Plankton: The Movie Review — A tiny villain with a big ego and a surprisingly big heart.
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie was a disappointment, so not many people thought that there would be another SpongeBob SquarePants spin-off so soon. Even fewer thought that there would be one about Plankton, the bad guy with one eye who has spent 25 years trying and failing to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula.
However, Plankton: The Movie is here. It was directed by Dave Needham, who is best known for his work on Trolls and The Lego Batman Movie. It’s interesting that this movie isn’t from Paramount+, which is where most of SpongeBob’s movies are typically released.
Instead, it’s from Netflix, which is likely the result of licensing loopholes and fine print in contracts. Strange things happen behind the scenes that only lawyers can understand, but watchers, young and old, don’t care. They can’t wait to jump right into another crazy, colorful adventure under the sea.
And to my surprise, this one does work. Plankton: The Movie doesn’t introduce anything new, but it does capture the irreverent fun and emotional undercurrent that made SpongeBob SquarePants such a massive hit in the first place. This short movie is fun, silly, and, most importantly, feels like a real return to Bikini Bottom.
This is a SpongeBob spin-off that makes us remember why we love Bikini Bottom in the first place.
Plankton (Mr. Lawrence), who is happy to say that this is his movie, cuts SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) off in the middle of a silly song at the beginning of the film. From the start, Plankton: The Movie is aware of its meta tone and makes fun of itself. At the same time, it jumps right into a story that is both silly and strangely emotional.
The main plot of the story is about Plankton’s unhappy marriage to Karen, his AI wife, played by Jill Talley. After decades of going along with his evil plans, Karen has had enough. She turns their failed restaurant, The Chum Bucket, into a hip fusion restaurant that, for once, gets people to come in.
Naturally, Plankton thinks this is an insult, since success without his name on it doesn’t count. Their argument gets worse until Karen gets tired of his narcissism and takes out her empathy chip. She then goes into “supervillain mode” and actually puts herself together into a huge robot with three heads.
Since she is a threat to Bikini Bottom, Plankton reluctantly understands that he needs to think about his own flaws in order to stop her. SpongeBob, who is always positive, chooses to help by acting like a psychologist from home.
After that, Plankton has a strangely enjoyable therapy session that takes us back to his childhood and his early dreams of ruling the world, as well as his time at Bikini State University and the time he spent building Karen 1.0 with, of all things, a potato and a computer.
It’s silly, sincere, and full of the kind of silly sincerity that only SpongeBob could pull off.
Plankton: The Movie has a real emotional heart, even with all the nonsense. Through the eyes of a cyclopean microbe and his intelligent computer wife, the movie cleverly mixes slapstick humor with a surprisingly honest look at love, ego, and partnership.
Lawrence and Talley have great singing chemistry that captures the mix of anger and love that makes up their relationship. Thankfully, SpongeBob doesn’t steal the show; he just plays a supporting part. His relationship with Plankton works really well in this; SpongeBob’s constant optimism makes Plankton face his fears without turning the movie into a story about forgiveness.
Even though he’s bad, you can’t help but pull for him. Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke) and Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown) bring back memories without making the story too busy, but it’s too bad that Squidward (Rodger Bumpass) doesn’t get much of a line.
The movie moves much more smoothly than last year’s crazy Sandy Cheeks movie. A steady hand is used by Needham to keep the story going, along with musical numbers, jokes, and emotional beats. The songs are catchy in a delightfully silly way, and they don’t feel like they were added on at the end.
In years, this is the first SpongeBob spin-off that really feels like an episode—only bigger, brighter, and smarter.
Plankton: The Movie takes a direction that suggests a treatment that has gone off track. Each act delves deeper into Plankton’s mind, revealing everything from his false sense of grandeur to his weak need for approval. The flashbacks not only tell us more about his past, but they also make his choice to face Karen seem like the right one.
By the time the third act comes around, with its hilariously over-the-top singing showdown, the movie has managed to connect its funny and sad parts. Karen gets her due in the ending as well. She is more than just the stereotypical “nagging robot wife” when Sandy, Pearl, and Mrs. Puff join her. Her friendship with the women of Bikini Bottom gives the ending new life and a weirdly empowering moment amidst the chaos. It’s silly, but it fits the mood exactly.
The most important thing is that the movie never loses sight of what it is: a silly, funny, family-friendly adventure that reminds us of what’s important. The story isn’t meant to be as big an adventure as Sponge Out of Water or Sponge on the Run. Instead, it stays in Bikini Bottom’s strange and wonderful streets.
A therapy session, a love story, and a fight between bad guys—wrapped in seaweed and stupidity.
The movie Plankton: The Movie looks great. Nickelodeon continues to improve its 3D animation, making the figures look more realistic and expressive than ever. Needham changes up the animation style a lot, especially during song scenes and flashbacks, using 2D, sketchbook-style images that remind us of the show’s early days. This is a cute touch that will make old fans happy.
The movie also makes smart use of live-action scenes, especially those at the beach, where people quickly appear. Thankfully, Needham doesn’t use them too much, which was a big problem with the first few SpongeBob movies. Instead, the few human moments are funny breaks that don’t take away from the main story. As a result, the movie looks like it belongs together; it’s alive, bright, and very “SpongeBob.”
A lively mix of 3D, 2D, and live-action that makes perfect sense in some way.
It’s no surprise that the voice acting is great. With his A-game, Mr. Lawrence gives Plankton a range of emotions that we don’t see him show very often without losing his famous cocky sneer. Karen, played by Jill Talley, is both scary and cute, balancing her harsh and sympathetic tones in a tricky way.
To show once more why he’s one of the best animators ever, Tom Kenny brings SpongeBob’s quick-fire optimism to life with the same contagious energy that made him famous. His short songs are weird, catchy, and just the right length. Even the sound design is great—every squish, bubble, and blast sounds great and is just the right amount of over-the-top.
The musical pieces are also worth mentioning. They’re cheeky, silly, and really funny. Their self-aware humor is more like that in The Lego Movie than in most kids’ movies. “World Domination Duet” might stay in parents’ minds for a long time after the movie is over.
The voices of Tom Kenny, Mr. Lawrence, and Jill Talley make comic chaos sound like gold.
Plankton: The Movie might be the best SpongeBob spin-off ever in the end. It’s not trying to be better than the first Goofy and Goober adventure, but it has heart, humor, and self-awareness, which are things that the series has been missing lately. The story stays true to its roots while also giving new readers and old fans something new to enjoy.
It moves quickly, is funny, and, surprise, has a touching story about a love story between a spoiled microbe and his robot partner. The humor is funny enough for kids and smart enough for adults, and the graphics are so good that you can’t take your eyes off the screen.
Plankton: The Movie shows that Bikini Bottom still has a lot of creative air left in it, even though the show could have felt old after 20 years. This SpongeBob episode is well worth your time, whether you stream it to remember the good old days or to entertain younger fans.
