Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #333 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-05-16
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Arabic, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Hebrew, Romanian, Turkish
• Dubbed in: Dutch, German
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 83 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
How many movies offer the rare spectacle of a parasailing pink starfish flying over a crowd with a congratulatory pennant clenched between his buttcheeks? And that's only the tip of the iceberg--The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is a freewheeling goof of a cartoon, full of surreal twists as its diminutive heroes head down a dangerous road to rescue the lost crown of King Neptune. SpongeBob (voiced by Tom Kenny), an arrested adolescent in the mold of Pee-wee Herman, works at a fast-food restaurant that serves something called Krabby Patties (as the restaurant owner is himself a crab, it's not clear what exactly they're made of). His best friend Patrick Starfish (Bill Fagerbakke) lives under a rock and has an IQ in the lower digits. Still, their friendship carries them through many a tight spot as they strive for manliness. Anyone seeking a coherent world will be disappointed; in this undersea adventure, things catch on fire or seem to be surrounded by air whenever it's convenient for a gag. The jokes are often more silly than actually funny, but there's an undeniably energetic joviality to the proceedings. Featuring the voices of Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Tambor, Alec Baldwin, and a fully fleshed appearance by David Hasselhoff. --Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com

Synopsis
A passion for drawing, a penchant for the films of Jacques Cousteau, and a career as a marine biologist were SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS creator Stephen Hillenburg's inspirations for bringing this fun character to life. A hugely popular Nickelodeon show based on SpongeBob inspires THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE, which brings the oceanic cast of animated oddballs to the big screen. The bubbly inhabitants of Bikini Bottom are in more trouble than a sinking ship at the start of the film. The evil Plankton (Doug Lawrence) has hatched a plan to send the Krusty Krab burger chain out of business. He steals the secret formula for the delicious Krabby Patty and then frames Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown) for the theft of King Neptune's (Jeffrey Tambor) crown. With all eyes on Mr. Krabs, Plankton starts selling Krabby Patties at his own Chum Bucket restaurant. Just then, SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) steps in and, with his starfish pal Patrick (Rick Faggerbakke), sets out to find the crown and get Mr. Krabs out of hot water. What follows is an epic adventure in which the pair encounter some slippery villains, and a hero in the form of special guest star David Hasselhoff--who appears as himself in a bizarre fusion of animation and live action. SpongeBob and Patrick frantically race back to Bikini Bottom to stop megalomaniacal Plankton from taking over the world. All of this is played out before an eclectic soundtrack, which pairs indie rockers like The Flaming Lips and Wilco with teen-pop princess Avril Lavigne. Taking its first triumphant step into the feature film world, SPONGEBOB soaks up an enthusiastic crowd of children and adults alike.

Customer Reviews

A fantastic movie; a good value DVD
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? If you don't know the answer, then you are clearly one of an ever-decreasing number of people who have yet to fall under the charms of the world's favourite talking sea-sponge, Spongebob Squarepants. The combination of loveable characters, catchy songs, wacky visual gags, truly talented animation and voice crews, and quirky one-liners has made this the most watched "kids" show in history. And with the release of the 'Spongebob Squarepants Movie', the team have finally brought this worldwide hit to the big-screen.

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.

I beat the lot of ya!!!
I'm 53 and this movie has to be the best one I've seen in years. Spongebob should run for President for heavens sake !

BALD,BALD,BALD! MY EYES!
Seldom has a cartoon movie been as funny,camp,moving and plain brilliant as spongebob squarepants-the movie,this is just a laugh a minute,those who think spongebob the series of the movie is merely for kids are seriously missing out,spongebob is a hero for a us all,albeit a cartoon hero.
The movie has a plot,yes a plot!it revolves around the evil plankton,who steals king neptunes crown and places it in a dangerous side of town called shell city and frames eugene crabs for stealing it.King neptune arrives at the crusty crab along with his daughter mindy(scarlett johansson) and as neptune threatens to kill crabss ,spongebob and the legendary patrick star say they will obtain the crown in 6 days time for king neptune.The fun really kicks in then,and our heroes risk it all in the 80 or so minutes that follow.
The movie plays on your emotions,you will sing along,cheer along,feel like crying,(just like the pirates in the cinema do),you will cheer ,you will simply adore this regardless of age.
I wont mention anymore in case you aint seen this yet except to say wait until you see spongebob getting drunk on ice cream and then the hangover that follows,simply stunning.
Do not let the notion that this is a cartoon put you off,yes kids love this but i believe that adults will find this just as funny ,if not more!so after me lets sing'who lives in a pineapple under the sea?'