Antonio Banderas The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

Cast: Antonio Banderas, Eric Bauza, Tim Conway, Eddie Deezen
Director: Paul Tibbitt
Genre: Animation, Adventure
Rated: PG
Running Time: 93 minutes

Synopsis: SpongeBob goes on a quest to discover a stolen recipe that takes him to our dimension, our world, where he tangles with a pirate.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water
Release Date: March 26th, 2015

About The Production

From Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies comes 'The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water", an all new 3D adventure that's as wild and funny as its name. For the first time, SpongeBob SquarePants, the world's favorite sea dwelling invertebrate, comes ashore to our world for his most super-heroic adventure yet.

Life in Bikini Bottom couldn't be better for eternal optimist SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) and his friends: loyal starfish Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke), the sardonic Squidward (Rodger Bumpass), scientist squirrel Sandy (Carolyn Lawrence) and crustacean capitalist, Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown). When the top secret recipe for Krabby Patties is stolen, eternal adversaries SpongeBob and Plankton (Mr. Lawrence) must join forces on a trip through time and space to harness their internal superpowers and battle fiendish pirate Burger Beard (Antonio Banderas) with his own plans for the delicious delicacies.

Based on the highest rated series in Nickelodeon history and a decades-spanning international phenomenon, director Paul Tibbitt says, 'It's everything you want in a movie. We've taken familiar characters and pushed them in completely new directions - it's a road movie, a superhero movie, and a post-apocalypse movie, and it's all in 3-D!"

'The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water" is directed by Paul Tibbitt, with live action direction by Mike Mitchell, executive produced by Stephen Hillenburg, Cale Boyter, Nan Morales and Craig Sost and produced by Paul Tibbitt and Mary Parent. 'The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water" is based on the hit series, 'SpongeBob SquarePants", created by Stephen Hillenburg with a story by Hillenburg & Paul Tibbitt and Screenplay by Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger. The music is by John Debney. This film has not yet been rated.

A World Without A Krabby Patty

The Krabby Patty: the legendarily delicious sandwich is SpongeBob's favorite fast foodstuff and the cornerstone of the Bikini Bottom diet. The Krusty Krab, the only restaurant on land or sea that sells them, has become an institution by zealously keeping the delicacy's recipe a secret.

"The Krabby Patty is the grease that keeps the whole machine moving," says Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob. "It keeps the workers happy. It's essentially everyone's first cup of joe in the morning."

"Nobody really knows what's in a Krabby Patty, not even Mr. Krabs," says director Paul Tibbitt. "But everybody loves them, and it's the one thing everyone can agree on. We thought it would be fun to see what happens when the recipe goes missing."

"Smash cut to the apocalypse," adds series creator and executive producer Stephen Hillenburg. Initially, Mr. Krab's perennial rival, Plankton, is suspected of stealing the recipe, but SpongeBob knows better. He also knows there's only one person with the resources to help solve this mystery – Plankton. For the first time ever, SpongeBob and Plankton join forces to track down the real culprit, as Bikini Bottom descends into post-apocalyptic chaos without their Krabby Patties. Their journey will take them further than they have ever been before -from the observation deck of an intergalactic talking porpoise's spaceship, to the sugar coated insides of SpongeBob's brain, and finally the craziest place imaginable: OUR WORLD!

"It's an unlikely team up," says Stephen Hillenburg. "These guys have traditionally been enemies and couldn't be more different: Plankton is cynical, while SpongeBob is innocent and naive."

"There's a great juxtaposition to their dynamic," adds producer Mary Parent. "It's basically our version of Midnight Run. They've never teamed up before and it's fun to see two characters who are initially arch enemies, forced to depend on each other because they have to."  

 

Sponge Out Of Water

"From the beginning, we knew we needed to do something big," says Paul Tibbitt of the initial planning stages of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water." After years of working within the constraints of a television, the film allowed the creative team to explore new creative possibilities for the series' classic characters. "We're used to having these huge ideas for stories which we'd inevitably have to scale back in some way," explains Paul Tibbitt. "But for the film, we realised we could bring the studio (Paramount) a crazy new idea, and they'd give us the latitude to make it happen. Nothing was off the table."

"Everything is a little bigger and better this time around," says Tom Kenny. "But it isn't a reboot; it's not -SpongeBob Begins.' We aren't going to tone down the silliness and get back to SpongeBob's gritty, butt-kicking roots. If anything, we've only gotten sillier."

In The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, fans will see fully realized, three dimensional versions of their favorite characters for the first time. "The show has always had an element of animation and live action; animated characters in Bikini Bottom and a few live action segments in our world," says Stephen Hillenburg. "But we've never done anything on this level."

"We've only briefly seen our characters out of the water in the show and first movie, but they were always in 2-D," says Paul Tibbitt. "We wanted them to not only leave the water, but this time, actually have some weight and depth. Animation has come a long way since the first film in 2006, and it was exciting to use these new tools to make our characters come to life in our world in a believable way."

Bill Fagerbakke, the voice of Patrick, comments, "In the past, our characters have been stick figures outside of the water, but this time around, the visual presentation is completely new. Everything is different. It's like they're going to Oz."

Australian Visual Effects house Iloura (who had previously created Mark Wahlberg's stuffed bear companion in "Ted") was responsible for bringing the familiar characters to life in the film's "real world" sequences. "We've been blown away by some of the shots in this film," Paul Tibbitt explains. "Iloura is so good at integrating all the elements and making these characters seem like they're all in the same world." "It's a radically different visual experience than the fans have ever seen before," says executive producer Cale Boyter. "But there was a lot of care put into making the 3-D versions of characters stay true to their 2-D roots."

In a series of events that could only happen in a SpongeBob movie, our heroes take on superhero personas, which required some reimagining on the part of the filmmakers.

The super powers were inspired by each character's personal interests. "SpongeBob becomes the Incredibubble, because he loves blowing bubbles," explains Stephen Hillenburg. "Patrick loves ice cream, so his power is to summon it. Squidward plays the clarinet, so he becomes a music based hero named Sour Note. They did a great job capturing the spirit and emotions of these characters."

"There were also a lot of discussions about how realistic we wanted the characters to appear," Stephen Hillenburg explains. 'Should Squidward look like a real octopus? Should Sandy looks like a real squirrel? Eventually, we realized we needed their silhouettes intact, so you could recognize them in their new super hero personas."

Tom Kenny remembers his first impression of SpongeBob's superhero makeover. "The first time I saw these characters, I was onstage at San Diego Comic Con introducing the trailer. I was sitting there in this huge room with thousands of people as the lights went down and the trailer began. At first, there was just stunned silence, but pretty soon, everybody was laughing and cheering. In a room with that many people, it sounded like thunder."

Uncharted Waters

Being new to the process of shooting live action, veteran animators Paul Tibbitt and Stephen Hillenburg enlisted the help of their friend and fellow Cal Arts alumnus, Mike Mitchell to ease the transition.

"Mike was at Cal Arts at the same time as Steve and I," Paul Tibbitt explains. "And he'd worked extensively on live action, animation and hybrid films. "Mike was a great asset," echoes Stephen Hillenburg. "In animation, you can create any background you want and put characters in and have it all look like the same world. With live action, you have a lot more concerns, and Mike was able anticipate what we'd need."

One of the major set pieces of the film involves SpongeBob and his friends using their powers to battle a pirate on the streets of a modern city. "We shot in Savannah, Georgia," Stephen Hillenburg explains. "I really liked the older appearance of the buildings there, and we agreed it looked like the sort of sunny beach town that a pirate might set up shop."

Anchoring the live action is series newcomer and Hollywood legend Antonio Banderas, who plays the villainous pirate, Burger Beard, who may or may not have something to do with the missing recipe. "Antonio Banderas is a very worthy inductee into the SpongeBob club," says Tom Kenny. "He's got that kind of old Hollywood movie star charisma. When he's on the screen, he just owns it."

"We couldn't be happier to have Antonio Banderas on board for this," says producer Mary Parent. "He's such a versatile actor and he really brings to life this very funny and eccentric pirate."

Paul Tibbitt agrees. "Antonio Banderas is an insanely physical guy, and has such a great comedic sensibility. His total commitment to the physical comedy reminds me a lot of Buster Keaton. I'd like to believe he upped his game because he knew he was competing with cartoons."

"I'm a little envious of him," says Clancy Brown, who voices Mr. Krabs. "Sure, I get to talk like a pirate, but Antonio gets to play one, jumping and swinging around on the ship with that beard. You can really tell he's having a great time."

"It IS a lot of fun," says Antonio Banderas. "The days were hot and the beard was a bit itchy, but I loved every minute of it." As for joining this beloved franchise, 'My daughter and I love SpongeBob, and I'd be a fool to turn down the chance to share the screen with such an iconic presence."

A Sponge For All Seasons
After 15 years, the cast and creative team have had time to ponder the SpongeBob franchise's legacy.

"It's mind blowing just how big it's become and how long it's gone," Tom Kenny muses. "As an actor, you're perennially a freelance employee," Tom Kenny muses. "We're a bit like migrant workers; we go where the crops are, and SpongeBob is a crop that just keeps growing."

"No one could have expected this," relates Rodger Bumpass, the voice of Squidward. "Long ago, I remember telling people about being involved in the pilot, and being met with a yawn or glazed indifference. Then about a year later, I mentioned the show to someone on the street and their eyes got real big. 'Whoa, you are so hip!' That was right when it started to take off, and it's been a wonderful, wonderful ride. And it isn't over yet!"

"When the show first started airing, my daughter was in kindergarten," Clancy Brown recalls. "Now she's in college. Both of Tom Kenny's kids were born during the run of the show. You start to associate parts of your life with the show, because it's become such a huge part of our lives."

Clancy Brown attributes Stephen Hillenburg's creative convictions for the longevity of the characters. "Steve Hillenburg was always adamant about not having any pop culture references as they tie the world of the show to a particular time and place."

Tom Kenny agrees, "Bikini Bottom is its own planet, with its own rules and its own pop culture; there's never anything topical. They really do live in a bubble, and that's what I think keeps it timeless and allows so much creative freedom."

"We've always written to make ourselves laugh," says Stephen Hillenburg. "Thankfully, what makes us laugh is appropriate for children. It's always great to hear adults say they can stand to watch our show." "It's validating to have the trust and the thanks of the parents," says Paul Tibbitt. "They know they're not going to see anything questionable, and it's nice to know they appreciate what we're doing. This film is for them as much as it is for the kids. We hope the movie is as fun to watch as it was to make."

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water
Release Date: March 26th, 2015