SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: BIKINI BOTTOM BASH: Happy 20th

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: BIKINI BOTTOM BASH (2020)

Featuring Tom Kenny, Roger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Clancy Brown, Mr. Lawrence, Carolyn Lawrence, Jill Talley, P!nk, Lux Interior, David Hasselhoff, CeeLo Green. Various directors. (134 min)

ON DVD FROM PARAMOUNT

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😸

Both of my kids grew up on SpongeBob Squarepants. One is now in college, the other halfway through high school, but they still tune-in on occasion because it’s still shown on Nickelodeon – like, all the time – and sometimes they’re in a nostalgic mood (I always thought you had to be over 30 to feel that way).

So as a father, I ended up watching a lot of SpongeBob whether I wanted to or not. But unlike other torturous examples of children’s entertainment I’ve been forced to endure over the years in the name of love, SpongeBob Squarepants was funny, clever and just a bit subversive, particularly during the earlier seasons. Being a seven-year-old wasn’t necessarily a requirement to enjoy it.

Like other long-running shows past their prime, SpongeBob’s glory days are in the rearview mirror, but it still manages manage to knock one out of the park on occasion, such as the centerpiece of this party-themed collection, “SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout.” Running 45 minutes, it originally aired on Nick as a special to celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary. The story has Patrick taking SpongeBob on a guided tour of “Surface World” to keep him out of the house while his other friends set-up a surprise party. Part animation, part live-action, the episode is full of congenial silliness, including one wonderful scene where the main voice actors appear onscreen as their characters’ landlubbing counterparts.

Directed by Salvador Dali.

Padding-out the disc are “Party Pooper Pants” (an extended episode listed as “SpongeBob’s House Party”), two shorts “Sun Bleached” & “The Slumber Party,” and “Truth of Square,” which is an hour-long special celebrating the show’s 10th anniversary. There are some amusing cameos here and there, including Lux Interior from The Cramps (RIP), Keanu Reeves, P!nk and CeeLo Green. However, “Truth of Square” feels unnecessarily padded-out by idiotic live-action segments featuring Patchy the Pirate (Tom Kenny). Sorry, kids, but that character was never funny.

While there’s certainly no shortage of SpongeBob Squarepants compilations on DVD, Bikini Bottom Bash is worth picking up for the 20th anniversary special alone, which is frequently as funny as anything from the series’ early years. The other episodes are decent enough filler, though I suspect hardcore fans either already have them on disc or know 'em by heart.

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS.