The former Nickelodeon Animation Studio foot logo . '"[42], Carolyn Lawrence voices Sandy Cheeks. This is the guy! [26][27] Nickelodeon confirmed via Twitter the series would continue after his death. At the same time when Hillenburg, Derek Drymon and Tim Hill were writing the pilot "Help Wanted", Hillenburg was also conducting auditions to find voices for the characters. [88][84][85][87][89] Critically acclaimed duo Patrick Creadon and Christine O'Malley created the film as a followup to I.O.U.S.A.—a documentary on America's financial situation. Report. M ireille Soria, the president of Paramount Animation and a 30-year industry veteran, says the studio’s The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run moved her to tears. It is also available for download on iTunes. On the air since 1999, Spongebob Squarepants is one of the most successful animated shows ever. [103][113] The "Best Year Ever" was recognized on Amazon Prime Day with an exclusive early release of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Best 200 Episodes Ever!, a 30-disc DVD compilation of two box sets, SpongeBob SquarePants: The First 100 Episodes and SpongeBob SquarePants: The Next 100 Episodes. Of course, SpongeBob is still an animated show, and with the medium comes a lot of freedom to explore absurd and funny situations – this is a show about an underwater town that has a … She decided to reflect the character's size in her voice by making it deep and full in tone. [30] Throughout its run, the series' production has been handled domestically at Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank, California. Browse more videos. But until the June announcement of Kamp Koral, a spinoff series about a young Spongebob’s adventures at camp, there was only one Spongebob television show. Created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg, SpongeBob SquarePants debuted on Nickelodeon in 1999 and has … Nicole Parker, senior director of communications for Nickelodeon and Nicktoons Network, told us that even after four successful seasons, Hillenburg weighs in on every show to ensure the scripts remain true to his original vision. [2][3] He began to develop some of the characters from The Intertidal Zone, including the comic's "announcer", Bob the Sponge. [30][31] Instead, storylines are developed by a team of five outline and premise writers. Created by animator and marine science educator Stephen Hillenburg, SpongeBob SquarePants made its official debut on Nickelodeon in July 1999 after a preview following the 1999 Kid’s Choice Awards in May. [84][85] The episode, which premiered on April 17, 2010, featured Johnny Depp as a guest star. M ireille Soria, the president of Paramount Animation and a 30-year industry veteran, says the studio’s The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run moved her to tears. SpongeBob's eyes are often more oval-shaped, especially when he's facing sideways. [66], Since 2004, the SpongeBob crew has periodically collaborated with the LA-based animation studio Screen Novelties to create stop-motion sequences for special episodes. Premiering in 1999, the iconic show is nearing a 20-year run and is still producing episodes through 2019.. Some fans, however, did not appreciate Spongebob's voice change (his voice was now much higher-pitched) and absence of non-animated scenes. [19] Once the film was finalized and the third season finished, Hillenburg resigned as the series' showrunner. [39] Arthur Brown, author of Everything I Need to Know, I Learned from Cartoons!, has compared Squidward's voice to that of Jack Benny's,[40] a similarity Bumpass says is mostly unintentional. It takes care of us. [66] The shift to Wacom Cintiqs let the designers and animators draw on computer screens and make immediate changes or undo mistakes. The series went on hiatus in 2002, after Hillenburg halted production to work on The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.Once t… Created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg, SpongeBob SquarePants debuted on Nickelodeon in 1999 and has been unstoppable ever … [127] Media analyst Todd Juenger attributed the decline in Nickelodeon's ratings directly to the availability of streaming video content on services like Netflix, a provider of video on demand|on-demand Internet streaming media. [68] An abominable snow mollusk made of clay who acts as the antagonist of the half-hour episode "Frozen Face-Off" was also animated by the company. In some ways, SAM is still more advanced than this. [114] The "Best Year Ever" continued into 2020 culminating with the May 22 release of The SpongeBob Movie: It's a Wonderful Sponge. http://cartoonician.com/the-oral-history-of-spongebob-squarepants/, https://web.archive.org/web/20160208163834/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/14/spongebob-turns-10-valued_n_231304.html, Nickelodeon's 'SpongeBob SquarePants' Reaches A Milestone: 10 Years, The Interview: 'SpongeBob' Creator Stephen Hillenburg, http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2009/07/_tom_kenny_who_voices.html, 'SpongeBob' Creator Stephen Hillenburg Returning to His Show, 'SpongeBob Squarepants' Creator Stephen Hillenburg Dies at 57, 'SpongeBob' Spinoffs Planned as Nickelodeon Chief Brian Robbins Tries to Win Back Young Viewers (EXCLUSIVE), SpongeBob: the excitable, absorbent star of Bikini Bottom, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/27/earlyshow/leisure/celebspot/main534521.shtml?source=search_story, COLUMN: Do you remember Bill Fagerbakke? It has been made into two movies, a Broadway musical that was nominated for twelve Tony Awards, and many pieces of merchandise.The main character, SpongeBob is an adult sea … However, creating the comic did ignite a spark in Hillenburg who realised that he enjoyed art way more than he enjoyed marine biology. [3] Although executive producer Derek Drymon described the pitch as stressful, he said it went "very well". Nickelodeon Animation Studio updated with standard logo. [93][94][95] Finally, on November 6, a special hour-length episode, "Truth or Square", debuted on Nickelodeon. Remember the time when Washington saved 'Hello, Dolly!'? Throughout both sequels, SpongeBob is every bit the naive, innocent, lovable, childlike optimist that Stephen Hillenburg created in the first place. Although these interests would not overlap for some time—the idea of drawing fish seemed boring to him—Hillenburg pursued both during college, receiving a major in marine biology and a minor in art. You know, we could have Bruce Willis do this voice.' For context, Hillenburg was strongly against spinoffs and "aging down" SpongeBob's character. ... We are hoping. [9] When Hillenburg heard Kenny perform the voice, he knew immediately he wanted it for his character. i think they have different people actually making the episodes, i mean the drawings even look different. The studio produces many animated series, including SpongeBob SquarePants. He's a star, Being Patrick Star: Toonzone Interviews Bill Fagerbakke on, "Transformers:Animated"/"Spongebob Squarepants"/"Coach" – Bill Fagerbakke (2008). [6] This theme includes ukulele music at Hillenburg's request. With Tim Hill, Clancy Brown, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass. [1][2], At the institute, Hillenburg's love of the ocean began to influence his artistry. The fifth-season half-hour episode "Pest of the West" was the first episode where the crew applied this method. Series' background designer Kenny Pittenger said, "The only real difference between the way we draw now and the way we drew then is that we abandoned pencil and paper during the fifth season". The group went on to provide most of the music for later seasons, although Carr still draws from the Associated Production Music Library, as well as another library that he founded himself—Animation Music Inc.[83], Nickelodeon began celebrating the series' 10th anniversary on January 18, 2009, with a live cast reading of the episode "SpongeBob vs. An exploration into the history of SpongeBob SquarePants, the day that sparked its downfall to mediocrity, and the concept of "flanderization. At this time, The Fairly OddParents had a 6.2 rating and nearly 2.5 million child viewers, while SpongeBob SquarePants had a 6.0 rating and 2.4 million child viewers aged two to eleven. [7] Kenny said, "That's another thing that's given SpongeBob its special feel. The finished animation has been created overseas at Rough Draft Studios in South Korea. As a health writer, I never thought I’d have the opportunity to blog about my favorite TV cartoon character, SpongeBob SquarePants. In the first quarter of 2012, the network cut back on the number of episodes it aired by 16% compared to a year earlier. "[24], Almost every episode is divided into two 11-minute segments. 'SpongeBob SquarePants' Cast: Who Does What Voice? That's the loving cup for me. [101][102][103] Romero Britto, Jon Burgerman, and the Filipino art collective Secret Fresh were commissioned by Nickelodeon to create art pieces devoted to SpongeBob SquarePants. (The Orange County Register), Grown-ups embrace a wacky, square sponge; There's just something about this sweet kids' cartoon that's attracting an adult audience. [6] Drymon said, "The scene where Patrick is running to Mr. Krabs to tattle, with SpongeBob chasing him, is pretty much how it happened in real life". One major criticism of this new style of animation has been the characters models and the 'rigid' nature of them. Some feel the show has changed from its usual complex and at times meaningful plot lines to silly, almost Simpsons esque plots. SpongeBob and company are ready for a new adventure on the big screen with The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, which is the first SpongeBob SquarePants movie to use 3D animation in its entirety – but was there a reason for that change? "[83] Rocko's Modern Life also used music from this library. [9] Initially, Hillenburg wanted to use the name SpongeBoy—with no last name—and the series was to have been called SpongeBoy Ahoy! The setup was described by Nickelodeon executive Eric Coleman as "pretty amazing". [18], Until his death in 2018, Hillenburg had served as the executive producer over the course of the series' entire history and functioned as its showrunner from its debut in 1999 until 2004. Spongebob at first didn't seem much cheaper early on, it actually had some of the best animation on Nickelodeon at the time (despite the occasional crudeness). Hillenburg tried to get the comic professionally published, but none of the companies he sent it to were interested. (rating of Nickelodeon's cartoon, Stephen Hillenburg created the undersea world of SpongeBob. Derek Drymon, who served as creative director for the first three seasons, has said that Hillenburg wanted to surround himself with a "team of young and hungry people". The first season's score primarily featured selections from the Associated Production Music Library, which Carr has said includes "lots of great old corny Hawaiian music and big, full, dramatic orchestral scores. Slime and Spongebob Squarepants, of course. Once Nickelodeon turned their attention to animation, it wasn't long before they found their most successful show. He also physically portrays Patchy the Pirate in live-action segments of most special episodes. These are then used as templates by the crew in Korea,[24] who animate each scene by hand, color each cel on computers, and paint backgrounds. The show is changing, and not for the good. "[67] Unconventional materials such as baking soda, glitter, wood chips and breakfast cereal were used in mass quantities to create the special's sets. [128], Philippe Dauman, the president and CEO of Viacom, contradicted that notion, saying: "We are getting nice revenues through these subscription VOD deals", adding Netflix only has "some library content" on its service. [6], Jennings was also instrumental in SpongeBob's genesis. The melody was inspired by the sea shanty "Blow the Man Down". [24][65] The California crew storyboard each episode. Spongebob Squarepants the TV show has inspired a Broadway musical, two films, and enough merchandise to cover Bikini Bottom. It was Hillenburg's decision to adopt this approach. [125][126] The average number of viewers aged two to eleven watching SpongeBob at any given time dropped 29% in the first quarter from a year earlier, according to Nielsen. By then it was clear to the world that SpongeBob Squarepants had opened the door to many other cartoons to use more "adult" senses of … Burns hailed from Chicago and had never met any of the principal players on SpongeBob before joining the team. He's also been called the most popular animated sitcom on TV and the top TV series on Nickelodeon. The age range has also dropped from about 6-14 to 5-10. They formed "The Sponge Divers Orchestra", which includes Carr and Belfer. At that point, Hillenburg had not even considered creating his own series. Saturday saw a countdown of the top ten episodes as picked by fans, as well as an airing of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. With Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Clancy Brown. [51] During her audition for the role, Alan was shown an early drawing of the characters and noted that Pearl was much larger than the rest of the cast. Spongebob Squarepants creator Stephen Hillenburg died on Monday at the age of 57. [104][110][111] The "Best Year Ever" also introduced an official SpongeBob SquarePants YouTube channel and a new mobile game based on the series, along with new toy lines. Murray was impressed by the style of the film and offered Hillenburg a job. How did an anthropomorphic sponge who lives in … Hillenburg explained: "[I] never really wanted to deliberately try to write a half-hour show". and SpongeBob SquarePants, died on December 22.He was 59. Most of the dialogue and jokes are added during this stage. We wanted to make fun of him and use it. A two-page outline is then assigned to a team of storyboard directors, who produce a complete rough draft of the storyboard. While the second and third SpongeBob movies don’t reach the heights of glorious absurdity and fun for the whole family of the first movie or the early seasons of the TV series, they did keep SpongeBob’s characterization intact.. [69] As a result, the group was asked to create an episode animated entirely in stop-motion in 2011. I think it is safe to say we all prefer the animation present in Seasons 1, 2 and 3 - it offers a little more fluidity and feels warmer somehow. SpongeBob SquarePants was credited with helping Nickelodeon take the "Saturday-morning ratings crown" for the fourth straight season in 2001. This makes it the fifth-longest running animated television series. [99][100], Within its first month on air, SpongeBob SquarePants overtook Pokémon as the highest rated Saturday-morning children's series on television. Stephen Hillenburg, who created SpongeBob SquarePants, has died at 57.Inhabited by a good-natured pineapple-dwelling yellow sponge and a motley crew of … [2][3][4] Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Pearl, and Squidward were the next characters Hillenburg created for the show.[8]. People who were young children when it started 10 years ago are still watching it and digging it and think it's funny. '"[42] Jill Talley, Tom Kenny's wife, voices Karen Plankton. [6], The series' music editor and main composer is Nicolas Carr. [3], In an interview, Cyma Zarghami, then-president of Nickelodeon, said, "their [Nickelodeon executives'] immediate reaction was to see it again, both because they liked it and it was unlike anything they'd ever seen before". Her friend said to Grillo that Lawrence had "an interesting voice". The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie made $140 million worldwide and is the fifth-highest grossing animated TV adaptation ever. [140] In the ninth season, its 26 episodes brought the number of episodes produced to 204. Hillenburg, however, used a video clip of the episode to remind Kenny of the voice. The newer ones from Season 5 onwards never really seem to change, with SpongeBob developing minor changes with some not looking too appealing, such as his less appealing altered cheeks (see bottom left): Luckily, it appears that in the newer, post Sponge Out of Water episodes, the characters models appear much more fluid with some even resembling Season 2 designs. [2] He wanted his series to stand out from most popular cartoons of the time, which he felt were exemplified by buddy comedies like The Ren & Stimpy Show. [46] He elaborated in a 2012 interview, saying, "I always enjoy the back-and-forth. The series depicts the chronicles of its title character, a child-like sponge living in the fictional city of Bikini Bottom. They eagerly await new episodes. But now my … [6] The idea for the episode "The Secret Box" also came from one of Drymon's childhood experiences. [2], While working as a staff artist at the Ocean Institute, Hillenburg entertained plans to return eventually to college for a master's degree in art. It takes care of us. SpongeBob SquarePants features the voices of Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Clancy Brown, Doug Lawrence, Jill Talley, Carolyn Lawrence, Mary Jo Catlett, and Lori Alan. The first spinoff to be announced is a combination of everything he did not want to see his creation turned into. "SpongeBob" has been soaking up rave reviews ever since. The series now joins the club of contemporary classic Nicktoons that have hit this benchmark, so we're incredibly proud."[144][145]. [42][6] Mr. Lawrence recalls that Nickelodeon executives told Hillenburg, "'we could stunt-cast this. Reviews ever since and development of SpongeBob, Hillenburg had not even considered creating his own.. 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