Why The SpongeBob Movie Feels Conclusive

For the 20 years that the SpongeBob Movie has been around, fans have called it "the true finale of the show" despite the fact that the show would continue long after the movie's release. So in this video I analyze the main characters and themes of the movie and see just why it feels so conclusive.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:17 SpongeBob's goal
04:04 SpongeBob, Patrick and Goofy Goober's
07:05 Maturity
12:42 Plankton
13:41 Was the movie even supposed to end the show?
16:10 Why does the movie feel like a conclusion?
25:24 The other SpongeBob movies
27:15 Outro

[TheRealWideEyedWiseGuy]

Leaving this to address the many comments about the movie being intended as the series finale and Vincent Waller's thoughts on the matter:

We don't know for sure if the movie was actually 100% supposed to be the series finale. In my research for this video I came across various tertiary sources claiming that it was but I couldn't find any direct quotation from Hillenburg himself or any of the movie/show's crew saying that it was indeed supposed to be the finale. If anyone has proof that Hillenburg or any of the other staff members definitively said that the movie is the clear-cut end of the show then I'd love to see it and I'll update this comment. All I have to go off of is speculation from what Hillenburg and the crew had to say in regards to the change in roles after the production of the movie.

Vincent Waller worked on the first season of the show and came back immediately after the movie and worked directly with Hillenburg and many of the crew members from the first 3 seasons. So it's not like his opinion on the matter holds no weight. At the very least he would know the general attitude behind the scenes about the timeline of the show and the movie's place in it. If Hillenburg definitively said (in public or behind the scenes) that the movie is the canonical end, then Waller would have no reason to say that the movie never was the series chronological finale. In fact, in that very same thread that I showed in the video he was asked if Hillenburg said anything about the movie taking place after every episode; and he responded "Not that i am aware." There's a small chance that he just doesn't know for sure the intent behind the movie's place in the show but I doubt it. Again I'm only going off of what I was able to find and if there's anything showing that any of the show's creators have disputed this then I'd love to see it.

And just to reiterate my thoughts that I state in the video. I think that Hillenburg knew that the show would keep going on after the movie and was fine with it, but with the chance of it being the last time he would be creatively and directly involved with the characters he decided to step up with it and make something that would leave a lasting impression. Which is why the movie is about what it's about and why it feels like a finale. Personally I do headcanon that the show is the end of SpongeBob's story because it doesn't make sense that Mr. Krabs would just shut down the Krusty Krab 2 and that SpongeBob would settle for going back to being a simple fry cook. It also doesn't make sense that everything would just go back to normal after Plankton learned the Krabby Patty formula. But it doesn't matter because SpongeBob is a very loose and nonsensical show where anything goes and every story more-or-less takes place in a vacuum, completely detached from any sort of chronology. If you still think that the show is the series finale then that's fine and you shouldn't care about the show's "canon" because the show itself doesn't care about its own "canon." Squidward says that he's never had a Krabby Patty in season 3 but in season 2 we see him eat many Krabby Patties, therefore season 3 takes place before season 2 get over it.

[AluminumFusion]

I've always seen the Cyclops as embodying the very thing Stephen Hillenburg hated. The Cyclops stole undersea creatures from their natural habitat, and killed them gradually before selling them as cheap knick-knacks in a gift shop.
Stephen was a marine biologist and believed in educating anyone curious about undersea life without directly interfering with how they live, so the Cyclops is basically an antithesis to what Stephen Hillenburg believed in.

[sidedmirror]

Spongebob is such an important character to me. We need more "childish" adult characters in media. Spongebob being an adult who likes "kids" stuff like blowing bubbles, jellyfishing, karate: it's a very positive type of character that tells children to grow up, while also telling them they can still like those things that made their childhood special, and they don't have to give into adult stereotypes. He goes to work, he works hard, he's able to pay for his house and food for his snail. He has all the necessary skills for adulthood, while still finding childlike joy in pretty much everything he does.

[AbrasiousProductions]

I miss the dense kind hearted Patrick :/

[Pluelul]

I always think its frustrating when people brush off as childrens media not having messages, literally every story has a message, especially childrens shows

[rhyanfine]

When I was like 8, I used to play cashier with my cousins and I loved it and couldn't wait until I could get an actual job possibly as a cashier as well. 8 years later I was working at a fast food place, completly miserable and just waiting for the clock to go faster. I once thought about spongebob and how he could find the joy in working this exact job, a joy I once had. Although it didn't make the job any better, it made me look for the joy in it and everything else I did. Never try to revert to a child and ignore responsibilities but always hold on to the childish joy and limitless hope even in the face of unhappy times.

[AbrasiousProductions]

to be honest, this film hits pretty deep to me as an adult with a childlike sense of wonder, in terms of emotional maturity I'm there but I'll be damned if I ever stop loving this or fraggle rock, my boyfriend assures me my youthful spirit is a virtue though :)

[NoThanks-jhsn]

I cannot watch this movie without crying out my eyes makes me feel like a small kid every time I watch it

[alaeawinters]

I disagree about squidward having a bigger role in the movie, I think Squidward has already had a conclusive ark thanks to 'Band Geeks', and Squidward and Spongebobs dynamic is explored quite a bit with the show. Meanwhile, SpongeBob and Patricks dynamic is rarely ACTUALLY threatened, save for dumb one off disagreements.

[seryux]

ngl i really miss the old DVD menus for some reason

[IofSheikah]

I think the “Nickelodeon Movies” intro for this movie is the most life changing 16 seconds of media ever made

[colinds]

I never really gave it much thought before but the spongebob, patrick and squidward dynamic is like a sibling relationship
with spongebob being the youngest, patrick being the middle child and squidward being the oldest
spongebob is young and impressionable and more open to new ideas
patrick thinks he knows everything and will try and push his ideas onto spongebob
and squidward just wants to be left alone and will sometimes need to go in and correct some of the information that patrick gives
or play into it in a way that benefits him

[eatatjoes]

That and when you’re a kid you don’t feel like anything changes. 29-30 years later and I still wish VHS and DVD were a viable option to rent things instead of constant streaming and that there was genuine color and mirth in marketing again.

[thebombingsoda]

The SpongeBob and Patrick bit made me realize why those two really work, I knew SpongeBob though Patrick was smart when he wasn’t, but them sharing weird interests, SpongeBob looking up to Patrick and him being a good friend in turn to SpongeBob just makes them work at characters and as best friends

[nathanielschwartz]

3:22 Actually, he was already working there before SpongeBob was hired so he’s definitely been working there for longer than 31 years.

[anthonyness]

I think the second movie felt more like the ultimate conclusion. They even completed Planktons Story arc with him finally accepting Krabs, turned good and Returns the Formular to him after they beat Antonio Banderas.

[Sanguivore]

Man, this video hit at the perfect time for me. Lately I've been struggling with depression, brought on by similar things you addressed in the video: living alone, working a dead-end job, etc. I've been retreating into my childhood passions to help try to combat that, and lately, for some reason, I'd begun to feel guilty about that and think that I should change things within me to change my situation. But changing most of those things would, to quote Hillenburg, be "trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, " and it would sacrifice some of my own childlike nature—which is actually something I like about myself. This video helped me realize that no matter how old I get, it's important to hold onto the things I enjoy and the things that help bring me comfort—no matter how silly they might be perceived as by others. If SpongeBob can find joy and contentment in his situation and help share that warmth with others, so can I.

I know this comment itself might sound silly, but seriously, thank you.

[AbrasiousProductions]

it may not've been the intended ending but I kinda wish it was.. everything afterwards feels like mindless, heartless pablum compared to old SpongeBob and this movie

[P-Star]

I actually feel bad for poor Stephen having to see his creation being destroyed by the popularity.

[каркар-уц]

It's honestly weird how nowdays Krusty Krab is portrayed as, like, the most important thing in the universe, not just to SpongeBob personaly. I enjoy a lot of the post-2015 episodes of the show, but that aspect feels very detached from what Krusty Krab was meant to be originally.