SpongeBob SquarePants may live in a pineapple under the sea. But Plankton the copepod lives in Bikini Bottom, too, inside a refurbished bucket with his robot wife, Karen.
Ever since he was a little boy, it’s been Plankton’s dream to take over the world—a dream he believes he can fulfill if he can only steal the infamous-but-secret Krabby Patty formula. The reason he believes this is a bit convoluted; but suffice it to say that Plankton’s plans have always failed, often foiled by SpongeBob himself.
Unfortunately, that repeated failure has taken a toll on Karen. She’s always supported her husband’s dream, but she believes he’s going about it the wrong way. Karen’s something of an evil genius herself—being a cross between a computer and a robot, after all—but for 25 years, Plankton has neglected to acknowledge her brilliance.
Well, enough is enough for Karen. So when Plankton refuses to listen to her ideas once again, Karen decides to end their evil alliance and take over the world for herself.
Realizing he can’t stop Karen alone, Plankton reluctantly teams up with SpongeBob. But the happy, yellow sponge doesn’t just want to save Bikini Bottom: He wants to save Plankton’s marriage.
Although Plankton considers SpongeBob to be his enemy, the feeling is not mutual. SpongeBob certainly doesn’t want Plankton to steal the Krabby Patty formula, but he harbors no resentment against the copepod. So when he realizes that saving Plankton’s marriage might save Bikini Bottom, too, he joyfully volunteers to help Plankton.
Ultimately, Plankton realizes that he hasn’t shown Karen the love and respect that she deserves. He learns how to empathize with his wife and apologizes for the pain he’s caused her. The pair is still bent on world domination, but they manage to reconcile their marriage, even softening toward the citizens of Bikini Bottom.
Karen calls her husband a “little green devil.”
Plankton and Karen kiss several times. Plankton dreams about kissing Karen at one point, but he awakens to find himself kissing SpongeBob’s nose instead. When Plankton (who is very tiny) needs help getting to high places, he wiggles his rear at his wife, so she’ll give him a boost. In these moments, the camera zooms in on Plankton’s bare, animated rear.
As noted, Karen is a robotic computer. But the franchise has never really invited us to overthink this element.
Elsewhere, Karen complains that Plankton doesn’t wear clothes (a joke, it seems, for the audience, since Plankton is an animated, anthropomorphic copepod). A flashback shows Plankton covering himself in the tub after Karen accidentally walks in (before they were married).
A beach scene includes many real-life people in swimsuits.
Karen goes on a rampage, destroying buildings in Bikini Bottom to create a robotic battle station. Nobody is seriously injured in the attack, but many are knocked around in slapstick tumbles. There are also a few gags where it looks like characters have been reduced to splatters of blood. However, it turns out to be spilled ketchup and squashed tomatoes. (That said, SpongeBob and Plankton are nearly impaled by falling knives at one point.)
Heroes fight against robots controlled by Karen. Again, these scenes are played mostly for humor, so nobody is seriously harmed. But several of the ‘bots do get blown up. And a few bumps might elicit a sympathetic “Ouch!” from viewers.
When Karen gets angry, red sparks consume her body, frightening those around her. Plankton purposely destroys his own restaurant, using a flamethrower to frighten away patrons. (He sets SpongeBob’s feet on fire, but SpongeBob manages to put them out.) Flamethrowers are used elsewhere to threaten characters.
Plankton is nearly squashed by bigger characters several times throughout the film. When someone mistakes him for a cockroach and tries to stomp him with cleats, Plankton uses a freeze ray on the guy, keeping him frozen for more than two decades.
Physical threats are issued. A guy gets hit with a purse offscreen after playing the clarinet poorly.
None. But SpongeBob tells Plankton to watch his language after mistaking “BSU,” the acronym for Plankton’s college, for an insult.
One song’s chorus includes the line, “I’m a jerky jerk.” Elsewhere characters hurl the insults “jerk” and “dumbo.” We also hear the phrases, “dagnabbit” and “What in tarnation?”
Plankton’s family business was making “moonfizz,” an obvious wink at moonshine.
The Chum Bucket, Plankton’s derelict restaurant, is a dark, filthy place filled with bugs. Karen shows how if they’d just brighten the place up, the restaurant would be popular, rendering the need for the Krabby Patty secret formula unnecessary. But Plankton rejects this suggestion since it’s not “evil” enough for him. (Karen counters that fast food itself is plenty evil.)
Plankton was the smartest member of his family growing up, and he was mercilessly mocked for this trait. But as he got older, he mistakenly believed the only reason people didn’t like him was because he was smart. He eventually learns it was actually because he was mean and unpleasant to be around, but he makes no attempts to change his behavior.
SpongeBob takes on a Freud persona, using hypnosis on Plankton to get to the root of Plankton’s marital problems. During one hypnosis session, Plankton enters a sort of psychedelic dream state.
Plankton attempts to steal the Krabby Patty formula from its owner, Mr. Krabs. Krabs allows this attempt, since he knows Plankton will fail. And he takes delight in Plankton’s humiliation when he’s caught.
Plankton lies to SpongeBob about his ulterior motives, hurting SpongeBob’s feelings. Mr. Krabs justifies spying on people, even tricking SpongeBob into doing it. Krabs also shows that he only cares about money.
Someone spits in SpongeBob’s eyes.
Dumb slapstick humor, annoyingly catchy songs and an odd focus on rear ends are all probably reasons why my mom never let me watch SpongeBob SquarePants when I was a kid. But considering how popular the franchise still is, other families must have found those issues perfectly navigable.
Plankton: The Movie is the latest addition to this Nickelodeon franchise, and it has all those trademarks of the series. Parents should also note the insult “jerk” is used a number of times, including in song lyrics, making it more liable to be repeated by younger viewers.
Despite those issues, though, Plankton: The Movie isn’t terrible. In fact, it’s the story of how a marriage is saved. And even if he’s annoying at times, SpongeBob is always kind to everyone, no matter how awful they are to him. And those are certainly redeeming qualities.
So if you were a fan of this show growing up, you’ll find the same silly antics in Plankton. And if your mom rolled her eyes whenever this show came on, well, she’ll probably still roll her eyes over this film.
Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.
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