The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run

Play trailer

1:51

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run

PG

2020

1h 31m

Kids & Family

Comedy

Adventure

Animation

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

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.

Read Audience Reviews

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

Leovanni E

Trash, SpongeBob Has Always Been Trash

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/26/24

Full Review

Kayleigh S

Best SpongeBob movie ever!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/22/24

Full Review

TROY S

The animation is great and has given the upgrade for the movie. In fact, much better quality than Kamp Koral. And it does have some decent charm from the show.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/20/24

Full Review

Isaiah G

I don't think it was bad. Good, but not as great the other 2.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/19/24

Full Review

Bahr 2

This film suffers from the poor writing of modern SpongeBob episodes - they didn't approach it as a movie, just a really long episode. And because of that, the story is terrible. It's just a bunch of bland "jokes" that make the pacing suffer, one of the biggest ones I remember being a pointless side quest where SpongeBob and Patrick have to save a bunch of lost souls from El Diablo in a live-action setting. Snoop Dogg made a cameo, too. Don't know why Nick keeps going back to him. This contributed nothing to the movie, and the way they win against El Diablo is entirely by accident - they disintegrate him with sunlight when they open a window, which they did just because they didn't like the way the room looked. Act three was also dumb, as it just acts as marketing for the spinoff that retcons one of the first episodes of the original series. There's a stupid musical number that doesn't drive the plot anywhere until they use it as a distraction to escape, and the way King Poseidon is defeated is just too dumb. TL;DR, it's a slow, childish movie from a once-great franchise. Next theatrical release, could we get some new screenwriters rather than the ones from the show? Ugh.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/19/24

Full Review

Tyler e

Okay, let's all be honest here. Sponge On The Run isn't awful. It's not really insulting, it's still watchable, and I stay because of the animation. And Keanu Reeves brings in extra points, as well as Snoop Dog. But still, the story is what the movie lacks, but I think that this movie is the true apology letter than the Sandy Cheeks Movie ever was

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/28/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Tim Hill

Director

Tom Kenny

SpongeBob

Awkwafina

Otto

Clancy Brown

Mr. Krabs

Rodger Bumpass

Squidward

Bill Fagerbakke

Patrick

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

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

2:49

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

1:57

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

2:52

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

3:00

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

2:59

View more videos

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

68%

78%

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank

56%

67%

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank

SCOOB!

48%

53%

SCOOB!

Watchlist

TRAILER

for SCOOB!

Playmobil: The Movie

18%

62%

Playmobil: The Movie

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Playmobil: The Movie

Wonder Park

35%

43%

Wonder Park

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Wonder Park

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Breakdown of 2020 Movie Delays, and When They Will Hit Theaters

Super Bowl Trailers 2020: Watch Every Movie and TV Trailer Right Now

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Trailer 2

1:51

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Super Bowl TV Spot

0:30

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Trailer 1

1:51

View more videos

View more photos

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)

Most Popular at Home Now