‘Plankton: The Movie’ Review | SpongeBob Supervillains in Crisis

Sheldon J. Plankton’s quarter-century of scheming to steal the recipe for delicious Krabby Patties finally comes to fruition, but not by the tentacles of our diminutive SpongeBob SquarePants supervillain. Plankton: The Movie has Karen, his frustrated robot wife, tired of backing her ungrateful hubby’s perennial failure. Bikini Bottom beware! She’s done being taken for granted and decides on her own plan for world domination. The second SpongeBob spinoff feature to land on Netflix will delight fans of all ages with a slick combo of cool animation styles and toe-tapping original songs. There’s a lot to like as the franchise keeps chugging in the right direction.

Plankton: The Movie is an origin story, a rocky romance, to say the least, and a rollicking adventure with all of our favorite underwater critters. The clever screenplay, co-written and based on an original story by Plankton himself, voice actor Mr. Lawrence, pokes good fun at a decades-long quest and the relationship that fuels it. Karen (Jill Talley) has always been supportive of her husband’s goals. Yes, he did create her for nefarious purposes, but we learn how Karen’s construction allows for free will. She has feelings and demands respect. Plankton’s arrogance crosses a line that forces both characters to address the key tenets of a successful marriage.

Bad Husband, Bad Robot

Plankton: The Movie

3.5
/5

Release Date

March 7, 2025

Runtime

83 minutes

Director

Dave Needham

Writers

Chris Viscardi

Producers

Vincent Waller

• Jill Talley

  Karen / All the Karens / Alarm Voice / Various (voice)

• Mr. Lawrence

  Plankton / Teen Plankton / Rube (voice)

Pros & Cons

• A hilarious origin story with beloved characters.
• Plankton learns to respect his wife.
• Fantastic animation and original music.

• Runs long with a many filler scenes.
• Doesn’t explain many of the supporting characters.

The story begins with Plankton convinced of another foolproof plan to rob Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown). Karen tries to persuade him to try different tactics, but Plankton remains intractable as usual. Poor SpongeBob gets caught in the fray as Mr. Krabs continues to outwit his nemesis. Plankton refuses to acknowledge his obvious ineptitude, which Karen repeatedly brings up while hanging out with her besties Sandy Cheeks (Carolyn Lawrence) and Mrs. Puff (Mary Jo Catlett). Plankton, completely unaware of Karen’s girl group, hurts her feelings and ignites a furious response. Plankton’s dumbfounded when Karen unleashes an upgrade that splits her personality into hydra-like robot heads. Karen’s got a big idea, and it will take every building in Bikini Bottom to construct.

The heart of the film lies in SpongeBob’s (Tom Kenny) turn as a Sigmund Freud wannabe who attempts to psychoanalyze the bickering couple. You’ll fall out of your chair laughing as SpongeBob tries to figure out just what Plankton did to enrage Karen. Meanwhile, she’s growing more powerful and putting her dastardly ideas in motion with everyone imprisoned. There’s a lot of history between Plankton and Karen that SpongeBob must learn. Can there be a reconciliation? Does Karen even want Plankton back after his awful behavior?

11:19

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Creative Leaps in Animation

Plankton’s efforts to rediscover his roots and the early days with Karen are unexpected. Mr. Lawrence deserves a golf clap for explaining Plankton’s strained youth. Trust me when I say his family and adolescence hijinks are a total surprise. Plankton’s evil genius sure as heck wasn’t genetically inherited. SpongeBob gets chuckles aplently as he also soaks in Plankton’s upbringing, and causes chaos along the way.

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Each film in the franchise has gotten better visually with every new iteration. Plankton: The Movie makes a creative leap forward through different animation approaches as the story progresses. Kudos to director Dave Needham, an industry veteran with credits on such blockbusters as Trolls, The Boss Baby, and The Lego Batman Movie, for employing multiple eye-popping styles. The film switches from crisp 3D CGI, hand-drawn 2D animation, including black and white scenes, and then live-action with human characters outside the water. This is well done and also frames the settings for the original songs. Karen rapping to an ’80s beat with old school, 8-bit video game graphics look great.

Great Songs, Great Voices

Plankton: The Movie has a better soundtrack than the previous films. The collaboration between all-star songwriters Bret McKenzie (Flight of the Concords), Linda Perry (4 Non Blondes), and Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh of Devo is a smashing success. I found myself actually rewinding several of the musical interludes to hear them again. The songs are fantastic and will definitely have children singing along. Composer Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper and the film’s music supervisors also deserve recognition for raising the musical game.

Lawrence and Talley have been integral to SpongeBob SquarePants from the very beginning. They, along with the rest of the acclaimed cast, belong in the top pantheon of voice-over artists. The film showcases their shared history by addressing a couple’s issues in an honest manner. Don’t get me wrong, silliness and shenanigans abound, but the bond between Plankton and Karen is handled with a delicate touch. Relationships are a two-way street with speed bumps and plot holes. You can’t diminish someone without stoking resentment. “I’m sorry,” and, “I love you,” have to be ready phrases in a marriage.

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Plankton: The Movie can be enjoyed by die-hard fans and neophytes. There isn’t a ton of exposition to explain every character, but you can easily understand what’s happening if unfamiliar. The film does run long at 87 minutes with loads of filler. It could have been edited further, but I get that the producers didn’t just want an extended episode. Plankton: The Movie is a production of Nickelodeon Movies. It premieres March 7th exclusively on Netflix. Watch it through the link below:

Watch on Netflix

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