SpongeBob SquarePants and his pals from Bikini Bottom are heading back to the big screen in May 2020 for the premiere ofThe Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run, and Paramount Pictures has released the official trailer. This week, the studio also unveiled the official poster for the movie, which revealed the film’s subtitle change fromIt’s a Wonderful SpongetoSponge on the Run. The new trailer also gives us a great look at what we can expect from SpongeBob’s next big screen adventure, and you’re able to watch it for yourself below.
As we can see in the trailer,Sponge on the Runwill consist entirely of CGI animation, without the traditional 2D animation seen on the Nickelodeon TV series. This isn’t a new concept for the franchise, as the previousSpongeBobmovies contained scenes of some CGI mixed with live-action footage. This time, the story followsSpongeBob and Patrick searching for Garyafter the mollusk is snail-napped from Bikini Bottom. To find him, the pair travel to The Lost City of Atlantic City to bring the snail home. Along the way, SpongeBob and his pals also prove there’s nothing stronger than the power of friendship in the titular sponge’s hilarious new adventure.
This will be thethird SpongeBob SquarePants movieto make it to theaters, as the Nickelodeon character first hit the big screen back in 2004 inThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. The story follows SpongeBob and pals saving Mr. Krabs from the wrath of King Neptune, withBaywatchstar David Hasselhoff making a very memorable cameo appearance. A sequel would follow in 2015 with the big screen follow-upThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, which brought in Antonio Banderas as the voice of Burger Beard. The movie was even more of a box office success than the original film, which probably explains why there has been much less wait time between the second and third installments of the movie series.
Tim Hill directsThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Runusing a screenplay co-written with Michael Kvamme, Jonathan Aibel, and Glenn Berger. The movie will also feature many of its franchise stars reprising their iconic roles, including Tom Kenny as SpongeBob, Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick, Rodger Bumpass as Squidward, Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy Cheeks, Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs, and Mr. Lawrence as Plankton. Oddly enough,John Wickstar and internet darlingKeanu Reevesconfirms his involvement with a surprise appearance in the trailer, appearing in a tumbleweed to speak to SpongeBob and Patrick. It’s a funny moment and makes the movie itself appear to be tons of fun.
Originally titledIt’s a Wonderful Sponge,The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Runwill be released in theaters on August 19, 2025. Getting used to the new animation for the duration of the movie may be initially jarring, but longtime fans of the franchise will still need to check this one out. TheSponge on the Runtrailer shown above comes to us fromParamount Pictureson YouTube.
