Rotten Tomatoes Logo Do you want to see ‘The Spongebob Squarepants Movie’?

The Spongebob Squarepants Movie (2004)

tomatometer

68

Average Rating: 6.2/10
Reviews Counted: 125
Fresh: 85 | Rotten: 40

Surreally goofy and entertaining for both children and their parents.

70

Average Rating: 6.2/10
Critic Reviews: 33
Fresh: 23 | Rotten: 10

Surreally goofy and entertaining for both children and their parents.

audience

74

liked it
Average Rating: 3.2/5
User Ratings: 219,072

My Rating

Movie Info

Something nefarious is afloat in the depths of Bikini Bottom: King Neptune's crown has been stolen, and the prime suspect is Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob's boss at Mr. Krabs' Krabby Patties. Despite the overwhelming evidence against Mr. Krabs -- not to mention having been turned down for a long-awaited promotion at the restaurant -- SpongeBob (voice of Tom Kenny) refuses to believe that his boss is responsible and teams up with his best friend, Patrick (voice of Bill Fagerbakke), on a mission to Shell

Mar 1, 2005

$85.4M

Paramount Pictures

Cast

All Critics (126) | Top Critics (33) | Fresh (89) | Rotten (40) | DVD (21)

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie takes on rather too much water during its extended feature-length submersion.

December 1, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety | Comment
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The Nickelodeon cartoon series about an oceanic sponge and his starfish sidekick washes onto the big screen with a tide of weak one-liners, exaggerated reactions, and vaguely nauseating gags.

May 20, 2008 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comments (3)
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Could SpongeBob, all gangly goodwill and ice cream appetite, be the anarchic savior for our stressed-out times?

November 23, 2004 Full Review Source: Village Voice | Comment
Village Voice
Top Critic IconTop Critic

If you are a non-parent and you're entertained by this, wow, good for you.

November 22, 2004 Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | Comments (3)
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Like the TV show it's based on, it's a daffy, enjoyable creation.

November 21, 2004 Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | Comment
Arizona Republic
Top Critic IconTop Critic

An animated adventure that's funnier than Shark Tale and more charming than The Polar Express.

November 19, 2004 Comment
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The questions that the religious right needs to ask are how and why they ever confused homosexuality with pedophilia. Not only does blurring this issue do gays a disservice, it lets SpongeBob get away with murder.

January 10, 2011 Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | Comments (10)
ColeSmithey.com

Very similar to the edgy animated TV show.

December 29, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Common Sense Media

It's never afraid to break out of movie conventions and revert back to its series randomness and sheer Monty Python-esque humor that made it a hit with kids in the first place.

April 29, 2009 Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | Comment
Cinema Crazed

Brilliantly funny, inventive and delirious.

May 20, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4 | Comment

There are a few laughs for adults in this film. There are a few clever cultural references. Mostly, however, I found it underwhelming.

March 6, 2008 Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | Comment
Laramie Movie Scope

The new feature film has some of the charm of the small-screen original, but it lacks the sustained goofiness of the series.

February 18, 2007 Full Review | Comment
Kansas City Star

It's back to the drawing board for the TV show's creators, who have previously proven themselves capable of much better than this soggy and waterlogged miscalculation.

October 11, 2006 Comment

A film for kids, students, stoners, anyone who enjoys a break from reality.

April 1, 2006 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | Comment (1)
Empire Magazine

Anyone expecting anything more risky will be sadly disappointed.

February 9, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment

hile there is something a little familiar about the use of a journey narrative, and the hint of an uplifting message at the end of the film, the breezy insouciance, gleeful absurdity and wacky innocence of the series remains.

January 17, 2006 Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | Comment
Sydney Morning Herald

The story is so good-naturedly silly that while not exactly challenging, it should keep even the grown-ups at least smiling.

September 30, 2005 Full Review Source: Three Movie Buffs | Comment
Three Movie Buffs

...asks the audience to endure three times as much frenetic potty humor, repetitive jokes and screechy voice acting as they are used to. The result is exhausting.

July 25, 2005 Full Review Source: www.kcactive.com | Comments (3)

SpongeBob's resilient, Pollyana-like nature is hard to resist.

April 13, 2005 Full Review Source: Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema | Comment
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

A high enough absurdist quotient to match the colorful jocularity that serves as the main draw for kids.

March 18, 2005 Full Review Source: Now Playing Magazine | Comment
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Spongebob Squarepants Movie

Probably one of the funniest animated films of all time. The film follows the show very faithfully while adding on some new twists to it and it ends up being probably one of the best, if not the best, TV to movie adaptation. The timing for the jokes are fantastically well pulled off, and they keep me laughing every

July 21, 2010
michael e.
Michael Edwards

Super Reviewer

Spongebob is palatable in twenty-minute doses, but ninety minutes is waaaay too much.

January 22, 2007
ceWEBrity

Super Reviewer

    1. King Neptune: Be back here with my crown in exactly ten days!
    2. Patrick Star: He can do it in nine!
    3. King Neptune: Eight!
    4. Patrick Star: Seven!
    5. King Neptune: Six!
    6. SpongeBob SquarePants: PATRICK! [Mr. Krabs tackles and holds Patrick by the neck]
    – Submitted by John R (2 months ago)
    1. Squidward Tentacles: One-hundred and one dollars for a Krabby Patty?
    2. Mr. Krabs: With cheese, Mr. Squidward. With cheese.
    – Submitted by Will F (5 months ago)
    1. Squidward Tentacles: Chum Bucket? Free? Kabby Patty? Plankton? Giving? With?
    – Submitted by Will F (5 months ago)
    1. SpongeBob SquarePants: [Jumps into sandwich car]
    2. Patrick Star: Wait! I thought you didn't have a license?
    3. SpongeBob SquarePants: You don't need a license to drive a sandwich.
    – Submitted by Osmir D (5 months ago)
    1. Patrick Star: [after flying in naked and crashing] Did you see my butt?
    – Submitted by Andrew M (5 months ago)

Latest News for The Spongebob Squarepants Movie

May 18, 2005:
Weinsteins Are "Hoodwinked" by CGI Red Riding Hood Comedy
Although their new company has yet to receive an official name, that's not stopping the Weinstein...

April 21, 2005:
Hasselhoff, Beckinsale, Sandler and Walken go "Click"
Although it's obviously too soon to tell if Adam Sandler's next comedy, "Click," will...

What's Hot On RT

RT on DVD & Blu-Ray
RT on DVD & Blu-Ray

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1

<em>Amazing Spider-Man</em>
Amazing Spider-Man

See the all-new action-packed trailer!

The Avengers!
The Avengers!

Five new Marvelous pictures

Total Recall
Total Recall

Unconventional Superheroes

Top Movie Quizzes

LEGO Mania: 2011 Best Picture Nominees
by natalie - 18,513 taken
created 12 months ago
How Much Do You Know About Leonardo DiCaprio?
by natalie - 44,304 taken
created 15 months ago
Pixar Movies!
by jdikwlzviv - 27,076 taken
created 15 months ago
The Wizards of Harry Potter
by jdikwlzviv - 27,586 taken
created 15 months ago

Foreign Titles

  • Der SpongeBob-Schwammkopf Film (DE)
  • SpongeBob SquarePants (UK)
Help | About | Jobs | Newsletter | Critics Submission | API | Licensing | Blog | Developers | Mobile