Summary

The classicSpongeBob SquarePantsantagonist Plankton will now get his own Netflix movie. Sheldon Plankton and his computer wife Karen are an iconic aspect of the popular animated series, which first aired in 1999. SinceSpongeBob’s debut, several feature-length movies have been made, most recently including 2020’sThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run.

Now,Netflixhas announced thedevelopment of a Plankton-centric movie. Along with this news came the revelation of the film’s first image.

First image of Plankton in Netflix Movie

David Needham will direct the film, and its plot will see Plankton in dire straits when his plans to dominate the world are crushed. The film has reportedly been in development for over four years and features original songs from Bret McKenzie, Linda Perry, Mark Mothersbaugh, and Bob Mothersbaugh. In the image, a3D-animated Plankton stands deviously, holding a remote with a red button. In a window behind him is an image of the Earth. A dog-like sidekick, who also sports just one eye and the same coloring as Plankton, stands next to the character, with his tongue sticking out.

How Will The Plankton Movie Stack Against Other SpongeBob Movies?

The Plankton Movie Is Not The Only SpongeBob Movie Coming Out

The image shows that thePlankton feature film will be in the sleek, computer-generated animation stylethat characterizedThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of WaterandThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run. This style is a departure from that of the 2004The SpongeBob SquarePants Movieor the original show, which used 2D animation in a style that was suggestive rather than photorealistic. The updated Plankton model is missing some of the charm of the hand-drawnoriginalSpongeBob, but the use of the style is unsurprising given the recentSpongeBobtrends.

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The Plankton movie will represent the first time anySpongeBobcharacter has gotten extended solo treatment. This puts pressure on the film to perform well, as the previousSpongeBobmovieshave been generally well-reviewed. The 2004 feature had a 68% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes, whileSponge Out of WaterandSponge on the Runhad 81% and 67% scores, respectively. Hopefully, the Plankton movie can continue this positive score trend.

A collage image of three shots of Squidward from SpongeBob SquarePants - created by Tom Russell

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Spongebob Poster

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While the Plankton moviedid not get an exact release date, the film is expected to hit the streamer in 2025. This situates the film in an interesting position as 2025 is also slated to see the release of another full-length Bikini Bottom jaunt,The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants. The concurrent release of both films will likely mean the two will be compared even more than the Plankton film will already be compared to previous versions ofSpongeBob Squarepants.

SpongeBob SquarePants

Cast

Spongebob Squarepants is an animated comedy created by Stephen Hillenburg and starring voices from Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, and Rodger Bumpass. The series revolves around a sea sponge that goes on many misadventures with his friends Patrick, Squidward, and Sandy Cheeks in the lands of Bikini Bottom and the surrounding sea.