Spongebob The Movie [DVD] [2004]

The central character, Spongebob Squarepants, is an endearingly innocent and optimistic being who faces a constant battle between the grown-up world, where he works and aspires to progress in, and his own, child-like world, where he has fun and plays with Patrick, his best friend. Indeed, this innocence is mirrored in the film itself. In a world of kids' films that increasingly rely on innuendo and double-entendre to pull in an adult audience, it is refreshing that 'Spongebob the Movie' never swerves from the silly, carefree fun that really sums up most children. Of course, there are parts that older ones may find funnier simply through experience (I'm thinking of the inspired scene in which Spongebob and his friend Patrick have a night out and get drunk on ice cream, followed by terrible hangovers the next morning; or the finale that sees Patrick in fishnet tights and stilettos). But never does it get rude or offensive, because this is a film that reminds all of us that we are children at heart and that we should enjoy life. It's about time Hollywood gave a message like that.

Quite apart from any moral principles, we shouldn't forget that this is quite simply a very funny film. Many of the reasons for this will be familiar to fans of Spongebob anyway, but the increased budget and running time has allowed for development in most areas. The two cores of the Spongebob Squarepants success are its animation and its voice talent. The animation on this movie (and, to a lesser extent, the show) is quite often remarkable. Considering that many of today's cartoon shows pay little attention to their animation ("The South Park Show" may be multi-award winning and extremely popular, but it hardly has the most complex paintings) it is nice to see the effort that goes into designing the look of the characters from scene to scene. One of the funniest features of the show and movie is the way that the designers constantly change the way Spongebob looks and are always coming up with new ways to show his emotions. A highlight in respect has to be the afore-mentioned moment when Spongebob wakes up with a sugar-induced hangover, with tiny bloodshot eyes and the appearance of stubble. It's innovative. It's quirky. But most of all it's very, very funny.

The sounds on the movie also have a big part to play. I only have to hear Spongebob's shoes squeaking and I can't help but laugh, but maybe that's just me. And once you hear the wonderful voices, whether it is Bill Fagerbakke as the slow-witted Patrick, Clancy Brown as the money-grabbing Eugene Krabs, or my favourite Tom Kennedy as Spongebob himself, you can't help but just smile and go along for the ride. Along with the regular cast, there are also the additional voices of Alec Baldwin, Jeffrey Tambor and Scarlett Johansson as Plankton's evil goon, King Neptune, and his daughter, respectively. The result is a goodly number of characters, voices and scenes that mean that the dust never settles at Bikini Bottom.

Well we have come this far, and still not mentioned the two hilarious song-and-dance routines (Spongebob and Patrick's dance in front of the monsters will be repeated on many a dance floor, no doubt), the scary moments, the emotional moments, and the cameo-of-a-lifetime from David Hassellhoff. But you get the picture. The only downside for me was the inexplicable inclusion of some live-action pirates at the beginning and middle, who's only job seemed to be to pad the film out (it only runs to 80+ minutes as it is) and as such slightly diluted what everyone actually wanted to see. Other than that, some very young ones may find the dramatic scenes too scary, so if you have children under school age you might want to check it out first. So I'll give the movie 4 out of 5.

As far as the DVD itself goes, considering how many films are released to this format with nothing more than a teaser trailer for special features, this offering is distinctly acceptable. Included is a twenty-minute documentary about the making of the film (and in turn, the show itself); a watchable documentary about the undersea world with Jean-Michelle Cousteau (about quarter of an hour); another mini feature about "saving the surf"; some of the animatics from the film with dialogue included, and a teaser trailer which is actually very funny. So I'd give the DVD 4 out of 5 - I'm sure there could have been more features if they'd really squeezed, so it would be unfair to say it is perfect.

So what else is there to say? Some adults may find this simply too silly for their taste, but I urge you to stick with it. After all, you may discover a silly part of you just waiting to get out, and then you'll be happy you did.