Why Are They Ruining ‘SpongeBob Squarepants’?!

Everyone’s favorite Bikini Bottom resident is starring in a brand new film. No, not SpongeBob (though he’s still a main character). The focus, for the first time, is all on Sandy Cheeks, the squirrel scientist from Texas who came undersea to Bikini Bottom to do valuable research.

She’s the star of the newest SpongeBob SquarePants movie, Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie, now streaming on Netflix. Things start great, with a strong Sandy-led musical number, but when the plot sets in gear and the gang goes above water, the wheels come off faster than you can sing the show’s theme song.

A promising part of spinoffs is getting to know underappreciated characters: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, for example, gave audiences a deeper understanding of the tabby cat that allowed us to fall deeper in love with him. The Sandy Cheeks Movie offers that same thrilling prospect but woefully underdelivers on its promise.

Instead of getting to know Sandy, the film throws a bunch of new characters into the mix—Sandy’s entire family is introduced, who are all one-note and are stereotypical Southern archetypes instead of fleshed-out characters. The family dynamics should, in theory, tell us a lot more about who Sandy is, but the film never dives deeper than the fact that Sandy is a scientist and loves her friends—things you already can glean from a single episode of the TV show, or a quick google search.

It’s especially frustrating that characters like Squidward, Patrick, and Mr. Krabs are reduced to the sidelines in favor of Sandy’s family. So much of the best humor in SpongeBob has come from these characters interacting with one another—Squidward getting annoyed and SpongeBob’s relentless optimism, for instance, is always hilarious. Separating SpongeBob from most of his usual friends could pay dividends, but Sandy’s family members are one note at best and annoying at worst, and are never given space to become anything worthwhile. That’s a shame because there’s plenty of potential there to create memorable family dynamics, but it’s an opportunity left frustratingly unrealized.

SpongeBob has always been gleefully absurd, and to its credit, The Sandy Cheeks Movie is certainly out there. But there’s a trepidation to the script, which never fully commits to the gonzo madness a movie like this requires.

That’s especially clear with villain Sue Nahmee (you know, like tsunami), played by Wanda Sykes. Sykes is completely committed to the bit as the mad scientist with a sinister plan, and brings the attitude that makes you feel like you’re about to see the next Felix Buchanan, the beloved Hugh Grant character in Paddington 2. But the script doesn’t know what to do with Sue, who’s left to flounder with two deeply unfunny lab assistants. Her so-called evil plan, which the entire plot hinges on, doesn’t feel especially thought-out; everyone says it’s bad, but the script never probes beyond the surface and really unpacks why the diabolical scheme is especially diabolical.

An ever-reliable SpongeBob trademark is its vivid and colorful animation, and this is the first movie that does away with the traditional animated look of the franchise. Previous entry The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water played with the idea of CG-characters when the characters left Bikini Bottom for the surface, and the result was enjoyable, with the delightful color and textures remaining intact.

In The Sandy Cheeks Movie though, the result is borderline disastrous. Credit where it’s due—Sandy and her squirrel family look terrific, with intricately-textured fur. But the rest of the Bikini Bottom crew is overly-polished, and eerily smooth and textureless. It’s jarring, and oftentimes a unique animation style can take a few minutes to adjust to, but The Sandy Cheeks Movie never gels.

The merging between live-action and animated worlds clashes uncomfortably, and it all just feels off. Animation is the storytelling medium that allows for the most extreme range of facial emotions, but the plasticky nature of these character designs makes characters like Mr. Krabs look more like a vacant action figure rather than a money loving crab with feelings.

Even worse is what they do with Sykes’ Sue Nahmee. The character gets a flashback sequence to her youth, but retains her adult head, which is a fun gag for a brief moment, but becomes increasingly uneasy as it goes on. What’s stranger is that she looks like something out of Canadian youth television show Angela Anaconda. When people say the phrase nightmare fuel, this is precisely the kind of thing they’re referring to. This is to say nothing of a late third-act reveal that’s so silly and looks so preposterous it’s almost worth watching the film for. Almost.

The Sandy Cheeks Movie is a great idea. Sandy has always been a delightful if underappreciated part of Bikini Bottom, but the movie fails to give her the spotlight she rightfully deserves. Its initial promise is washed out by cheap jokes, an uninspired plot, and off-putting animation. Thankfully there are still plenty of terrific SpongeBob episodes—and other films—to enjoy, but The Sandy Cheeks Movie isn’t one of them.