The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water 3D (2015)
Certified: U
Duration: 92 minutes
Directed by: Paul Tibbitt, Mike Mitchell
Voices of: Antonio Banderas, Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Clancy Brown, Carolyn Lawrence, Matt Berry, Jill Talley, Mary Jo Catlett, Lori Alan
KRS Releasing Ltd

In a town called Bikini Bottom, under the sea, life revolves around a diner called Krusty Krab. The Krabby Patty is the signature dish everyone in town keeps coming back and back again to eat. The owner of the joint, Mr Krabs (Clancy Brown), has for many a year been at war with Plankton (Mr Lawrence), who has for years been after the secret Krabby Patty formula in order to use it in his restaurant. In one attempt, he manages to steal the recipe but it vanishes. Perennially happy SpongeBob SquarePants (Tom Kenny) and perennially doomy Squidward Tentacles (Roger Bumpass) had tried to stop this but to no avail.

Chaos comes to town as many believe that Plankton and SpongeBob joined forces for this heist. However, what they do not know is that a pirate named Burger-Beard (Antonio Banderas) has taken the magic book about Bikini Bottom. He is reaping success as he has opened a food truck in a town in the land above the water.

So SpongeBob, Plankton, Squidward, Mr Krabs, the not very bright Patrick Star (Bill Fagerbakke) and the squirrel Sandy Cheeks (Carolyn Lawrence) have to go above the seas, become superheroes and bring back the formula so that balance in their universe is restored.

The 2004 film brought Stephen Hillenburg’s wacky cartoon universe to the big screen to the sound of $140 million and cult status. Now along comes this sequel and with triple the budget, nearly double the box office and additional doses of freakiness, this emerges to be quite a hoot of a movie experience. The difference here is that the characters have been taken out of the water and from the television-style animated field taken into the realm of CG animation with impressive results.

The SpongeBob universe has remained the same and also the vibes it sends off – the film is infused with a sense of energy and vibrancy. The change from traditional animation to CG animation is well handled and fits well into the storyline and actually becomes a storyline tool. Here one will find laughs aplenty as the characters try to get used to their new looks and surroundings.

While the animation is superb, the main elements here have to be the film’s pacing and the characters which are all memorable in various ways with all their idiosyncrasies. Just think that this film has a dolphin that manages time and space and has deity levels. Each of the characters, with their own freaky fetishes and character traits are complete and very well rounded.

The movie still retains its odd, fish-out-of-water kind of humour that had made the first movie and the series so popular.

Fans of the series – that are now 16 years old, which in itself says a lot – should make sure to see this version as it will provide them with a wacky dose of underwater, or should I say Krabby Patty, madness.