2004 American film by Stephen Hillenburg
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is a 2004 American animated adventure comedy film based on the television series SpongeBob SquarePants. Co-written and directed by series creator Stephen Hillenburg, the film features the series' regular voice cast, including Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass and Mr. Lawrence, who are joined by Alec Baldwin, Scarlett Johansson and Jeffrey Tambor, with David Hasselhoff appearing in live action as himself. In the film, SpongeBob with Patrick sets out on a quest to Shell City to retrieve King Neptune's stolen crown, exonerate his boss Mr. Krabs, defeat Plankton, and prove his manhood.
Hillenburg accepted an offer for a film adaptation of SpongeBob SquarePants from Paramount Pictures in 2002, after turning it down multiple times the previous year. He assembled a team from the show's writing staff, including himself, Derek Drymon, Tim Hill, Kent Osborne, Aaron Springer and Paul Tibbitt, and structured the film as a mythical hero's journey that would bring SpongeBob and Patrick to the surface. Originally intended to be the series finale of the show but due to its financial success the show would continue on. The film marked the last time Hillenburg was showrunner before Tibbitt took his place.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie premiered at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre on November 14, 2004, and was released in the United States on November 19 by Paramount. It received generally positive reviews and grossed $141 million on a $30 million budget. It is the first in a series of SpongeBob films.
Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.