Few things are as inescapable as SpongeBob. Even if you’ve never seen the show, you’ve seen the video games, toys, clothing, candy, movies, etc. Yet, for all the criticisms of the show’s waning quality and the titular character’s annoying laugh, the series’ output has remained remarkably consistent throughout its over 20 yearlong existence.
The same can be said for the latest film, “Sponge on the Run” as it recycles plot elements from earlier episodes and combines it with celebrity cameos and a surrealist sense of humor to create an effective and entertaining little slice of goofy cinema.
Every voice actor here is in top form, and thankfully, unlike the previous two films, all of the main cast gets their time to shine. Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Sandy, Squidward, Plankton, and Karen are all here and voiced by their original actors, delivering performances that are exactly on par with the regular series. Tom Kenny is clearly the star, as he is the sponge at the center of it all, and he gets the most emotional material to work with (as emotional as a SpongeBob movie can get, anyway).
It’s the celebrity cameos that are the most worth discussing. Awkwafina (“Crazy Rich Asians,” “The Farewell”) is here in a bit role voicing a recurring robot, Danny Trejo (“Machete,” “Spy Kids”) pops in for a couple moments as a ghost pirate El Diablo. Snoop Dogg has a moment to sing a song, and Tiffany Haddish (“Girl’s Trip,” “Night School”) has a delightfully absurd joke about her name.
Yet, out of all of them, Keanu Reeves (“The Matrix,” “John Wick”) steals the show. This isn’t just because of his ineffable “Keanu”-ness, but it’s because he’s a far larger part of the plot than any of the advertising might have suggested. He’s a source of almost self-parody, portraying the kind of guides that he needed in his 90’s action flicks, and he’s clearly having an absolute blast doing so.
However, the two largest pieces of this undersea cinematic adventure that fans will be most curious about have yet to be discussed: the plot and the humor. Thankfully, both are preserved well, without ever reaching the highest peaks of the series’ past. The plot is more straightforward than in the previous film, which essentially was a series of gags loosely tied together. While there are momentary diversions here that could’ve been cut away without affecting the plot, it’s all far simpler than before, with a through line that’s easy to follow, even as its being covered in gags of all kinds.
It also contains some of the best gags of the show’s last decade. It’s no coincidence that this is one of the weirder adventures and one of the funnier ones. Undersea casinos, robotic assistants, zombie ghost pirates, snail anti-aging cream, it’s all par for the course in this slice of the sea, and for those fond of surrealist Looney Tunes style gags or already fans of the series, it’s an absolute delight.
While it’s hard to completely recommend the film to those unfamiliar with the characters, it’s the new animation style that is almost completely worth the entire viewing experience. Mikros Image, who also animated “Captain Underpants”, has shown that it can translate iconic 2D characters to 3D animation extremely well, and “Sponge on the Run” is no exception. The film pops with color and dimension, giving an almost “3D in 2D” effect to the entire film. It’s a sheer delight watching the characters stretch and squash in more emotive ways than the TV series has in the last 15 years. Mikros also plays with frame rates and detail levels to pop between a silky-smooth modern look and an antiquated stop-motion style. It’s a gorgeous film in every respect, successfully translating the simplistic character designs into a flawless CGI style that is the new gold standard for 2D characters in 3D.
If there are criticisms to make, it’s mostly in the third act. The big confrontation feels extremely forced, and the flashback moments reek of studio meddling. It’s such a clear advertising ploy for the upcoming spin-off series that it’s impossible not to groan at its inclusion, even if you’re a longtime fan. Also, while it is a better overall film than the second SpongeBob cinematic adventure, it still can’t match the original in heart, emotion, or sheer cleverness.
For longtime fans and those who love surrealist, absurdism humor, or just absolutely gorgeous animation, “Sponge on the Run” is a blast, and a full, no holds barred recommendation. For everyone else, it is a delightfully silly time that they should be cautiously optimistic about. For better and for worse, it’s still pure SpongeBob, and it’s the best the series has been, on the big or small screen, in years. 3.5/5
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