The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is a 2004 American live-action/animated adventure comedy film based on the Nickelodeon animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. The film was co-written, directed, and produced by series creator Stephen Hillenburg, with live-action sequences directed by Mark Osborne. It features the series' cast of Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass and Mr. Lawrence, and also has new actors which include Alec Baldwin, David Hasselhoff (as himself), Scarlett Johansson and Jeffrey Tambor. It is the first film in the SpongeBob SquarePants film series. In this film, Plankton devises a plan to discredit his business nemesis Mr. Krabs, steal the Krabby Patty secret formula and take over the world by stealing King Neptune's crown and framing Mr. Krabs for the crime. SpongeBob and Patrick team up to retrieve the crown from Shell City to save Mr. Krabs from Neptune's wrath and the oceanic world from Plankton's rule.

Previous offers by Paramount Pictures for a film adaptation of SpongeBob SquarePants had been rejected by Stephen Hillenburg, but he eventually accepted one offer in 2002. A writing team consisting of Hillenburg, Paul Tibbitt, Derek Drymon, Aaron Springer, Kent Osborne and Tim Hill was assembled, conceiving the idea of a mythical hero's quest and the search for a stolen crown, which would bring SpongeBob and Patrick to the surface. The film was originally intended as the series finale, but Nickelodeon ordered more episodes of the series as it had become increasingly profitable, so Hillenburg resigned as showrunner with Tibbitt taking his place.

The film was widely promoted by Paramount and Nickelodeon, with tie-in promotions made by 7-Eleven, the Cayman Islands and Burger King, which decorated various of its franchises with 9-foot (2.7 m) SpongeBob inflatable figures. The film was released on November 19, 2004, grossing $140 million worldwide, and received generally positive reviews from critics. A second film titled The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water was released in 2015, and another titled The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run is scheduled for release in 2020.

Plot
SpongeBob SquarePants cheerfully prepares for the opening ceremony for a second Krusty Krab, expecting his boss Mr. Krabs to promote him as new manager of the new restaurant. Instead, Mr. Krabs names Squidward Tentacles as manager, thinking SpongeBob is too immature to handle the role, much to SpongeBob's anger. Meanwhile, Mr. Krabs' business rival, Plankton, complains about his failures to his computer wife Karen, being unable to steal the Krabby Patty formula. When Karen points out plan "Z", a scheme which he has yet to attempt, Plankton decides to implement it.

That night, SpongeBob drowns his sorrows in ice cream with his best friend Patrick Star. Elsewhere, Plankton steals King Neptune's crown, leaving false evidence to frame Mr. Krabs for the crime, and sends the crown to the distant land of Shell City. The next morning, Neptune barges into the Krusty Krab 2 and threatens Mr. Krabs for his alleged thievery. SpongeBob arrives and chastises Mr. Krabs under the influence of an ice-cream headache, but seeing his boss's life at risk shocks SpongeBob back to his senses and he promises Neptune that he will retrieve the crown from Shell City. Neptune is convinced by his daughter Mindy to spare Mr. Krabs for the time being and freezes him instead, ordering SpongeBob to return with the crown in six days. Soon after SpongeBob and Patrick leave for Shell City, Plankton steals the Krabby Patty formula and uses it to produce and sell Krabby Patties at his restaurant, the Chum Bucket. He also gives away free Chum Bucket helmets to his customers, which are actually mind-controlling devices that Plankton activates to control Bikini Bottom's residents and take over the city.

After overcoming several setbacks on their journey, SpongeBob and Patrick reach a dangerous, monster-filled trench. Coming to the conclusion that they cannot complete their quest due to their immaturity, they tearfully give up. Mindy, however, arrives at the trench and tells SpongeBob and Patrick of Plankton's plan. She pretends to magically turn them into men by giving them seaweed mustaches. With their confidence boosted, they brave the trench but are confronted by Dennis, a hitman hired by Plankton to eliminate them. Dennis is stepped on by a hardhat diver that SpongeBob and Patrick believe to be a Cyclops. The Cyclops grabs SpongeBob and Patrick, and takes them to his beachside store, revealed to be Shell City.

In the store, SpongeBob and Patrick find the crown, but nearly die when they are dehydrated by the Cyclops' heat lamp. Their tears short-circuit the lamp's power cord, and its smoke activates the sprinkler system, reviving them and the other dried sea creatures intended to be sold as souvenirs. As the vengeful sea creatures attack and overwhelm the Cyclops, SpongeBob and Patrick take the crown and head for the beach, where David Hasselhoff appears and offers them a ride. He swims from the beach to Bikini Bottom carrying them on his back. Dennis catches up to them but is knocked by a catamaran back into the sea. Then, when they arrive at Bikini Bottom, Hasselhoff launches Patrick and SpongeBob down to the Krusty Krab 2.

At the Krusty Krab 2, King Neptune arrives to execute Mr. Krabs much to Plankton's enjoyment, but SpongeBob and Patrick return with the crown just before he is able to do so. They and Mindy confront Plankton, but he drops a mind-controlling bucket on Neptune, enslaving him. Before Plankton can direct Neptune to kill them, SpongeBob accepts his childlike nature and bursts into a rock song which destroys the mind-controlling helmets, freeing King Neptune and Bikini Bottom's residents from Plankton's rule. Plankton tries to escape, but is stepped on by the other citizens. Plankton is arrested by the police and Neptune thaws out Mr. Krabs, who makes SpongeBob manager of the Krusty Krab 2 in gratitude.