Yes I know, millennials. Calling this movie under appreciated seems like the world’s biggest lie. But after a rewatch today, I found myself (a college junior) crying multiple times. Still engulfed by the movie after its credits rolled, I read some reviews from back in the day and was thoroughly shocked: many said it was just more than a silly cartoon to drag your kids to. This may be true from the point of view of a child, who will be wildly entertained, but I’m surprised adults did not enjoy this either.The plot consists of Spongebob and Patrick voyaging to the feared Shell City to retrieve King Neptune’s crown and save Mr Krabs from execution. From the opening scene of Spongebob getting ready for work, we see he lives his life childishly, and this is most obvious when he is denied of being the manager of the Krusty Krab 2.Nobody has faith in Spongebob and Patrick to save Mr Krabs because of this immaturity and childishness that we’ve seen a n the whole series and much of the film. And yet the two idolize adulthood. They are still overcome by immaturity however, and believe that the Mermaid turned them into real men after giving them moustaches made of kelp. Spongebob and Patrick sing a song about themselves being men and how great and strong they are because of it, when in reality nothing has changed.This leads to their first encounter with Dennis, the assassin hired by Plankton to keep Spongebob and Patrick from reaching Shell City. He rips off their “moustaches” and strips them of their “manhood”. They are saved when a “cyclops” (a diver) steps on Dennis but swipes Spongebob and Patrick to be taken to his store and made into Knick knacks.Spongebob and Patrick wake up in a fishbowl and in the middle of the diver’s store. Spongebob walks right into the glass of the bowl. Patrick believes they have encountered some sort of wall of psychic energy. This wall is the symbolic barrier between childhood and adulthood, the point of maturity. In this shop, Spongebob is able to reflect on his journey. He sees his initial failure to become manager because of his childishness and his obsession with transforming into a man. However, he realizes that becoming a man goes far beyond one’s appearance. He had a moustache, been in a manly bar, and “fought” monsters. When the cyclops places them under a heat lamp to dry the two out and kill them, Patrick realizes they had made it to Shell City. Here, Spongebob and Patrick recognize themselves as true men, beating the odds to get to their destination. They could visibly see the crown, the grail of their journey.However, in their dying moments, the two sing the Goofy Goobers theme song, bringing tears to each other’s eyes. Despite becoming heroic and more mature adults, they are still children at heart. Of course, with a little help from David Hasselhoff, the two are able to get back to Bikini Bottom and save Mr. Krabs. They encountered Dennis again and instead of outright cowering in fear like before, they fought him and won. Spongebob is named manager and Plankton is sent to jail.Through this remarkable journey, Spongebob and Patrick transition into adults without losing their childish character. They retain the innocence, humor, selflessness and optimism that they’ve always exemplified while becoming more mature overall. They contrast the other prominent adults in town, such as Plankton (who is greedy, pessimistic, and obsessed with gaining power through the downfall of Mr. Krabs), Mr Krabs (selfish, only concerned about money) and Squidward (who is pessimistic and often very selfish as well).RIP Stephen Hillenburg, it’s been a tough year and a half.Also to cap this post off, I’d recommend listening to this song by the Flaming Lips from the movie’s sound track. via /r/movies https://ift.tt/35RV3kn
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