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The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run

Play trailer 1:51 Poster for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run PG 2020 1h 31m Kids & Family Comedy Adventure Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
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66% Tomatometer 74 Reviews 49% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
In the first-ever all CGI SpongeBob motion picture event, THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE ON THE RUN, SpongeBob SquarePants, his best friend Patrick, and the Bikini Bottom gang star in their most epic adventure movie yet! When SpongeBob's beloved pet snail Gary goes missing, a path of clues leads SpongeBob and Patrick to the powerful King Poseidon, who has Gary held captive in the Lost City of Atlantic City. On their mission to save Gary, SpongeBob and his pals team up for a heroic and hilarious journey where they discover nothing is stronger than the power of friendship.
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The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run

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Critics Consensus

Although its story may leave fans on the surface, The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run is a wondrously wacky visit to Bikini Bottom that retains the charm of the original series.

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Audience Says

The animation is fine, but The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run feels more like a long episode of the show than a real cinematic experience.

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Critics Reviews

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Chris Stuckmann ChrisStuckmann.com Unfortunately, the film didn't feel like it really had a story. It felt like a series of sketches, and most of them weren't very funny. Rated: C+ Mar 20, 2021 Full Review Kristy Puchko IGN Movies Though not as joltingly outrageous as its predecessors, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge On The Run is a winsomely wacky good time, alive with laughs and light-hearted lunacy. Mar 15, 2021 Full Review Adam Graham Detroit News There's nothing stiff or self-serious about "Sponge on the Run," which plays equally to young children and college stoners alike. Rated: B Mar 6, 2021 Full Review Shakyl Lambert CGMagazine This is the first Spongebob movie to make a full shift to CG animation, and it’s honestly all the lesser for it. The whole movie feels oddly restrained because of the animation switch. Rated: 5.5/10 Jul 12, 2024 Full Review Mat Brunet AniMat's Review (YouTube) Among all of the SpongeBob movies, Sponge on the Run is easily the weakest of the three. Rated: 6/10 Feb 16, 2022 Full Review Witney Seibold Critically Acclaimed Podcast I always welcome a hit of SpongeBob's particular brand of candy-coated insanity. Sep 14, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Personally, I enjoy the movie quite a bit- it's a simple, feel good, adventure in an art style I can't help but love. The writing could be better, though this is true with all of modern SpongeBob episodes and the such. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/29/25 Full Review Kevin P A decent, but flawed third entry into the SpongeBob movie series. It as a cute and impressive art style with great fast paced visual gags. However, the humor overall is pretty hit-or-miss. The Keanu Reeves sage tumbleweed was funny, but arguably dragged out too long and appeared in way more scenes than I expected. I appreciate that SpongeBob and Patrick aren't too dumb this time around, but it can lead to some weird scenes where they turn into tricks for the sake of a long 4th wall joke about buddy comedy tropes, without much of a payoff. The movie's plot feels a bit too familiar to the first movie and "Have You Seen This Snail?" I appreciate all the side characters getting involved in the climax. However, the Camp Coral retcon for how everyone met is dumb, and just serves as a shallow pilot to set up a spinoff TV show. It's easily the weakest of the first 3 SpongeBob movies. But it's still entertaining and visually stylized enough to keep you anchored for the runtime. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/27/25 Full Review Gavin L When I first saw this movie I hated the way how they portrayed the characters in the film like why are they all like “SpongeBob helped me at Camp Coral.🫡.” Where is the funny old good parts? I’m only giving this two stars because Keanu Reavs Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/22/25 Full Review Alan N Conceptually, it should've been good. but unfortunately all of the spongebob movies since the first one have not been good Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/25 Full Review matthias s *Sponge on the Run* is a mixed bag for a SpongeBob fan like me. The 3D animation looks amazing, but I still miss the nostalgic hand-drawn style. Hearing the classic voice cast felt great, and the first act had that familiar SpongeBob charm. But then things got weird—cowboy zombies, Danny Trejo, Snoop Dogg randomly singing, and Keanu Reeves as a tumbleweed? Fun cameos, but none of it really fit. The plot feels like an overlong, mediocre episode. The comedy had its moments, but nothing close to the magic of the original show or movie. The flashbacks showing how everyone met were cute and well-done, but they didn’t add much. It’s slow, a bit forgettable, and not as funny as it could’ve been. Still, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Decent enough for what it is, but not something I’d revisit. 2.5 stars. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/25 Full Review Fernando G This movie is have no sense. for an example, Poseidon use snail goo to let him beutiful? This is a excuse for the adventure. of the movie thats why popcornmeter is low. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/05/25 Full Review Read all reviews
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run

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Cast & Crew

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - Plankton's Robbery The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - Plankton's Robbery 2:54 The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - The Suit of Armor Fight The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - The Suit of Armor Fight 2:49 The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - How We Do The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - How We Do 2:54 The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - The Sage's Window of Meanwhile The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - The Sage's Window of Meanwhile 1:57 The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - Secret to the Formula The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - Secret to the Formula 2:05 The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - The Gameshow Trial The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - The Gameshow Trial 2:52 The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - Rescuing Gary The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - Rescuing Gary 3:00 The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - Plankton Kidnaps Gary The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - Plankton Kidnaps Gary 3:00 The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - El Diablo The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - El Diablo 2:51 The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - Losing the Challenge Coin The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Official Clip - Losing the Challenge Coin 2:59 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis In the first-ever all CGI SpongeBob motion picture event, THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE ON THE RUN, SpongeBob SquarePants, his best friend Patrick, and the Bikini Bottom gang star in their most epic adventure movie yet! When SpongeBob's beloved pet snail Gary goes missing, a path of clues leads SpongeBob and Patrick to the powerful King Poseidon, who has Gary held captive in the Lost City of Atlantic City. On their mission to save Gary, SpongeBob and his pals team up for a heroic and hilarious journey where they discover nothing is stronger than the power of friendship.
Director
Tim Hill
Producer
Ryan Harris
Screenwriter
Tim Hill
Production Co
Netflix, United Plankton Pictures, Paramount Animation, Media Rights Capital (MRC), Nickelodeon Movies, Nickelodeon Animation Studios
Rating
PG (Rude Humor|Mild Language|Some Thematic Elements)
Genre
Kids & Family, Comedy, Adventure, Animation
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 4, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA)
$4.5M
Runtime
1h 31m
Sound Mix
DTS, Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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