Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie

Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie is a 2024 American adventure comedy film based on the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, created by Stephen Hillenburg. The movie was directed by Liza Johnson and written by Tom Stern and Kaz. It mixes CGI animation with live-action and stars the usual voice actors from the show, along with new performers like Johnny Knoxville, Craig Robinson, and Wanda Sykes.

In the story, Sandy and SpongeBob travel to Sandy's home state of Texas to protect Bikini Bottom from a harmful business leader. This film is the first in a series of SpongeBob character spin-off movies made for Netflix. It was followed by another movie called Plankton: The Movie in 2025.

The idea for the film started when creators were thinking of stories for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run in 2020. In March 2020, ViacomCBS announced plans to make SpongeBob spin-off films for streaming television. By May 2021, the Sandy Cheeks movie was officially announced, with the same team ready to make it. The music was composed by Moniker.

Before it was officially out, the film was shared online on January 21, 2024. It was finally released on Netflix on August 2, 2024. During its first weekend, the movie was watched by 12.8 million people, making it the most popular show on Netflix that week. Critics had mixed feelings about the film.

Plot

In the movie, Bikini Bottom is taken from the ocean by a lab in Galveston, Texas where Sandy Cheeks works. Sandy and SpongeBob SquarePants go to return it but get blown off course by a tornado. At the lab, the new leader, Sue Nahmee, wants to change the people of Bikini Bottom so they can live outside water and sell them as toys. She tests this on Mr. Krabs, Squidward, and Patrick.

Sandy’s family arrives to help, but they end up in a chase with the police. As a last try, SpongeBob and Sandy are launched towards the lab. Inside, they discover Sue’s true plan and fight against her. With help from a tiny version of SpongeBob, Sandy defeats Sue. Working together, the friends manage to return Bikini Bottom to the ocean, and everyone celebrates with a fun show from Sandy’s family at the Krusty Krab.

Cast

Main article: List of SpongeBob SquarePants characters

The movie features many familiar voices from the TV show. Carolyn Lawrence voices Sandy Cheeks, while Tom Kenny returns as SpongeBob SquarePants and Gary the Snail. Mr. Lawrence brings back Plankton and Larry the Lobster. Other favorite characters like Mrs. Puff, Mr. Krabs, Patrick Star, and Squidward Tentacles are also included.

New characters join the cast too, such as Ilia Isorelýs Paulino as Phoebe, Matty Cardarople as Kyle, and Wanda Sykes as Sue Nahmee. Craig Robinson and Grey DeLisle play several members of the Cheeks family, and Johnny Knoxville voices Randy Cheeks.

Production

Executive producer Marc Ceccarelli shared the idea for Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie while discussing ideas for another film. Later, when the team wanted to tell a story focusing on Sandy Cheeks, the idea was brought back and started to be developed. Director Liza Johnson was chosen because of her work on a favorite episode of What We Do in the Shadows.

In 2020, it was announced that two films based on SpongeBob SquarePants would be made for Netflix. By 2021, a film featuring Sandy was confirmed to be in development, planned as a mix of animation and live-action, with Johnson directing. Originally set to film in Los Alamos, plans changed due to script changes.

By 2022, three SpongeBob spin-off films were planned for Paramount+, but in 2023, Saving Bikini Bottom was scheduled to release on Netflix in 2024. The film’s cast includes Wanda Sykes, Johnny Knoxville, Craig Robinson, Grey DeLisle, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino, and Matty Cardarople, along with the regular voice actors from the show.

Music

The music for the movie was made by Moniker. The soundtrack was released on August 2, 2024, the same day as the film, by Lakeshore Records. It includes a special song called the Sandy Cheeks Theme, which is based on the SpongeBob SquarePants theme and performed by Tami Neilson. Other new songs were created by Neilson, Linda Perry, Kaz, Jacques Brautbar, and Chantal Claret.

Release and reception

Viewership and box office

Before it came out, the whole movie appeared online on January 21, 2024. The movie officially started on Netflix on August 2, 2024. It got 12.8 million views in its first weekend, becoming Netflix's most watched movie that week. The next week, it got even more views, with 13.4 million, staying as the top movie. In China, the movie was shown in theaters on October 18, 2024, and earned $4.4 million.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, 50% of 17 reviews were positive, with an average score of 4.9 out of 10. Some critics liked parts of the movie, especially how it showed science in interesting ways. Others thought the movie didn’t feel very together and didn’t spend enough time on the main characters from the show. Some also found the new characters and some of the scenes confusing or boring.