Movie: Saving Bikini Bottom The Sandy Cheeks Movie
Production Company: Nickelodeon Movies
Director: Liza Johnson
Producer: Robert Engleman
Scriptwriters: Tom Stern, Kaz
Main Cast: Carolyn Lawrence, Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Bill Fagerbakke
Release Date: August 2nd 2024
Running Time: 82 minutes
Certificate: Not Rated
Introduction
Oooooh, who lives in a giant glass dome under the sea? Sandy Cheeks! Despite being one of the main characters in Spongebob Squarepants, Sandy has repeatedly been overlooked which feels criminal in all honesty. However, for once Nickelodeon did something positive and hence we now have Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie! Whilst it certainly doesn’t measure up to the standards of the previous Spongebob Cinematic Universe entries, it’s still a chaotic blast which any Spongebob fan can find some enjoyment in. So without further ado, here is our review of the film!
Synopsis
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie follows the titular squirrel, Sandy (Lawrence), as she attempts to save Bikini Bottom after its stolen by the new evil head of B.O.O.T.S Laboratory: Sue Nahmee (played by Wanda Sykes). However, Sandy isn’t alone on her journey to reclaim Bikini Bottom from Sue Nahmee as she’s roped in everyone’s favourite sponge: Spongebob to head to Galvaston, Texas in search of B.O.O.T.S Laboratory and Bikini Bottom. Can Sandy and Spongebob reclaim Bikini Bottom or will Sue Nahmee crash down on their plan like a wave?
Analysis
The Voice Cast in Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie
Firstly, we’re going to put a disclaimer in. This is not the most well written film of all time but it doesn’t have to be. This is mostly because of how much fun and energy the voice cast brings to the film. Look at Carolyn Lawrence and Tom Kenny, who are the only two Bikini Bottom residents not captured by Sue Nahmee, who riff off each other perfectly in a duo which very much resembles good cop/dumb cop. Evidence of this is when Sandy and Spongebob confront a group of rattlesnakes in their best Rattlesnake Jake cosplay (shout out to all our Rango fans).
Here, Sandy kicks all the snakes around effortlessly whilst Spongebob mostly just cowers scared in a great example of how the film uses their chemistry. Also, we’d be remiss if we didn’t shout out the legend that is Clancy Brown who despite having little screen time still nearly steals the film as Mister Krabs. Good lord, why does Spongebob have such a stacked voice cast?
The Animation in Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie
Besides the stacked and fun voice cast, Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie also continues the film series’ trend of placing the animated Bikini Bottom residents in the ‘real’ world. And honestly, it still looks great. This is mostly just because you can see how much work went into certain parts. An example of this is the constant running gag of Spongebob becoming dehydrated after spending too much time out of water.
The amount of effort that went into the VFX for Spongebob looking like a yellow sultana puts most Hollywood films to shame. Here’s looking at no one in particular, ahem Marvel ahem. Also, to further prove this point, the film is just generally nice to look at and also the continued use of animated characters in the real world reinforces the point that these characters shouldn’t be up here. Neat little touch at the end there.
Summary
To summarise Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie, this is a decent entry into the Spongebob film series which does a good job at finally giving Sandy some proper recognition. Whilst it’s nothing too special overall, it’s a good watch which will tide over long term Spongebob fans until next year when there’s a double bill of the Spongebob Cinematic Universe to look forward to.
Overall Rating: 4.5/10 – Below Average
Target Audience: 5+
Content Warning: Mild Violence and Gore
Recommendation: Yes
