongeBob SquarePants (8x8)) (Paperback)|url=https://www.bookdepository.com/Ice-Cream-Dreams-Nancy-Krulik/9780689868610|publisher=The Book Depository|access-date=August 22, 2013|archive-date=September 28, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928151230/http://www.bookdepository.com/Ice-Cream-Dreams-Nancy-Krulik/9780689868610|url-status=live}} It was written by Nancy E. Krulik and illustrated by Heather Martinez, with Krulik and Derek Drymon as contributors.{{cite book|title=SpongeBob SquarePants : Ice-cream dreams|publisher=WorldCat|oclc=698335835}}{{cite web|title=Ice-Cream Dreams|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/644441.Ice_Cream_Dreams|publisher=Goodreads|access-date=August 22, 2013|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060131/http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/644441.Ice_Cream_Dreams|url-status=live}}{{cite book|title = Ice-cream Dreams|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=yv6LWIaS7WUC|access-date = August 22, 2013|isbn = 9781599613666|last1 = Krulik|first1 = Nancy|date = January 2007|archive-date = November 28, 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201128045446/https://books.google.com/books?id=yv6LWIaS7WUC&hl=en|url-status = live}}

On October 15, 2004, the film was the first to sponsor a NASCAR race: the {{convert|300|mi|adj=on}}, Busch Series SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina.{{cite web|date=May 27, 2004|title=Lowe's to Make Busch Race 'Family-Friendly'|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lowes-to-make-busch-race-family-friendly-74252792.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626171059/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lowes-to-make-busch-race-family-friendly-74252792.html|archive-date=June 26, 2018|access-date=September 15, 2013|publisher=PR Newswire|location=Charlotte, NC}}{{cite web|title=2004 NASCAR Busch Grand National Schedule|url=https://www.espn.com/racing/schedule/_/series/nationwide/year/2004|publisher=ESPN|access-date=September 15, 2013|year=2004|archive-date=July 27, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727135513/http://espn.go.com/racing/schedule/_/series/nationwide/year/2004|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Strauss|first=Gary|title='SpongeBob' saturation: Preschool to college|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2004-11-16-spongebob-soundtrack_x.htm|work=USA Today|access-date=September 15, 2013|date=November 16, 2004|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203143514/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2004-11-16-spongebob-soundtrack_x.htm|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 300 Oct. 15|url=http://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/media/news/549837.html|publisher=Charlowtte Motor Speedway|access-date=September 15, 2013|date=June 2, 2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203002629/http://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/media/news/549837.html|archive-date=December 3, 2013}}{{cite news|last=Bernstein|first=Viv|title=Nascar Knows Logos Make Wheels Go 'Round|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/19/sports/othersports/19nascar.html?_r=0|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 15, 2013|date=June 19, 2005|archive-date=December 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220060713/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/19/sports/othersports/19nascar.html?_r=0|url-status=live}} It was the first race of its kind where children at the track could listen to a special, "kid-friendly" radio broadcast of the event.

Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson debuted a pair of SpongeBob SquarePants-themed Chevrolet race cars in the race. Johnson's No. 48 Chevrolet included an image of SpongeBob across the hood, and Busch's No. 5 Chevrolet featured Patrick Star.{{cite web|title=It's a SpongeBob™ Weekend - Driver Casey Mears Added to The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie™ Race Car Lineup|url=http://www.tradingcardcentral.com/news/2004/09/15_001.php|publisher=Action Performance Companies Inc.|access-date=September 15, 2013|date=September 15, 2004|archive-date=January 30, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130025901/http://www.tradingcardcentral.com/news/2004/09/15_001.php|url-status=live}} Johnson said, "This sounds so cool I know there are a lot of families who will be excited that Lowe's is doing this. The great thing is there will be something for every type of race fan. Plus how can we go wrong with SpongeBob helping us out on the car?"

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie premiered on November 14, 2004, at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.{{cite web|title=2004 Premieres|url=http://www.tclchinesetheatres.com/year/2004/|publisher=TCL Chinese Theatre|access-date=August 18, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106124003/http://www.tclchinesetheatres.com/year/2004/|archive-date=November 6, 2013}}{{cite web|title=SPONGEBOB PREMIERE|url=http://www.upi.com/News_Photos/view/upi/6723fae30a13be6d463cd03d560dc159/SPONGEBOB-PREMIERE/|website=United Press International|access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203001740/http://www.upi.com/News_Photos/view/upi/6723fae30a13be6d463cd03d560dc159/SPONGEBOB-PREMIERE/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=7.7 million watched SpongeBob special|url=http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2008/10/15/77-million-watched-SpongeBob-special/UPI-25241224120393/|website=United Press International|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=October 15, 2008|archive-date=December 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202234724/http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2008/10/15/77-million-watched-SpongeBob-special/UPI-25241224120393/|url-status=live}} It was released in the United States on November 19.{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-spongebob-squarepants-movie-opens-nationwide-on-friday-november-19-75337557.html|title='The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie' Opens Nationwide on Friday, November 19|publisher=PR Newswire|date=November 10, 2004|access-date=August 21, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203015237/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-spongebob-squarepants-movie-opens-nationwide-on-friday-november-19-75337557.html|url-status=live}} Among celebrities who saw the premiere with their children were Ray Romano, Larry King, Ice Cube, Gary Dourdan, and Lisa Kudrow.{{cite web|last=Keck|first=William|title=SpongeBob soaks up night|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-11-14-spongebob-premiere_x.htm|work=USA Today|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=November 15, 2004|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203143616/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-11-14-spongebob-premiere_x.htm|url-status=live}} The carpet was a reminder of home for Tom Kenny, SpongeBob's voice actor; he said, "I have a 15-month-old daughter, so I'm no stranger to yellow carpets."

{{Anchor|DVD|Video}}The film was released on VHS and DVD on March 1, 2005, in wide- and full-screen editions, by Paramount Home Entertainment.{{cite web|last=Lecter|first=Scott|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/14859/spongebob-squarepants-movie-the/|publisher=DVD Talk|access-date=May 26, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203034016/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/14859/spongebob-squarepants-movie-the/|url-status=live}} The VHS release is known for being the last animated film by Nickelodeon Movies to be released on the platform. The DVD special features include an 18-minute featurette, The Absorbing Tale Behind The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, featuring interviews with most of the principal cast and crew; a 15-minute featurette, Case of the Sponge "Bob", hosted by Jean-Michel Cousteau; a 20-minute animatic segment featuring scenes from the film with dialogue by the original artists, and the film's trailer. As a tie-in to the film's DVD release, 7-Eleven served a limited-edition Under-the-Sea Pineapple Slurpee in March 2005.{{cite web|last=Meitner|first=Sarah Hale|title=Slurpee Galaxy Expands With Nod To 'Star Wars'|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2005/03/02/slurpee-galaxy-expands-with-nod-to-star-wars/|work=Orlando Sentinel|access-date=May 22, 2013|date=March 2, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524054843/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2005-03-02/news/0503020192_1_darth-vader-7-eleven-new-flavors|url-status=live|archive-date=May 24, 2013}}{{cite web|title=Slurpee® Fun Facts|url=http://blpr.e-presscenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Slurpee-Fun-Facts-2011.pdf|work=e-Press Center|access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205152717/http://blpr.e-presscenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Slurpee-Fun-Facts-2011.pdf/|archive-date=December 5, 2013|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|last=Otte|first=Timothy M.|title=7-Eleven's SpongeBob Quarter|url=http://www.fool.com/investing/small-cap/2005/04/26/7elevens-spongebob-quarter.aspx|work=The Motley Fool|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=April 26, 2005|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203052758/http://www.fool.com/investing/small-cap/2005/04/26/7elevens-spongebob-quarter.aspx|url-status=live}}

The film was released as a Blu-ray-plus-DVD combination pack on March 29, 2011, alongside Charlotte's Web.{{cite web|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Blu-ray|url=http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-SpongeBob-SquarePants-Movie-Blu-ray/19728/|publisher=Blu-ray|access-date=April 26, 2013|archive-date=May 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524104221/http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-SpongeBob-SquarePants-Movie-Blu-ray/19728/|url-status=live}} It was re-released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 30, 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-SpongeBob-SquarePants-Movie-Blu-ray/115447/|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Blu-ray|work=Blu-ray.com|access-date=May 26, 2015|archive-date=May 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504045315/http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-SpongeBob-SquarePants-Movie-Blu-ray/115447/|url-status=live}} A 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Steelbook was released on July 16, 2024 to commemorate the film's 20th anniversary.{{Cite web |last=Bonthuys |first=Darryn |date=May 14, 2024 |title=Original SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Is Getting 4K Limited-Edition Release |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/spongebob-squarepants-movie-limited-edition-blu-ray-preorder-amazon-walmart/1100-6523427/ |access-date=May 17, 2024 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US}}

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie earned $9,559,752 on its opening day in the United States, second behind National Treasure (2004) (which earned $11 million).{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/daily/chart/?sortdate=2004-11-19&p=.htm|title=Daily Box Office for Friday, November 19, 2004|publisher=Box Office Mojo|year=2004|access-date=April 17, 2020|archive-date=June 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617015347/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/daily/chart/?sortdate=2004-11-19&p=.htm|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Duong|first=Senh|title=BOX OFFICE: Friday Estimates - 1. ?Treasure? $11M, 2. ?Square pants? $9.4M|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spongebob_squarepants_movie/news/1644425/box_office__friday_estimates_-_1_treasure_11m_2_square_pants_94m/|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=November 20, 2004|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060636/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spongebob_squarepants_movie/news/1644425/box_office__friday_estimates_-_1_treasure_11m_2_square_pants_94m/|url-status=live}} It grossed a combined total of $32,018,216 during its opening weekend, on 4,300 screens at 3,212 theaters, averaging $9,968 per venue (or $7,446 per screen, again second to National Treasure).{{cite web|title=November 19-21, 2004 Weekend|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2004&wknd=47&p=.htm|publisher=Box Office Mojo|access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-date=July 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719082551/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2004&wknd=47&p=.htm|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Gray|first=Brandon|title='National Treasure,' 'SpongeBob' Clean Up|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=1573&p=.htm|publisher=Box Office Mojo|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=November 22, 2004|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055841/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=1573&p=.htm|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=SpongeBob squeezed at box office|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4031439.stm|publisher=BBC|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=November 22, 2004|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921062439/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4031439.stm|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Peterson|first=Todd|title=Treasure Makes Bank at the Box Office|url=https://people.com/movies/treasure-makes-bank-at-the-box-office/|work=People|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=November 22, 2004|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060448/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,785444,00.html|url-status=live}} The film dropped an unexpected 44 percent over the Thanksgiving weekend, and 57 percent the weekend after that.{{cite web|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) Weekend Box Office Results|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=spongebob.htm|publisher=Box Office Mojo|access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055843/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=spongebob.htm|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title='National Treasure' Retains Box-Office Booty|url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/sci-fi-gaming/108684/national_treasure_retains_boxoffice_booty/|work=Red Orbit|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=December 6, 2004|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055846/http://www.redorbit.com/news/sci-fi-gaming/108684/national_treasure_retains_boxoffice_booty/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Duong|first=Senh|title=National Treasure Tops Box Office for Third Straight Week|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/closer/news/1644491/national_treasure_tops_box_office_for_third_straight_week/|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=December 6, 2004|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060717/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/closer/news/1644491/national_treasure_tops_box_office_for_third_straight_week/|url-status=live}} The opening weekend earned 37.48 percent of the film's final gross. It closed on March 24, 2005, failing to out-gross holiday animated competitors The Incredibles (2004) ($261,441,092) and The Polar Express (2004) ($183,373,735). It was still profitable for distributor Paramount Pictures and producer Nickelodeon Movies, earning $85,417,988 in the United States and $140,161,792 worldwide on a budget of $30 million.{{cite Box Office Mojo |id=0345950 |title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie |access-date=January 23, 2021 |archive-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107210815/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0345950 |url-status=live }}

{{Anchor|Reviews|Critics|Critical reception}}

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie holds an approval rating of {{RT data|score}} based on {{RT data|count}} reviews, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. Its critical consensus reads, "Surreally goofy and entertaining for both children and their parents."{{Cite Rotten Tomatoes |id={{RT data|rtid|noprefix=y}} |type=m |title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150302023319/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spongebob_squarepants_movie/|archive-date=March 2, 2015|access-date={{RT data|access date}}|url-status=live}}{{RT data|edit}} Metacritic (which uses a weighted average) assigned The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie a score of 66 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".{{cite Metacritic|id=the-spongebob-squarepants-movie|type=movie|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024050851/https://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/spongebobsquarepantsmovie|archive-date=October 24, 2014|access-date=November 24, 2020|url-status=live}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.{{Cite web |url=http://www.cinemascore.com/ |title=CinemaScore |publisher=CinemaScore |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809062201/http://cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date=August 9, 2019 |access-date=December 2, 2020}}{{cbignore}} Each film's score can be accessed from the website's search bar.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three stars out of four, calling it "the Good Burger of animation plopping us down inside a fast-food war being fought by sponges, starfish, crabs, tiny plankton and mighty King Neptune."{{cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE Movie Review|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-spongebob-squarepants-movie-2004|access-date=April 26, 2013|date=November 18, 2004|archive-date=July 28, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728090851/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-spongebob-squarepants-movie-2004|url-status=live}} Ed Park of The Village Voice wrote, "No Pixar? No problem! An unstoppable good-mood generator, the resolutely 2-D [The] SpongeBob SquarePants Movie has more yuks than Shark Tale (2004) and enough soul to swallow The Polar Express whole."{{cite news|last=Park|first=Ed|title=Porous Is Burning! SpongeBob Breaks Into the Real World.|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2004-11-16/film/porous-is-burning-spongebob-breaks-into-the-real-world/1/|access-date=October 17, 2012|date=November 16, 2004|work=The Village Voice|archive-date=November 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112212937/http://www.villagevoice.com/2004-11-16/film/porous-is-burning-spongebob-breaks-into-the-real-world/1/|url-status=live}} Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, calling it "an animated adventure that's funnier than Shark Tale and more charming than The Polar Express."{{cite web|last=Rechtshaffen|first=Michael|title=SpongeBob SquarePants|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000719539|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=August 17, 2013|date=November 15, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070923003202/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000719539|archive-date=September 23, 2007}} Randy Cordova of The Arizona Republic said, "Like the TV show it's based on, it's a daffy, enjoyable creation."{{cite web|last=Cordova|first=Randy|title=Kids, parents alike will soak up some fun with 'SpongeBob' film|url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Nov/19/en/en03a.html|work=The Arizona Republic|access-date=April 26, 2013|date=November 19, 2004|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921061157/http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Nov/19/en/en03a.html|url-status=live}} Jami Bernard of the New York Daily News gave the feature a score of three out of four: "It's not The Incredibles, or one of those animated features that spent zillions on character design, pedigree and verisimilitude. But SpongeBob is a sweet, silly thing with a child-friendly esthetic all its own."{{cite web|last=Bernard|first=Jami|title=Make 'SpongeBob' your main squeeze|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/moviereviews/story/254086p-217562c.html|work=New York Daily News|access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050305151848/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/moviereviews/story/254086p-217562c.html|archive-date=March 5, 2005}} Will Lawrence of Empire gave the film four out of five stars, calling it "a film for kids, students, stoners, anyone who enjoys a break from reality."{{cite web|last=Lawrence|first=Wil|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie|url=https://www.empireonline.com/reviews/ReviewComplete.asp?FID=10512|work=Empire|access-date=April 26, 2013|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921061508/http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/ReviewComplete.asp?FID=10512|url-status=live}} Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave it a B-minus grade: "The best moments in his [SpongeBob SquarePants] first movie outing are those that feel most TV-like, just another day in the eternally optimistic undersea society created with such contagious silliness by Stephen Hillenburg."{{cite magazine|last=Schwarzbaum|first=Lisa|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)|url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,783927,00.html|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=April 26, 2013|date=November 17, 2004|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921061439/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,783927,00.html|url-status=dead}} Desson Thomson of The Washington Post enjoyed the film: "You gotta love SpongeBob. Coolest sponge in the sea, although this one has a suspiciously manufactured look."{{cite news|author=Thomson, Desson|title='SpongeBob SquarePants': Soak Up Some Fun|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60034-2004Nov18.html|access-date=October 17, 2012|date=November 19, 2004|newspaper=The Washington Post|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921131448/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60034-2004Nov18.html|url-status=live}}

Carla Meyer of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie retains the 2-D charm of the hugely popular Nickelodeon cartoon but adds a few tricks a little 3-D here, a little David Hasselhoff there. The series' appeal never lay in its visuals, however. 'SpongeBob' endeared itself to kids and adults through sweetness and cleverness, also abundant here."{{cite web|author=Meyer, Carla|url=http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/As-absorbing-as-his-small-screen-self-2635069.php|title=As absorbing as his small-screen self|date=November 19, 2004|access-date=August 21, 2013|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203021659/http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/As-absorbing-as-his-small-screen-self-2635069.php|url-status=live}} A. O. Scott of The New York Times gave it a score of four out of five: "If you're tired of bluster and swagger, SpongeBob is your man."{{cite news|title=Absorbency Plus Frivolity, a Blend the World Needs|author=Scott, A. O.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/19/movies/19spon.html?ex=1132376400&en=10d0c2cd5551e138&ei=5083&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes&_r=0|access-date=October 17, 2012|date=November 19, 2004|newspaper=The New York Times|archive-date=February 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208170711/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/19/movies/19spon.html?ex=1132376400&en=10d0c2cd5551e138&ei=5083&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes&_r=0|url-status=live}} Tom Maurstad of The Dallas Morning News also gave the film a B-minus grade: "Being so good is what led to making the movie, and it's also the reason that many small-screen episodes are better than this big-screen venture."{{cite web|last=Maurstad |first=Tom |title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie |url=http://www.guidelive.com/portal/page?_pageid=33,97283&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&item_id=26811 |work=The Dallas Morning News |access-date=August 17, 2013 |date=November 19, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041210053840/http://www.guidelive.com/portal/page?_pageid=33%2C97283&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&item_id=26811 |archive-date=December 10, 2004 |url-status=dead }}

Some reviews praised David Hasselhoff's appearance in the film. Jennifer Frey of The Washington Post wrote, "Getting to see the hairs on Hasselhoff's back (and thighs, and calves) magnified exponentially is perhaps a bit creepy. Like the movie, it's all in good fun."{{cite news|title=Fun-Soaked Splash: 'SpongeBob SquarePants'|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61464-2004Nov18.html|access-date=October 17, 2012|date=November 19, 2004|newspaper=The Washington Post|archive-date=February 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208170731/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61464-2004Nov18.html|url-status=live}} Cinema Blend founder Joshua Tyler called Hasselhoff's role "the best movie cameo I've seen since Fred Savage stuck a joint in his crotch and played a clarinet to charm the resulting smoke like a snake."{{cite web|last=Tyler|first=Joshua|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/The-SpongeBob-SquarePants-Movie-753.html|publisher=Cinema Blend|access-date=April 26, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203093135/http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/The-SpongeBob-SquarePants-Movie-753.html|url-status=live}}

{{Quote box

| quote = There's plenty to treasure in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, but for all the spit-and-polish animation and the rollicking soundtrack (which includes an original song by the Flaming Lips, as well as Ween's gorgeous "Ocean Man," from their Mollusk album), this isn't the yellow one's most thrilling hour—or 80 minutes."

| width = 35%

| align = right

| source = David Edelstein, in his Slate review

}}

David Edelstein of Slate criticized the film's plot, calling it a "big, heavy anchor of a story structure to weigh him down."{{cite web|last=Edelstein|first=David|title=SpongeBob Squared|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2004/11/spongebob_squared.html|access-date=April 26, 2013|date=November 18, 2004|work=Slate|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060950/http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2004/11/spongebob_squared.html|url-status=live}} Mike Clark of USA Today called it "harmlessly off-the-cuff — but facing far more pedigreed multiplex competition — SpongeBob barely rates as OK when compared with The Incredibles."{{cite web|last=Clark|first=Mike|title=Airy 'SpongeBob' is mildly absorbing|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2004-11-18-spongebob_x.htm|work=USA Today|access-date=April 26, 2013|date=November 18, 2004|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921062112/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2004-11-18-spongebob_x.htm|url-status=live}} A reviewer noted in Time Out London, "Anyone expecting anything more risky will be sadly disappointed."{{cite web|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-spongebob-squarepants-movie|work=Time Out|access-date=April 26, 2013|year=2004|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203023725/http://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-spongebob-squarepants-movie|url-status=live}} In his Variety review, Todd McCarthy said the film "takes on rather too much water during its extended feature-length submersion."{{cite web|last=McCarthy|first=Todd|title=Review: "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie"|url=https://variety.com/2004/film/reviews/the-spongebob-squarepants-movie-1200529562/|work=Variety|access-date=August 17, 2013|date=November 13, 2004|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921074333/http://variety.com/2004/film/reviews/the-spongebob-squarepants-movie-1200529562/|url-status=live}}

While the film received mostly positive reviews from critics and fans of the show, it is considered a turning point in the show's history; many fans believe that the television series has declined in quality since the film's release.{{cite web|url=http://money.msn.com/top-stocks/post.aspx?post=942b02c6-e5b2-405d-bba8-277797fa7839|title=Viacom should pull the plug on SpongeBob|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505002658/http://money.msn.com/top-stocks/post.aspx?post=942b02c6-e5b2-405d-bba8-277797fa7839|website=MSN Money|last=Berr|first=Jonathan|access-date=February 3, 2013|date=May 4, 2012|archive-date=May 5, 2012|url-status=dead}} While episodes aired before the film were praised for their "uncanny brilliance",{{cite web|url=https://animesuperhero.com/the-uncanny-brilliance-of-spongebob-squarepants/|title=The Uncanny Brilliance of "SpongeBob SquarePants"|author=Zeus, Maxie|publisher=Anime Superhero News|date=January 28, 2005|access-date=July 24, 2020|archive-date=July 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724083525/https://animesuperhero.com/the-uncanny-brilliance-of-spongebob-squarepants/|url-status=live}} those aired after the film have been called "kid-pandering attention-waster[s]",{{cite web |url=http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=26567 | title="Whatever Happened to SpongeBob?": Good Question! | author=Zeus, Maxie |publisher=Toon Zone | date=October 12, 2008 | access-date=October 14, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209005641/http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=26567|archive-date=December 9, 2008}} "tedious",{{cite web|last=Hrab|first=Roy|title=SpongeBob SquarePants: Who Bob What Pants?|url=https://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/spongebobwhatpants.php|publisher=DVD Verdict|access-date=May 30, 2013|date=November 13, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017060955/http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/spongebobwhatpants.php|archive-date=October 17, 2013}} "boring", "dreck",{{cite web|last=Hrab|first=Roy|title=SpongeBob SquarePants: The Great Patty Caper|url=https://www.dvdverdict.com/printer/spongebobpattycaper.php|publisher=DVD Verdict|access-date=August 20, 2013|date=March 13, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203033808/http://www.dvdverdict.com/printer/spongebobpattycaper.php|archive-date=December 3, 2013}} a "depressing plateau of mediocrity"{{cite web|last=Rhodes|first=Mina|title=SpongeBob SquarePants: To Love A Patty|url=https://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/spongebobpatty.php|publisher=DVD Verdict|access-date=August 20, 2013|date=February 6, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921113901/http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/spongebobpatty.php|archive-date=September 21, 2013}} and "laugh-skimpy."{{cite web|last=Mavis|first=Paul|title=SpongeBob SquarePants - WhoBob WhatPants?|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/35047/spongebob-squarepants-who-bob-what-pants/|publisher=DVD Talk|access-date=May 30, 2013|date=October 13, 2008|archive-date=September 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922025614/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/35047/spongebob-squarepants-who-bob-what-pants/|url-status=live}} After the film's release, fans "began to turn away from the show," causing fansites to "bec[ome] deserted." Some fans believe that the show's 2012 ratings decline correlates with a decline in quality, and "whatever fan support [the show] enjoys is not enough" to save it from its slide in ratings. This was because Stephen Hillenburg and many writers left the show.

{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by SpongeBob SquarePants#The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie}}

{{Anchor|Awards}}

File:Stephen Hillenburg.jpg was nominated at the 32nd Annie Awards for Directing an Animated Feature Production.]]

{{External media| video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peT8RTEao34 The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Rehydrated!]}}

In honor of Stephen Hillenburg, a non-profit reanimated collaboration project, titled The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Rehydrated, was released online on May 1, 2022. Similarly to 3GI's Shrek Retold collaboration, the video consists of over 300 artists recreating the film's animation and audio in their own artistic styles. Amid the YouTube premiere, the video was taken down by Paramount Global due to copyright laws. As a result, the hashtag #JusticeForSpongeBob became trending on Twitter against Paramount's action. The video was restored the following day.{{Cite web |last=Jaworski |first=Michelle |date=May 2, 2022 |title='It was a love letter to the franchise and what did Paramount do? They blocked it': Outrage as 'SpongeBob' fan film removed on YouTube |url=https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/spongebob-squarepants-rehydrated/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220503003928/https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/spongebob-squarepants-rehydrated/ |archive-date=May 3, 2022 |access-date=May 7, 2022 |website=The Daily Dot}}{{Cite web |last=Coulson |first=Josh |date=May 3, 2022 |title=SpongeBob SquarePants Fan Movie Rehydrated! Goes Live, Gets Copyright Takedown During Premiere |url=https://www.thegamer.com/spongebob-squarepants-rehydrate-copyright-takedown/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220503080136/https://www.thegamer.com/spongebob-squarepants-rehydrate-copyright-takedown/ |archive-date=May 3, 2022 |access-date=May 7, 2022 |website=TheGamer}}

{{Main|The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (video game)|l1=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (video game)}}

A video game based on the film was released for PlayStation 2{{cite web|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie - PlayStation 2|url=https://www.ign.com/games/spongebob-squarepants-happy-squared-double-pack/ps2-674785|publisher=IGN|access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-date=July 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130714064530/http://www.ign.com/games/spongebob-squarepants-happy-squared-double-pack/ps2-674785|url-status=live}} PC,{{cite web|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie - PC|url=https://www.ign.com/games/spongebob-squarepants-happy-squared-double-pack/pc-674787|publisher=IGN|access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-date=July 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724065001/http://www.ign.com/games/spongebob-squarepants-happy-squared-double-pack/pc-674787|url-status=live}} Game Boy Advance,{{cite web|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie - Game Boy Advance|url=https://www.ign.com/games/spongebob-squarepants-happy-squared-double-pack/gba-674786|publisher=IGN|access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-date=December 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212045443/http://www.ign.com/games/spongebob-squarepants-happy-squared-double-pack/gba-674786|url-status=live}} Xbox,{{cite web|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie - Xbox|url=https://www.ign.com/games/spongebob-squarepants-happy-squared-double-pack/xbox-674789|publisher=IGN|access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-date=December 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209143243/http://www.ign.com/games/spongebob-squarepants-happy-squared-double-pack/xbox-674789|url-status=live}} and GameCube on October 27, 2004{{cite web|last=Adams|first=David|title=SpongeBob Ships|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/10/27/spongebob-ships|publisher=IGN|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=October 27, 2004|archive-date=June 28, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130628130458/http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/10/27/spongebob-ships|url-status=live}} for Mac OS X in 2005{{cite web|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie - Macintosh|url=https://www.ign.com/games/spongebob-squarepants-happy-squared-double-pack/mac-818889|publisher=IGN|access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-date=November 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105032154/http://www.ign.com/games/spongebob-squarepants-happy-squared-double-pack/mac-818889|url-status=live}} and PlayStation 3 on February 7, 2012.{{cite web|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie - PlayStation 3|url=https://www.ign.com/games/spongebob-squarepants-happy-squared-double-pack/ps3-127187|publisher=IGN|access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-date=December 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210060746/http://www.ign.com/games/spongebob-squarepants-happy-squared-double-pack/ps3-127187|url-status=live}} The home-console version was developed by Heavy Iron Studios;{{cite web|title=SpongeBob SquarePants: The Movie Update|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/08/25/spongebob-squarepants-the-movie-update|publisher=IGN|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=August 25, 2004|author=IGN Staff|archive-date=February 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222070841/http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/08/25/spongebob-squarepants-the-movie-update|url-status=live}} the Game Boy Advance version was developed by WayForward Technologies and published by THQ.{{cite web|title=Best-Selling Videogame The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie(TM) Reaches Coveted Sales Milestone Across Major Systems|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/best-selling-videogame-the-spongebob-squarepants-movietm-reaches-coveted-sales-milestone-across-major-systems-54848347.html|publisher=PR Newswire|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=July 29, 2004|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203022359/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/best-selling-videogame-the-spongebob-squarepants-movietm-reaches-coveted-sales-milestone-across-major-systems-54848347.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Murray|first=Rebecca|title="The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" Becomes a Videogame|url=http://movies.about.com/od/spongebobsquarepants/a/sponge112304.htm|publisher=About.com|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=November 22, 2004|archive-date=August 1, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801044351/http://movies.about.com/od/spongebobsquarepants/a/sponge112304.htm|url-status=live}}

It was created on the same engine as SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, which uses RenderWare. Game developer Heavy Iron Studios tweaked the graphics to give the game a sharper and more imaginative look than Battle for Bikini Bottom. It increased the polygon count, added several racing levels, and incorporated many creatures from the film. The game's plot was based on the film, with SpongeBob and Patrick on a mission taking them outside Bikini Bottom to retrieve Neptune's crown.{{cite web|last=Lewis|first=Ed|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie First Look|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/07/27/the-spongebob-squarepants-movie-first-look|publisher=IGN|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=July 26, 2004|archive-date=February 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222074725/http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/07/27/the-spongebob-squarepants-movie-first-look|url-status=live}} On October 4, 2004, THQ announced the game's mobile release.{{cite web|title=THQ Wireless Celebrates SpongeBob SquarePants Mania; Company Expands Popular SpongeBob SquarePants License to Wireless Gaming in the U.S.|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20041004005412/en/THQ-Wireless-Celebrates-SpongeBob-SquarePants-Mania-Company|publisher=BusinessWire|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=October 4, 2004|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203023603/http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20041004005412/en/THQ-Wireless-Celebrates-SpongeBob-SquarePants-Mania-Company|url-status=live}} Nickelodeon vice-president for new-media business development Paul Jelinek said, "As one of the leading publishers of wireless entertainment content, THQ Wireless is introducing the SpongeBob SquarePants license to a whole new audience of gamers THQ has been a great partner to Nickelodeon over the years and we look forward to the same standard of excellence with these upcoming SpongeBob SquarePants games for wireless devices." The mobile console was developed by Amplified Games.{{cite web|title=The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie -Wireless|url=https://www.ign.com/games/spongebob-squarepants-happy-squared-double-pack/cell-715304|publisher=IGN|access-date=August 18, 2013|archive-date=November 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105014238/http://www.ign.com/games/spongebob-squarepants-happy-squared-double-pack/cell-715304|url-status=live}}

{{Main|The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water|l1=The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water}}

A second movie, which was announced in February 2012, was directed by Paul Tibbitt, written by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, and executive-produced by Stephen Hillenburg, who co-wrote the story with Tibbit.{{cite news|last1=Graser|first1=Marc|last2=Kroll|first2=Justin|title=Paramount ramping up animation slate|url=https://variety.com/2012/film/news/paramount-ramping-up-animation-slate-1118057934/|access-date=August 17, 2012|newspaper=Variety|date=August 16, 2012|archive-date=August 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819232301/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118057934|url-status=live}} Paramount stated in early June 2014 that the film would be released on February 6, 2015.{{cite web|last1=Sneider|first1=Jeff|title=Paramount Avoids 'Fifty Shades' by Moving Up 'Spongebob SquarePants' Sequel|url=https://www.thewrap.com/paramount-avoids-fifty-shades-by-moving-up-spongebob-squarepants-sequel/|website=The Wrap|access-date=June 7, 2014|date=June 5, 2014|archive-date=March 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322164942/https://www.thewrap.com/paramount-avoids-fifty-shades-by-moving-up-spongebob-squarepants-sequel/|url-status=live}} The film involves SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs, Plankton and Sandy taking back the Krabby Patty secret formula from a pirate that stole it, resulting in them making it to land.

{{Main|The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run|l1=The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run}}

The third movie, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, was announced in late 2019 and was released on August 14, 2020, in Canada and on March 4, 2021, on Paramount+ in the United States. Tim Hill served as the director and the screenplay was written by Aaron Springer with Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger.{{cite web|last=Donnelly|first=Matt|title=Paramount Animation Sets Three New Films, Including 'SpongeBob' Sequel|url=https://www.thewrap.com/paramount-animation-sets-three-new-films-including-spongebob-sequel/|access-date=April 26, 2018|work=The Wrap|date=April 25, 2018|archive-date=April 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426035935/https://www.thewrap.com/paramount-animation-sets-three-new-films-including-spongebob-sequel/|url-status=live}} The film follows SpongeBob and Patrick on a rescue mission to save Gary, and reveals how SpongeBob and Gary met at Kamp Koral.

• 2004: Marc Cerasini: SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: A novelization of the hit movie!, Simon Spotlight, {{ISBN|978-0689868405}}

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Portal|Cartoon|Film|United States|2000s}}

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• {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041120043939/http://www.nick.com/all_nick/movies/spongebob/index2.jhtml|title=Official website|date=mdy}}
• {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
• {{IMDb title|0345950}}

{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}

{{Rough Draft Studios}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 1, The}}

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