Rotten Tomatoes
Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

Play trailer 2:18 Poster for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie PG 2004 1h 23m Kids & Family Comedy Adventure Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
68% Tomatometer 124 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
In this lively animated adventure, undersea oddball SpongeBob SquarePants and his starfish friend, Patrick, embark on a quest to clear the name of Mr. Krabs, the owner of the Krusty Krab restaurant, who has been framed for stealing the crown of ocean deity King Neptune. Leaving the familiar confines of Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob and Patrick venture out towards Shell City, where they hope to find Neptune's crown, but numerous obstacles stand (or float) in their way.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Surreally goofy and entertaining for both children and their parents.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/29/2010
3/5
Very similar to the edgy animated TV show. Go to Full Review Todd McCarthy Variety 12/01/2008
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie takes on rather too much water during its extended feature-length submersion. Go to Full Review J. R. Jones Chicago Reader 05/20/2008
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. Go to Full Review Micheal Compton Bowling Green Daily News 11/18/2019
C
As a TV series, Spongebob has proven to be quite entertaining in 30-minute doses. Stretching the running time to 90 minutes doesnt help raise the level of appreciation, though. Go to Full Review Dorothy Woodend The Tyee (British Columbia) 08/24/2017
As much as I resisted the Bob, I have to admit this is actually a pretty funny film. Go to Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com 01/10/2011
F
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. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
George H @ogusername 12h The movie captures SpongeBob and Patrick at their most iconic: pure-hearted, optimistic, and hopelessly goofy. Yet the script gives them just enough emotional depth to make their arc satisfying. SpongeBob’s "I’m just a kid" crisis is genuinely affecting, and the way the film resolves it, leaning into the value of childlike enthusiasm rather than abandoning it. The 2004 SpongeBob movie isn’t just a good adaptation, it's one of the strongest animated comedies of its era. It’s heartfelt without being sentimental, chaotic without being sloppy, and endlessly rewatchable. Whether you’re a lifelong fan or someone returning to the film as an adult, it stands as a masterclass in balancing humor, narrative clarity, and emotional payoff. See more Carlos Samuel E @Carlos360 Feb 5 Podríamos decir que la primera película de Bob esponja es la mejor de todas pero no es una magia encantadora, prefiero ver otras películas live action diferentes a estas. Para niños pues se divirtieron un poco pero yo no la disfrute. See more Madam D @Madam1948 Feb 1 Eh, totally for children. Only a few scenes were actually funny. See more Jaxson D. @JaxsonTheCritic Jan 21 The plot is absolutely awesome and way ahead of its time it deserves the 5 stars See more Michael A @Tomato547 Jan 19 Enjoyable, but lacked a couple of things in my opinion. See more Mark C. @mrpiggy1992 Jan 16 SpongeBob rules the big screen See more Read all reviews
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All

Stephen Hillenburg

Director

Mark Osborne

Director

Tom Kenny

SpongeBob

Bill Fagerbakke

Patrick Star

Clancy Brown

Mr. Krabs

Rodger Bumpass

Squidward

Movie Clips

View All

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - You're Hot The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - You're Hot 1:17 The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - Dennis Always Gets His Man The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - Dennis Always Gets His Man 1:37 The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - Plankton's Plan Z The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - Plankton's Plan Z 2:12 The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - David Hasselhoff The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - David Hasselhoff 1:31 The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - Becoming Men The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - Becoming Men 2:13 The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - I'm a Goofy Goober The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - I'm a Goofy Goober 2:12 The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - Musical Pirates The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - Musical Pirates 1:49 The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - Shell City Comes Alive The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - Shell City Comes Alive 2:13 The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - Bubble Party The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - Bubble Party 0:48 The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - Morning Routine The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Official Clip - Morning Routine 1:58 View more videos

More Like This

View All
Rugrats Go Wild 39% 39% Rugrats Go Wild Watchlist TRAILER for Rugrats Go Wild The Wild Thornberrys Movie 80% 51% The Wild Thornberrys Movie Watchlist TRAILER for The Wild Thornberrys Movie The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run 66% 48% The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run Watchlist TRAILER for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run The Incredibles 97% 75% The Incredibles Watchlist TRAILER for The Incredibles Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa 64% 66% Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Watchlist TRAILER for Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Trailer 1 The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Trailer 1 2:18 View more videos
View All

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) (Left to right) SpongeBob and Patrick star in "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie." (Left to right) King Triton, Mindy, SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs star in "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie." A scene from the film "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie." A scene from the film "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie." A scene from the film "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie." A scene from the film "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie." A scene from the film "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In this lively animated adventure, undersea oddball SpongeBob SquarePants and his starfish friend, Patrick, embark on a quest to clear the name of Mr. Krabs, the owner of the Krusty Krab restaurant, who has been framed for stealing the crown of ocean deity King Neptune. Leaving the familiar confines of Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob and Patrick venture out towards Shell City, where they hope to find Neptune's crown, but numerous obstacles stand (or float) in their way.
Director
Stephen Hillenburg, Mark Osborne
Producer
Stephen Hillenburg, Julia Pistor
Screenwriter
Derek Drymon, Stephen Hillenburg, Kent Osborne, Aaron Springer, Tim Hill, Paul Tibbitt
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Nickelodeon Movies, Paramount Pictures International, United Plankton Pictures
Rating
PG (Some Mild Crude Humor)
Genre
Kids & Family, Comedy, Adventure, Animation
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 19, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$85.4M
Runtime
1h 23m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital, DTS
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)
Most Popular at Home Now