Underplayed Gems

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020)

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run poster
Directed by
Tim Hill
Genre
comedy film, live-action/animated film
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 23m
Rated
PG
Rating
7.4 of 10 from 3,003 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

SpongeBob sets off to Atlantic City to save his pet snail Gary after he is kidnapped. Along the way he meets some new friends and runs into typical underwater chaos.

sillyfunupbeatcolorfulgoofyadventurouslightheartedwhimsical

What happens

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run is a 2020 American animated adventure comedy film based on the television series SpongeBob SquarePants. Written and directed by series co-developer and former writer Tim Hill, who co-wrote the story with Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, it stars the series' regular voice cast and includes new characters (both live-action and animated) performed by Awkwafina, Snoop Dogg, Tiffany Haddish, Keanu Reeves, Danny Trejo, and Reggie Watts. The film follows SpongeBob on a journey to Atlantic City to rescue his kidnapped pet snail, Gary. The film is dedicated to the series creator, Stephen Hillenburg, who died in 2018, and also served as an executive producer on the project. It is the third theatrical film based on the series. Development for a third SpongeBob film began in April 2015, two months after the release of the second film. By January 2016, Aibel and Berger had been hired to write the film, and by April 2018, Hill had been hired as director. It is the first film in the franchise to be fully animated in stylized computer-generated imagery (as opposed to being entirely animated in 2D like the first film, or the mixing of 2D and CGI animation in the second film). Hans Zimmer composed the film's score. Animation was provided by Mikros Image. Originally slated for a worldwide theatrical release by Paramount Pictures, plans were changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was released theatrically in Canada on August 14, 2020, and digitally on Netflix in other territories on November 5, 2020. It was released as a premium video-on-demand offering and a Paramount+ launch title in the United States on March 4, 2021. Sponge on the Run received positive reviews from critics, and was nominated for Favorite Animated Movie at the 2022 Kids' Choice Awards. A fourth film, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, was released in 2025. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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