Man, fuck how great the animation in this film is. The entire time Sponge on the Run is gorgeous and the animation team should be proud of themselves. Shame about the rest of the movie The final half hour just being an ad for a spinoff that only got greenlit against the creator of Spongebob's wishes due to his death makes it real aggravating and slimey. It's not even a good ad, it completely breaks the pace of the film, the various bits repeat and the movie goes out of its way to find every piece of Spongebob continuity or potential callback and purposely throw it away. The worst part is there is so much potential here. There's a handful of good jokes but most of the time the writing is just kinda there, inoffensive and forgettable. This could have been a nice, easy watch that celebrates a nice cartoon from many people's childhoods that had Keanu Reeves' head as a supporting character Instead its a film that is real generic, goes out of its way to bury any legacy Spongebob has & just wants to be a generic cash grab that throws random cameos and licensed music to make up for its lack of soul. Man, fuck how great a job the animators did with this film

This is just baffling. It looks like a Pixar knockoff, lacks any of the original show’s heart, and relies on an awkward modern animation style that doesn’t suit SpongeBob at all. The plot is meandering, the humor’s forced, and it feels like a franchise being puppeteered by executives rather than creators. If this was someone’s first SpongeBob experience, they’d never understand the show’s original magic. It’s technically polished but spiritually vacant.

I think it’s a bit overdramatic and overblown to call this an insult to Hillenburg’s memory, especially when many of these people actually worked with the man. You can just say it’s not that good. It’s a derivative retread of the first movie and the episode Gary went missing, but it lacks the first movie’s brisk pace and focus. The ‘road trip’ is nothing and the arcs, especially Plankton’s sudden turnaround, fall flat. And SpongeBob’s arc of courage is so less specific to the show than the joy and value of your inner child the first movie espoused. But most importantly for a kids’ comedy: is it funny? Eh. It’s pretty middling, generic stuff. The celebrity cameos are numerous and trying to capture the magic of Hasslehoff. Matt Berry coasts on his easy charisma. And continuity means nothing in a wacky cartoon comedy. The real question is does ‘Kamp Koral’ help the film? Not really. Its corporate synergy is blatant, the emotions cloying, and a shortcut for any actual character work. The cast are achingly sincere and shine through, though, and they and the animation are highlights. But even though on an objective level the animation is good, CGI just felt wrong for SpongeBob. This movie isn’t spitting on Hilllenburg’s grave. It’s just pretty bland.

As a lifelong SpongeBob admirer, since I was little, this film feels like the proper jumping off point for most longtime fans. It's the last thing Tim Hill, one of the original creators, will be involved with on the series, and it's the last SpongeBob piece of media that was in production while Stephen Hillenburg was still alive. The in memoriam at the end was a tasteful farewell. But the biggest issues plaguing the film are it's retreads of the 2004 original and it's constant retconning of SpongeBob lore. I know many casual viewers and especially parents will not care at all about any of the changes, but all you have to do is watch season 1 of the show to see how inconsistent and mandated the inclusions are. SpongeBob met Sandy as an adult, same with Squidward, same with Mr. Krabs. And SpongeBob knew Patrick since birth. The Nickelodean enforced 'Camp Coral' spin-off advertisement flashbacks were irritating and ruined what could've been otherwise extremely heartfelt speeches by SpongeBob's friends. I can see I'm not the only one voicing those complaints, so it's upsetting Nick forced them in, especially when Hillenburg was very openly against spin-offs or side shows of the characters. Putting that aside, the animation is gorgeous, rivaling The Peanuts Movie in presentation, and love and care in to the environments. Plenty of easter eggs are afoot, the Patty wagon makes a return, and so much more. It's a feast for the eyes above anything else. There are funny bits, Danny Trejo shows up for a few minutes as the ruler of these ghostly zombie pirates, called El Diablo. Keanu Reeves plays a pretty major character called Sage, a tumbleweed who acts as a voice of guidance, pretty much the Mindy of this film. Snoop Dogg has a short musical number, and Take On Me plays as the film closes. It banks on celebrity appearances and the occasional song reference, but the banter between SpongeBob and Patrick is what keeps it afloat. I think what disappointed me was it never tugged at my heart strings like the original did. There's no similar scene where the duo sing "I'm A Goofy Goober" with their last breath as they're dying. There are glimpses for sure, but never reach that peak. The majority of the runtime is a clone of 'Beavis and Butthead Do America' fused with 'Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius.' I recommend only watching if you are in the same demographic as me. An adult who grew up with the series and wants to see one final film to close the curtain. Because I'm done with the series now that Hillenburg is gone and I'm sure that's exactly what he would've wanted.