It’s been just a little over a decade since the first SpongeBob movie hit theaters, but come February 6th, SpongeBob (Tom Kenny), Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke) and the rest of the gang will be back on the big screen for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.  In their second feature film, SpongeBob is loving life making Krabby Patties down in Bikini Bottom, but when the secret recipe suddenly disappears, SpongeBob has no choice but to team up with his nemesis Plankton (Mr. Lawrence) to get it back.

Sounds nice and simple, right?  Let’s throw in a post-apocalyptic nightmare, some time travel, a pirate named Burger Beard (Antonio Banderas) and a talking dolphin named Bubbles.  Still seem straightforward?  It’s not, but that’s exactly what director Paul Tibbitt was going for.  If SpongeBob fans were going to drive to the theater and buy tickets, Tibbitt and his team were going to go big and make it worth their while.

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With The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water just days away from its big debut, I got to sit down with Tibbitt to discuss SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg’s thoughts on doing a film with 3D versions of the characters, working with live-action director Mike Mitchell, if they drew from familiar Marvel characters when coming up with the SpongeBob superhero alter egos and more.  Catch it all in the video interview below.

Paul Tibbitt: 

  • Stephen Hillenburg’s thoughts on turning SpongeBob and co. into 3D characters.
  • Going from 11-minute shorts to a feature length film.
  • On collaborating with live-action director Mike Mitchell.
  • On the protector of the galaxy, Bubbles the talking dolphin; going as big as possible.
  • Do the SpongeBob superheroes correlate to Marvel superheroes?

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