After 15 years – and as the new theatrical film, “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water” starts screening in the Philippines on April 4 – the cast and creative team of SpongeBob Squarepants have had time to ponder the SpongeBob franchise’s legacy.
“It’s mind blowing just how big it’s become and how long it’s gone,” muses Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob. “As an actor, you’re perennially a freelance employee. We’re a bit like migrant workers; we go where the crops are, and SpongeBob is a crop that just keeps growing.”
“No one could have expected this,” relates Rodger Bumpass, the voice of Squidward. “Long ago, I remember telling people about being involved in the pilot, and being met with a yawn or glazed indifference. Then about a year later, I mentioned the show to someone on the street and their eyes got real big. ‘Whoa, you are so hip!’ That was right when it started to take off, and it’s been a wonderful, wonderful ride. And it isn’t over yet!”
“When the show first started airing, my daughter was in kindergarten,” recalls Clancy Brown, the voice of Mr. Krabs. “Now she’s in college. Both of Tom’s kids were born during the run of the show. You start to associate parts of your life with the show, because it’s become such a huge part of our lives.”
Brown attributes series creator Stephen Hillenburg’s creative convictions for the longevity of the characters. “Steve was always adamant about not having any pop culture references as they tie the world of the show to a particular time and place.”
Kenny agrees, “Bikini Bottom is its own planet, with its own rules and its own pop culture; there’s never anything topical. They really do live in a bubble, and that’s what I think keeps it timeless and allows so much creative freedom.”
“We’ve always written to make ourselves laugh,” says Hillenburg. “Thankfully, what makes us laugh is appropriate for children. It’s always great to hear adults say they can stand to watch our show.”
“It’s validating to have the trust and the thanks of the parents,” says director Paul Tibbitt. “They know they’re not going to see anything questionable, and it’s nice to know they appreciate what we’re doing. This film is for them as much as it is for the kids. We hope the movie is as fun to watch as it was to make.”
From Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies comes “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water”, an all new 3D adventure that’s as wild and funny as its name. For the first time, SpongeBob SquarePants, the world’s favorite sea dwelling invertebrate, comes ashore to our world for his most super-heroic adventure yet.
Life in Bikini Bottom couldn’t be better for eternal optimist SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) and his friends: loyal starfish Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke), the sardonic Squidward (Rodger Bumpass), scientist squirrel Sandy (Carolyn Lawrence) and crustacean capitalist, Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown). When the top secret recipe for Krabby Patties is stolen, eternal adversaries SpongeBob and Plankton (Mr. Lawrence) must join forces on a trip through time and space to harness their internal superpowers and battle fiendish pirate Burger Beard (Antonio Banderas) with his own plans for the delicious delicacies.
Opening across the Philippines on Black Saturday, April 04, “SpongeBob: Sponge Out of Water” is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.
