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The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge of the New World is a 2009 American live-action/animated adventure comedy film produced by Nickelodeon Movies, United Plankton Pictures and Walden Media. Based on the Nickelodeon animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants created by Stephen Hillenburg. it is directed by Paul Tibbitt in his feature directorial debut, who co-wrote the screenplay with Tim Hill, Steven Banks, Aaron Springer and Cassidy Brandt, and co-wrote the story with Stephen Hillenburg. The second film in the SpongeBob SquarePants film series, it is a direct sequel to The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004), and features the show's regular voice cast consisting of Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence, and Mr. Lawrence, who are joined by David Strathairn, Matthew Broderick, Rose Byrne, James Marsden, and Christopher Plummer, with live-action performances by Troye Sivan, Elizabeth Olsen, and Pete Davidson.
In the film, SpongeBob and his friends enter the other side of the ocean called Pacific Drop, where they meet a group of fish called the Protectors. Soon, Pacific Drop plunges into chaos when a mysterious gang of sharks try and take over the place. Meanwhile, Larry the Lobster is hired to guard the Krusty Krab while Mr. Krabs is gone, foiling every plan of Plankton's to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula. Plans on a SpongeBob SquarePants Movie sequel was announced in May 2005, following the commercial success of the latter film. It was announced by film co-producer Julia Pistor. Series executive producer Paul Tibbitt was assigned to direct the film, marking it his feature directorial debut; Tibbitt co-wrote the screenplay with Tim Hill, Steven Banks, Aaron Springer and Cassidy Brandt, and co-wrote the story with Stephen Hillenburg. Principal photography commenced in Los Angeles in September 2007.
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge of the New World held its world premiere in Los Angeles on October 18, 2009, and was released in the United States on November 6, 2009. It was accompanied by the short film Shear Troubles, based on the 2008 RCH Animation film The Lucky Sheep. It was both critically and commercially successful like its predecessor, with praise for its animation, voice cast, music, faithfulness to the source material, plot, live-action performances, screenplay, pacing, and consistency with the franchise, though the runtime received criticism. The film earned over $254 million worldwide on its $50 million budget, making it the sixth-highest grossing animated film of 2009 behind The Princess and the Frog, and the seventh highest-grossing film of the year. A third film, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, was released in 2015, and another sequel, titled The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, was released in 2020. A spin-off film, titled Sandy in Texas, was released in 2022.
Plot
Coming soon!
Cast
Voice cast
- Main article: List of SpongeBob SquarePants characters
- Tom Kenny as SpongeBob, an optimistic and enthusiastic yellow sea sponge who works at the Krusty Krab as the restaurant's fry cook. He is the protagonist of the film.
- Kenny is also Gary, SpongeBob's pet snail
- Kenny also narrates the film as the voice of the French Narrator.
- David Strathairn as Master Pacifico, a pink crab who is the leader of the Protectors.
- Matthew Broderick as Tough Tucker, an energetic Shubunkin who is a member of the Protectors.
- Rose Byrne as Lucy Sharpanton, a shy but compassionate pink anchovy who is a member of the Protectors.
- James Marsden as Ben Flopzalot, a gruff and sarcastic flounder who is a member of the Protectors.
- Christopher Plummer as Derek the Reaper, a tall and menacingly evil Great White Shark He is the antagonist of the film, and is the leader of the Bad Shark Clan (BSC).
- Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs, a crab who dislikes spending money, and is the owner of the Krusty Krab.
- Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick, a pink starfish and SpongeBob's best friend.
- Rodger Bumpass as Squidward, SpongeBob and Patrick's grouchy next-door neighbor. He works at the Krusty Krab as the cashier.
- Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy, a squirrel with a Texas accent who lives in an air-filled glass dome.
- Mr. Lawrence as Plankton, a small planktonic copepod and self-proclaimed archenemy of Mr. Krabs who tries to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula from him. He and Karen own the Chum Bucket, a failing restaurant across the street from the Krusty Krab.
- Lawrence is also Larry, a lobster lifeguard, bodybuilder, and workout fanatic. He is tasked with guarding the Krusty Krab while Mr. Krabs is gone, effectively foiling every plan of Plankton's to steal the formula.
- Jill Talley as Karen, a who co-owns the Chum Bucket with him.
- Mary Jo Catlett as Mrs. Puff, a pufferfish who is SpongeBob's boating instructor.
- Lori Alan as Pearl, a teenage sperm whale who is Mr. Krabs' daughter.
- Stephen Hillenburg as Potty the Parrot, Patchy's pet parrot, who always tends to start arguments and cause trouble.
- Michelle Rodriguez as ???
- Martin Short as ???
- Nick Nolte as ???
- Eddie Redmayne as ???
- Matt Bomer as ???
Live-action cast
- Troye Sivan as ???
- Elizabeth Olsen as ???
- Pete Davidson as ???
- Matt Damon as ???
- Wendie Malick as ???
- Dakota Fanning as ???
- Joan Allen as ???
- Tom Kenny as Patchy the Pirate, a happy-go-lucky and stereotypical pirate with a hook who intentionally acts childish.
Additional voices
Coming soon!
Production
Development
Following the release of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie in 2004, co-producer Julia Pistor was asked about the making of a sequel. She responded by saying: "We may consider working on a [SpongeBob movie] sequel at some point in the future, but we're holding it off for now. We don't want to directly go against Stephen [Hillenburg]'s wishes." Hillenburg was also asked about the possibility of a sequel. He responded with: "It depends on how the movie performs. If it does well, then sure, maybe we can go ahead and make a sequel. The thing that worries me about my creation is that it'll eventually run dry in the film business."
Following the success of the film, in May 2005, Pistor and Hillenburg announced that a sequel to the movie was being made. In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, series executive producer Paul Tibbitt revealed that he would be directing the sequel, with the title also revealed to be Sponge of the New World. Tibbitt expressed excitement for being in the position of the director when he was being interviewed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! by saying: "Having the opportunity to direct a SpongeBob is so surreal, and I'm glad to be able to direct something that's literally been my dream [ever] since I've started working on the show."
During the production of the film, while the crew was scouting areas for shooting, Tim Hill -- who also developed SpongeBob SquarePants with Derek Drymon and Nicholas R. Jennings -- was brought on to write the screenplay for the film in April 2006. Hill was joined by Paul Tibbitt, Steven Banks, Aaron Springer, and Cassidy Brandt in the months following. Derek Drymon specialized as the story's editor. Stephen Hillenburg co-wrote the story for Sponge of the New World with Paul Tibbitt.
Casting
Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke confirmed they would be returning to voice SpongeBob SquarePants (and Gary the Snail) and Patrick Star in the film, while being interviewed by Entertainment Tonight in 2006. Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Carolyn Lawrence, Mr. Lawrence, Jill Talley confirmed in January 2007 that they would be reprising their roles as Mr. Krabs, Squidward Tentacles, Sandy Cheeks, Plankton (and Larry the Lobster), and Karen, respectively. In the following month, Mary Jo Catlett and Lori Alan revealed that they would also be reprising the roles of Mr. Krabs, Squidward Tentacles, Sandy Cheeks, Plankton (and Larry the Lobster), Karen, Mrs. Puff, and Pearl, respectively.
In September 2007, right after the release of Universal's The Bourne Ultimatum, David Strathairn was revealed to be joining the cast of Sponge of the New World as Master Pacifico, a member of a group called "The Protectors", seen in Pacific Drop. Matthew Broderick, Rose Byrne, and James Marsden later joined Strathairn as the voices of Tough Tucker (Broderick), Lucy Sharpanton (Byrne), and Ben Flopzalot (Marsden). Christopher Plummer was cast as Derek the Reaper in 2008.
Screenwriter Aaron Springer described the Protectors' members like this: "Master Pacifico is the leader of the Protectors. Tough Tucker has that energetic personality to his character, and he's a Shubunkin. Lucy Sharpanton is kind of shy, but she's compassionate towards others, including SpongeBob, and she's a pink anchovy fish. And Ben Flopzalot is sarcastically funny. He reminds some people of Flaps [the Flounder], and he's a flounder fish." When describing Derek the Reaper, Springer said: "Derek is singlehandedly THE closest thing this movie will get to a character who is, in a way, almost like a relative to Dennis from the first movie. He's tall, evil, and is not afraid to kill anyone in his path."
Animation
Rough Draft Studios was revealed to provide the animation for Sponge of the New World, after they had previously done the animation for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. Visual effects and computer-animation for the film was provided by Sony Pictures Imageworks and Blur Studio.
Filming
When the film was revealed to be live-action, Emmanuel Lubezki was confirmed to do the cinematography. Peter Lyons Collister and Janusz Kamiński were originally offered the title as the cinematographer, but they both declined. Principal photography commenced in August 2007 in Los Angeles, California. Additional shots were done at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
Additional filming spanned from San Francisco, California to Phoenix, Arizona. For the ship fight scene, the production crew was given permission to film aboard the USS Los Angeles (SSN-688) by the United States Navy. Filming wrapped in February 2008. Reshoots for the film were done between December 2008 and April 2009.
Soundtrack
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge of the New World (Music from the Motion Picture and More) is the soundtrack for the movie.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Songs | ||||
| 1 | "SpongeBob SquarePants Theme" | Blaise Smith, Derek Drymon, Mark Harrison, Stephen Hillenburg | Avril Lavigne | 0:46 |
| 2 | "Sea Gang" | Christopher Bridges, Elvis Williams, Jamal Jones, Stacy Ferguson, William Adams | Fergie, Ludacris | 3:13 |
| 3 | "The Anthem" | Benji Madden, Joel Madden, John Feldmann | Good Charlotte | 3:40 |
| 4 | "Mr. Big Stuff" | Joseph Broussard, Carrol Washington, Ralph George Williams, Mary Jane Blige (additional lyrics), Pharrell Williams (additional lyrics), Shay Haley (additional lyrics), Calvin Broadus Jr. (additional lyrics) | Mary J. Blige, Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg | 3:47 |
| 5 | "You Make My Dreams" | Daryl Hall, John Oates, Sara Allen | Hall & Oates | 3:06 |
| 6 | "Funkytown" | Steven Greenberg | Lipps Inc. | 3:59 |
| 7 | "Land Sponge" | Greg Camp | Smash Mouth | 2:51 |
| 8 | "Ocean Man" | Aaron Freeman, Michael Melchiondo | Ween | 2:06 |
| 9 | "Pump It" | William Adams, Allan Pineda, Stacy Ferguson, Nicholas Roubanis, Thomas Van Musser | Black Eyed Peas | 3:33 |
| 10 | "Hey Ya!" | André Lauren Benjamin | Outkast | 3:55 |
| 11 | "The Best Day Ever" | Andy Paley, Tom Kenny | Tom Kenny | 3:02 |
| Score | ||||
| 12 | "Opening" | Christopher Lennertz, Stephen Hillenburg | N/A | 2:47 |
| 13 | "A Brand New Day" | 1:54 | ||
| 14 | "We Are The Protectors" | 3:18 | ||
| 15 | "Plunging Into Chaos / Meet Derek the Reaper" | 2:41 | ||
| 16 | "Protecting The Krusty Krab" | 2:30 | ||
| 17 | "Curse You, Krabs!" | 1:43 | ||
| 18 | "This Is Not A Pretty Sight" | 2:03 | ||
| 19 | "Atomic Attack" | 5:16 | ||
| 20 | "Scrapes And Bruises / Cheyenne Fight" | 4:08 | ||
| 21 | "Don't Ever Give Up" | 2:20 | ||
| 22 | "Our Last Stand" | 5:38 | ||
| 23 | "Pacific Drop Is Saved" | 2:10 | ||
| 24 | "Proclamation" | 1:30 | ||
| 25 | "Epilogue" | 2:24 | ||
| 26 | "Suite" | 8:00 | ||
Release
Theatrical
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge of the New World premiered at the Mann Village Theater in Los Angeles, California on October 18, 2009. The American release followed on November 6, 2009. It was originally scheduled to be released on July 31, 2009, but the release date was later assigned to Virtual Journey. The film was also converted to the IMAX format. It was accompanied with the short film Shear Troubles, based on the 2008 RCH Animation film The Lucky Sheep.
Marketing
Coming soon!
Home media
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge of the New World was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 2, 2010 by Paramount Home Entertainment. It was re-released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 25, 2014, to coincide with the 5th anniversary of the film, as well as the 10th anniversary of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.
Reception
Box office
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge of the New World was released on November 6, 2009 in the United States. It grossed $106.1 million in the United States and Canada and $148.5 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $254.6 million against its production budget of $50 million.
Reception
Based on 195 professional critic reviews, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 84% of those reviews were positive, with an average rating of 7.55/10. On the website, the critics' consensus reads, "Jumping back to the surface with beautiful animation and a fresh out-of-water storyline, Sponge of the New World will possibly remain as one of SpongeBob's greatest adventures."" Using a weighted average calculator, Metacritic assigned the film a score of 75 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore assigned the film a rare average grade "A+" on its A+ to F scale, higher than the preceding film's "B+" grade.
Sequels
- Main articles: The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run
Transcripts
Main
To see the main transcript of the film, click here.
Trailers
To see the transcript for the trailers of the film, click here.