How SpongeBob's Continuity Debunks a Fan Claim About the First Movie (2024)

For 25 years, SpongeBob SquarePants has served as practically the definitive Nickelodeon cartoon. At its current momentum, it doesn't look like the network plans to end it anytime soon. While its fan base is certainly grateful to see that it's stuck around for so long, its creator, Stephen Hillenburg, originally had planned for the series to end much earlier in its run and for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie in 2004 to serve as something of a series finale.

To this day, many fans hear that piece of trivia and are led to assume that the first film is meant to take place chronologically after the end of all the episodes that have preceded it since. However, one problem that gets in the way of that even being remotely possible is the show's continuity. Since the first episode, SpongeBob has proven that it'll go to the most absurd lengths to get a laugh out of its audience, even if it means giving up any sense of canonical logic.

Updated on August 13, 2024, by Natasha Elder: With the newest SpongeBob movie, Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie, releasing in August of this year, we thought it apt to return to the first SpongeBob movie and its impact. As such, we have added information about the movie's impact on the overall series and how the continuation runs counter to the fan theory that the movie was supposed to be the end of the franchise. Additionally, we have added more images to illustrate the sequences in the film.

The First SpongeBob Movie Was Almost the End Of the Entire Series

It Was the End of Stephen Hillenburg Leading SpongeBob's Creative Team

Despite its theatrical success, it may be surprising to learn that Stephen Hillenburg initially had no interest in producing a movie based around the show when Nickelodeon first presented him with the idea. In an interview with the East Valley Tribune, Hillenburg admitted:

"I never wanted to do a movie because I didn't think that what we wanted to say needed to be a movie. I like short-form animation. Then this story came up that lent itself to a longer format. You can't do a road trip adventure in short form."

Hillenburg had also originally planned to end SpongeBob's run with only three seasons, with the "Lost Episode" (aka "The Sponge Who Could Fly") meant to serve as the televised finale. With its success in ratings (along with the film's later success at the box office), however, Nickelodeon opted to continue the show, and the creator, feeling that he had already given it everything he had creatively, gave his blessing and passed on show running duties to writer and animator, Paul Tibbitt.

The movie follows a road trip formula, with SpongeBob and Patrick heading out to find King Neptune's crown after Plankton frames Mr. Krabs for stealing it. It ends with Plankton being sent to prison for brainwashing the entire city of Bikini Bottom after SpongeBob saves the day by embracing his inner "goofy goober" and officially earning his much-desired managerial position at The Krusty Krab 2. It's easy to see why many could see this as a satisfying canonical ending, or at least it would be if it had any sense of continuity.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Introduced New Characters and Ideas

Some of These New Creations Continued on the Show Itself

TheSpongeBob SquarePants Movie may not have signaled the end of the show, but it did impact it in several ways, including introducing new characters and locations. Most obviously, King Neptune and Princess Mindy are introduced. While King Neptune had been introduced into the show earlier, he had taken a very different form than he appeared in the movie. This newer version of King Neptune is the one that the show continues to use, thanks to the show. Additionally, his brave daughter Princess Mindy is introduced. She may not be a frequent presence in the show, but she has reappeared in “SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout” and “Potato Puff.”

Similarly, the Trench Monsters introduced in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie return in the show. In the movie, they are an obstacle that becomes a helpful presence for SpongeBob and Patrick as they search for King Neptune’s crown. Largely based on real sea creatures, they were a colorful group of monsters that were fun to see, although they were scary at first. In the show, they appear much smaller and visit the Krusty Krab during the night shift in the episode “The Night Patty.”

In addition to characters such as these, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie also introduced new locations, such as Goofy Goober, a restaurant and ice cream sundae bar that SpongeBob and Patrick supposedly frequent. Goofy Goober returned to the show in multiple episodes, including “The Goofy Newbie,” “Goofy Scoopers,” and “My Friend Patty,” and was referenced in more. The longevity of this presence stemmed from the fun that viewers had watching SpongeBob and Patrick get ice cream drunk in the original film.

Finally, and most importantly, the fondness with which The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is remembered has contributed to the production of more films. The film was made because the story was too large to cover in an episode or even a special episode. Proving there was enough content to maintain an entire film was important for future movies to be made. What helped was that additional media was produced based on the film, such as a video game and a book of the same name. This opportunity to further expand sales through films, books and games certainly benefitted the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise. It contributed to SpongeBob being one of the most popular cartoons ever.

Continuity Has Never Really Been a Priority for SpongeBob

From the Beginning, Humor Has Been Prioritized Over Continuity

Any fans who continue to see the first movie as the canonical ending of SpongeBob may be disappointed to know that the show's crew certainly don't see it that way. When Vincent Waller, the series' current showrunner who has also served as one of its writers and producers from the very beginning, was asked on Twitter whether the film still took place chronologically at the end of the series, he rebutted, replying that it "never was." When asked why not, he gave another reply, claiming that the show has "never really been chronological. I know that breaks peoples' brains." If this rebuttal from one of SpongeBob's very own crew members isn't enough to debunk the long-held claim, then taking a closer look at the show's warped timeline might do the trick.

First, it's important to note that there's one character who hasn't been the same in the years since the first film: its designated villain, Plankton. In the early episodes, he was a business rival of Mr. Krabs, who himself has conducted questionable actions. His life goal was to steal the secret Krabby Patty formula for his restaurant, The Chum Bucket, to be just as successful. Still, he was also an evil mastermind with another life goal: world domination. However, Plankton's evilness has diminished significantly over the last 20 years since the movie.

Even though he still has his sights on stealing the formula and enjoys the idea of his rival's suffering, he no longer appears to be even remotely interested in ruling the world, let alone Bikini Bottom. As shown throughout more recent episodes and the events of the second movie, Sponge Out of Water, he's grown quite a soft spot for SpongeBob (although he would never admit it). He is a far more understandable and redeemable character. If the movie was meant to take place at the end of it all, it wouldn't make sense for Plankton to suddenly revert to his prior ways after softening up so much, and in that case, it wouldn't exactly make for an entirely satisfying finale.

There have been numerous other noteworthy inconsistencies, some of which have led to some confusion over SpongeBob's age. Still, there are even a few that the first movie has also contributed to. The film features King Neptune as a supporting character who plays an integral part in the plot, but it certainly isn't the same one that had been previously seen in the show; having an entirely different design, personality, voice, and even a teenage daughter who is never mentioned in the show, where he instead has a son. In the film, Plankton also mentions that he's never had a single customer at The Chum Bucket, but a handful of episodes have invalidated his claim. There's also the case of Patrick's sister, who is currently being portrayed as an adopted squid in the spin-off series, The Patrick Star Show, despite previously being shown to be a starfish-like her brother in another episode, and even him saying that he didn't even have a sister in another episode before that. With this in mind, SpongeBob's canon isn't as broken as it is nonexistent.

Will SpongeBob SquarePants Ever Have a Definitive Ending?

Although an Ending Seems Inevitable, it is Still Far Off

Whether their dedicated fan bases like it or not, every TV show must end at some point, even SpongeBob SquarePants. For now, though, the idea of having the show end won't be happening anytime soon. However, what would its hypothetical finale look like if it were to end? Considering Hillenburg's initial plans for ending the series, it could go a few different ways. At first, "The Sponge Who Could Fly" was meant to serve as the last episode before the film premiered; perhaps it could go a similar route and cap off the series with a special episode and another theatrical film. Just as Plankton is having a family reunion in the 25th-anniversary episode, perhaps SpongeBob's family will appear.

The day SpongeBob finally does end, its final episode will still be a memorable one that'll honor not only its loving fan base but also the legacy of the show and the legacy of Stephen Hillenburg. It's been twenty years since The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie first premiered, and while it's still rightfully celebrated for what it has contributed to the SpongeBob franchise, perhaps it's time the fans stopped celebrating it as the grand finale that it isn't, and instead continue appreciating it as the fun movie that it is.

The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie

PG

Adventure

Comedy

SpongeBob takes leave from Bikini Bottom in order to track down, with Patrick, King Neptune's stolen crown.

Director

Stephen Hillenburg , Mark Osborne

Release Date

November 19, 2004

Cast

Tom Kenny , Jeffrey Tambor , Rodger Bumpass

Writers

Derek Drymon , Tim Hill , Stephen Hillenburg

Runtime

1 Hour 27 Minutes

Main Genre

Animation

Producer

Albie Hecht, Julia Pistor, Stephen Hillenburg

Production Company

Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, United Plankton Pictures, Rough Draft Korea