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. It was directed by Liza Johnson and written by Tom Stern and Kaz, based on a story by Kaz. Combining CGI animation with live-action, the film stars the series' regular voice cast and includes new characters performed by Johnny Knoxville, Craig Robinson, Grey DeLisle, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino, Matty Cardarople, and Wanda Sykes. The plot follows Sandy and SpongeBob as they venture to Sandy's home state of Texas to save Bikini Bottom from the hands of an evil CEO. It is the first in a series of SpongeBob character spin-off films.
The film was first conceived during a pitching session for ideas for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020). In March 2020, ViacomCBS announced that it would be producing SpongeBob spin-off films for streaming television. In May 2021, a spin-off film featuring the character Sandy as its lead was announced, with Johnson, Kaz, and Stern all attached. Moniker composed the original score.
Prior to its release, the entire film was leaked on January 21, 2024, as a video upload on X. Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie was released on Netflix on August 2, 2024 to mixed reviews from critics.
== Plot ==
Bikini Bottom, along with all its residents, is scooped out of the ocean by B.O.O.T.S. (Bureau Of Official Texas Science) Laboratory, the science lab Sandy Cheeks works for located in Galveston, Texas. Confused by what their motives could be, Sandy and SpongeBob SquarePants ride up to the surface to head to the lab so they can bring Bikini Bottom back to the ocean floor. Although they hitched a ride on an airplane, Sandy throws SpongeBob on her back, and they skillfully glided towards B.O.O.T.S. Lab, but they are blown severely off course by a tornado.
Back at the lab, the people of Bikini Bottom are terrified, to which Mr. Krabs heads outside to see what's going on. They are startled by the sight of a human woman, which turns out to be Phoebe, one of Sandy's closest colleagues at the lab alongside Kyle. The two discover that Sandy and SpongeBob were not captured, which angers Sue Nahmee, the new head of B.O.O.T.S. Laboratory, who demands that the two find them at once.
SpongeBob and Sandy get into a fight with a gang of rattlesnakes. Sandy fights them but is bitten by one of them, causing her to call for her family, revealed to be a traveling circus act, who defeat the rattlesnakes and agree to bring Sandy and SpongeBob to the lab. Back at B.O.O.T.S., Sue explains her plan, which is to genetically modify the people of Bikini Bottom into air breathers and then clone them in order to sell them as toy pets. To experiment, Kyle and Phoebe grab Mr. Krabs, Squidward, and Patrick to test the operative as well as how well children will like playing with them, which to the three is a torture-ridden nightmare where they are stretched, flung, and hit with spaghetti and chess pieces. Sue is pleased with the test results.
While Sandy's brother, Randy, is showing SpongeBob how to do the Cheeks family whistle, the family soon gets into a car chase with the police because Randy used the family van to illegally smuggle nuts. They are able to temporarily shake them off using the tornado from earlier, however, it proves futile. As a last resort, SpongeBob and Sandy are launched out of a cannon to the lab. Upon making it to the lab's water park, the two get into another chase with Cuda, Sue Nahmee's pet pug, who follows them into the sewers, but it works out and leads them into the lab. Sandy learns about Sue's plans and tries to attack, but Sue puts her in a cage with a hamster wheel while SpongeBob is placed on a roller coaster ride that will lead him into the cloning chamber. Sue explains her motives being that when she was a child, she always wanted to be able to cuddle with fish but never could due to fish dying when they're out of water. She then grabs the sides of her lab coat, her realistic rubber neck and gold necklace fly off from under her face, her lab coat flies off with her realistic rubber hands, so does her pants, to reveal herself to be a cyborg, and that she was using Sandy's life in Bikini Bottom to spy on everyone, which makes everyone feel betrayed. SpongeBob arrives in the cloning popper and is popped and turned into thousands of tiny versions of himself.
One of the tiny SpongeBobs tells Sandy not to feel bad and not to give up on saving Bikini Bottom. Sandy breaks out and has a final confrontation with Sue that ends with her rubber masked or human head being decapitated and her head being fed to her own pet fish, which makes her happy for she always wanted to be a fish. Mr. Krabs then discovers that mushing the tiny SpongeBobs together will return SpongeBob to his normal size, to which he, Squidward, and Patrick all work together to bring back SpongeBob. However while in the middle of things, the stand holding the giant glass orb holding Bikini Bottom collapses and the orb cracks, leading to water beginning to leak out. Sandy tries to call her family for help, but finds out she lost a tooth while fighting Sue. Having learned the whistle himself, SpongeBob loudly whistles and the Cheeks family arrives in time and help rig a mechanism to launch Bikini Bottom back into the ocean. With Bikini Bottom returned to its rightful position and glory, everyone celebrates by having the Cheeks family circus perform at the Krusty Krab.
== Cast ==
== Music ==
Moniker composed its original score. The film's soundtrack album was released by Lakeshore Records on August 2, 2024, the same day as the film. It features the Sandy Cheeks Theme based on the SpongeBob Squarepants theme, and performed by Tami Neilson. Additional original songs were written by Neilson, Linda Perry, Kaz, Jacques Brautbar, and Chantal Claret.
== Release ==
Prior to its release, the entire film was leaked on January 21, 2024, as a video upload on X. Saving Bikini Bottom was released officially on Netflix on August 2, 2024.
== Reception ==
 Catherine Bray of The Guardian gave the film a three out of five star rating. They commended its entertainment value and appeal to younger audiences and concluded, "For general viewers, it may not pack as much of an emotional punch, but like SpongeBob himself, it’s thoroughly absorbing." Tessa Smith of Mama’s Geeky praised the film for its humor, animation, and story and said, "Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie delivers the same type of jokes that SpongeBob SquarePants fans are used to, but it also tells a heartwarming story and allows viewers to finally meet Sandy and see where she comes from." Adam Graham of The Detroit News gave the film a C grade. They felt it retained the series' irreverent humour but in a way that did not connect and criticized it for being overly busy, undercooked, and "feeling like a knockoff rather than a spinoff". Barry Levitt of The Daily Beast largely disliked the film, citing its sidelining of main characters, underdeveloped new characters, lackluster animation and script. He said, "Sandy has always been a delightful if underappreciated part of Bikini Bottom, but the movie fails to give her the spotlight she rightfully deserves. Its initial promise is washed out by cheap jokes, an uninspired plot, and off-putting animation".
== External links ==
*
* 
*
== References ==
Category:Nickelodeon Movies films
Category:United Plankton Pictures films
Category:Films starring Tom Kenny
Category:Films starring Bill Fagerbakke
Category:Films starring Clancy Brown
Category:Films starring Craig Robinson
Category:Films starring Grey DeLisle
Category:Films starring Wanda Sykes
Category:Netflix films
Category:2024 films
Category:2024 adventure films
Category:2024 animated films
Category:2024 comedy films
Category:2020s adventure comedy films
Category:2020s American animated films
Category:2020s children's adventure films
Category:2020s children's animated films
Category:2020s children's comedy films
Category:2020s English-language films
Category:American adventure comedy films
Category:American children's animated adventure films
Category:American children's animated comedy films
Category:Animated films based on animated series
Category:Animated films set in Texas
Category:American films with live action and animation
Category:Films directed by Liza Johnson
Category:Film spin-offs
Category:Nickelodeon animated films
Category:Nickelodeon Movies films
Category:SpongeBob SquarePants (film series)
Category:Netflix original films
Category:Animated films about squirrels