The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Blu-ray delivers stunning video and audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
There's trouble brewing in Bikini Bottom. Someone has stolen King Neptune's crown, and it looks like Mr. Krab, SpongeBob's boss, is the culprit. Though he's just been passed over for the promotion of his dreams, SpongeBob stands by his boss, and along with his best pal Patrick, sets out on a treacherous mission to Shell City to reclaim the crown and save Mr. Krab's life.
I missed out on SpongeBob, because my household didn't contain the target demographic. So
when a review of this title was assigned to me, I decided to recruit help from someone more age-appropriate
and asked a young man with whose family I'm acquainted to join me in viewing the
film (with his parents' permission, of course). He hadn't seen it before either, but he knew the
TV show and he had accompanied his parents on prior viewing occasions in our media room.
We agreed that I would jot down his observations while we were watching and shape them into a
something resembling a review afterwards. The only condition -- and, to my surprise, he imposed
it before his parents did -- is that I not use his name. My new colleague told me that the internet is
full of "weirdos" and that he didn't want anyone to know who he is. He did agree to let me
identify him by the handle "MikiMoko". I have no idea what that refers to.
Herewith, the first film review by Blu-ray.com's latest guest reviewer, MikiMoko (as told to
yours truly, with occasional comments).
Who are these pirates? I thought this was supposed to be a SpongeBob film? It isn't even a
cartoon! Did you mess up and put in a Captain Jack movie? Oh, I get it, their treasure chest has
tickets to see SpongeBob. Well, that's lame.
OK, OK, enough of that joke. Where's the SpongeBob stuff?
That's better. Now it's a cartoon like it should be. But it's all wrong. Bob is, like, a big hero. It's
gotta be a dream.
Told ya! They'd never make SpongeBob a tough guy.
Why's Bob in the Squid guy's shower? That's weird! Oh good -- Patrick's here! Patrick is funny.
What's this Krab 2 thing? Oh, I get it. Something for Plankton to get mad about.
(At this point, SpongeBob accidentally stomps on Plankton, who screams wildly several times,
which convulsed my companion with laughter and resulted in several scenes without comments.)
So why didn't Bob get the job? (He's a kid.) Lame. Who's the fat guy with the crown? (King
Neptune.) He's mean. Who's the girl? (His daughter, Princess Mindy. Her voice is Scarlett
Johannson.) Who's that? (Famous young actress.) Don't know her.
(It suddenly occured to me that, by the time MikiMoko's hormones reach the point where
Scarlett Johannson will matter to him, she'll have been supplanted by some younger starlet; so I
sighed and gave up.)
Good scene at Goofy Goober. (Pause.) This Neptune guy is pretty dumb. Krabs didn't steal the
crown. So I guess Bob has to find it, right?
Wait, the car is a hamburger? (I think it's a Krabby Patty.) Oh yeah. I still don't get
it.
The guy on the motorcycle is great! (That's Dennis. Plankton hired him to kill Spongebob.)
He won't.
(During the scene in a tough bar where the patrons' manhood is tested by seeing who can resist
singing along with the Goofy Goober theme song, my viewing companion sang it -- softly. I
didn't, because I don't know the lyrics.)
OK, so why is everyone in town wearing pails that say "CB"? Oh, I get it, "Chum Bucket".
That's how Plankton takes over. Ooh, look at all the skulls where Bob and Pat are!
What's wrong with being a kid? Wait, where did the princess come from?
Now she's putting seaweed on Bob and Patrick's faces. Huh? It's supposed to be moustache?
Looks fake.
Monsters -- cool!
All right, it's the motorcyle guy. Wait, he's been stomped?? That looks kinda . . . real.
Where are we? It's a fishbowl.
(Silence for the next seven minutes of a truly inventive combination of live action and animation
as SpongeBob and Patrick Star are captured by a diver a/k/a "The Cyclops" who collects sea
creatures to sell at "Shell City". Concentration is broken only by the appearance of a new face.)
Who's David Hasselhoff? (Long story.) Is he a famous swimmer? (Sort of.) So that's how they
get home? (Probably.)
(Silent concentration resumes, except for an audible exclamation of "yeah!" when motorcycle
killer Dennis reappears on David Hasselhoff's leg. Yes, his leg.)
OK, the jerky King has his crown back, but now SpongeBob plays the guitar? In a music video
thing? Well, I guess.
So now Bob is the manager. That's the end. (No, there's supposed to be something after the
credits.) Can you fast forward? See, it's just more pirate stuff. Lame.
It should come as no surprise for a children's animated film created in the digital realm that The
SpongeBob SquarePants Movie presents a clean, sharp, colorful image on Blu-ray. Strong,
saturated colors are the norm, and the 1080p, AVC-encoded transfer handles them easily, without
bleeding, distortion or artifacts. A more demanding test is presented by the footage that combines
animation with live action, and here the transfer is also impressive. The live-action portion of the
frame exhibits a natural and well-controlled film grain that does not appear to have been filtered
or artificially reduced, while the animated portion remains steady and solid. That many of these
scenes involve large expanses of moving water makes their stability and detail all the more
impressive. This is a first-rate transfer of demanding material.
The DTS lossless track effectively delivers the film's active 5.1 mix, which makes aggressive use
of the rear speakers. One of the advantages of an imaginary environment is that the sound design
is not constrained by any regard for physics or naturalism, so that mixers are free to place
interesting effects wherever they'll be most entertaining. Dialogue and other sounds pan freely to
the front left and right, but the excellent voice work ensures that you can always understand what
these loopy characters are saying. The effects work is appropriately exaggerated for humorous
impact, and the original underscoring by Gregor Narholz strikes just the right note of absurdity.
MikiMoko, my guest reviewer, had zero interest in the film's extras, which confirms my
suspicion that, when studio marketing departments stuff DVDs and Blu-rays with PR fluff,
they're doing it all wrong. In any case, here's the usual overview. Most of the extras are in
standard definition and appear on both the Blu-ray and the DVD copy. However, some are
exclusive to each disc and are so designated below.
The Absorbing Tale Behind The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (SD; 1.33:1;
18:15):
A history of both the film and the character, including interviews with creator-writer-director Stephen
Hillenburg; voice actor regulars Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), Bill
Fagerbakke (Patrick Star), Rodger Bumpuss (Squidward), Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs),
"Mr. Lawrence" (Plankton); and guest star voice actors Jeffrey Tambor (King Neptune),
Scarlett Johannson (Princess Mindy), Alec Baldwin (hitman Dennis); and guest star
David Hasselhoff. To keep things kid-friendly and educational, big words are defined on-screen.
Case of the Sponge "Bob" (SD; 1.33:1; 14:50): Jean-Michel Cousteau and Stephen
Hillenburg narrate undersea footage of real-life sponges, sea stars, plankton, etc. designed
to show how Hillenburg borrowed from nature to create his beloved characters. Cousteau
supplies the science.
Animatics (SD; 1.33:1; 20:31): Early visualizations of key sequences using storyboards
and the voice performances.
Saving the Surf (SD; 1.33:1; 3:37): A public service announcement in support of
preserving the oceans by the SurfRider Foundation.
Teaser Trailer (HD/SD; 1.85:1; 1:14): A hilarious teaser incorporating footage from
The
Hunt for Red October, U-571 and Das Boot.
Inside the Pineapple (Blu-ray only) (SD; 1.33:1; 11:30): A promotional
behind-the-scenes special that aired on Nickelodeon, hosted by David Hasselhoff. It's informative,
has interesting interviews and doesn't overstay its welcome.
The Making of the Music Video (Blu-ray only) (SD; 1.33:1; 5:15): Loaded with
comments like "We're doing this absurd stuff, because we can"; "I really don't know
what's going on"; and "I don't know why they're in fur coats", this featurette documents
the making of the video for the film's theme song.
The Flaming Lips' "SpongeBob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy"
Music Video (Blu-ray only) (SD; 1.33:1; 4:09): A bizarre montage of clips from the film,
traditional music video and "making of" clips. The song itself is heard over the film's
closing credits.
SpongeBob SquarePants THQ Game Demo (DVD only): This game demo is available
only by installing content on a Windows PC through a DVD-ROM drive.
Previews (DVD only) (SD; various, non-enhanced; 2.50): The DVD contains
trailers for
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and SpongeBob SquarePants, Second
Season. These play at startup and are also available from the features menu.
As my young friend took his leave, I asked him how many stars he would give The SpongeBob
SquarePants Movie out of five, with half stars allowed. He thought for a minute, then shrugged
(which, as I'd learned by then, was his most frequent gesture). "It was pretty good", he said,
"except for the pirate parts". Then he left without picking a number. Sounds like a solid 4.0 to
me! Given the technical quality, highly recommended for fans of the little yellow guy.
Paramount Home Entertainment has announced three catalog titles for Blu-ray release on March 29: Charlotte's Web, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and The Ten Commandments. Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 biblical epic, in particular, will benefit from an all-new restoration ...
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Blu-ray, Forum Discussions
