SpongeBob 2: Sponge on the Run

SpongeBob 2: Sponge on the Run

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run is a 2020 live-action/computer-animated adventure comedy film produced by Paramount Animation, Nickelodeon Movies, and United Plankton Pictures, based on the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. it is the first film in the franchise to be fully animated in stylized CGI and was directed and written by series developer and former series writer Tim Hill, with Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger.

In Bikini Bottom, Plankton is on a quest to steal the Krabby Patty formula and suspects that SpongeBob was the reason for all his previous failures in the venture. Meanwhile, in Atlantic City, King Poseidon is looking for a sea snail to extract slime, which is necessary to keep him rejuvenated. Plankton, knowing this, kidnaps SpongeBob’s pet snail Gary so that SpongeBob will go to rescue him and thus not meddle with his plans. SpongeBob learns of this the next day. SpongeBob and Patrick meet a spirit named Sage who tells them that they must complete a mission to continue their search. He gives them a "Challenge Coin" that will help them go into a tavern haunted by zombie pirates. SpongeBob and Patrick find out that the pirates' souls are trapped by "El Diablo", an evil spirit, and their mission is to free them. El Diablo is accidentally disintegrated with the sunlight and the pirates' souls are freed. Meanwhile SpongeBob finds out that Poseidon is using Gary's slime to stay young and as soon as it is used up, he will be enslaved with the rest of his previous dried snails. When they try to rescue Gary, both are arrested and imprisoned.

Back in Bikini Bottom, Plankton obtains the formula from a depressed Mr. Krabs. However, seeing Mr. Krabs so upset, Plankton feels guilty about what he has done. On finding out that SpongeBob and Patrick will be executed in a luxury show in Poseidon's palace, Mr. Krabs, and Plankton with their friends decide to find and save them. When SpongeBob is about to be executed, Mr. Krabs, Squidward, Plankton, and Sandy burst into the show to testify in favor of SpongeBob, perform a musical number to distract Poseidon and take Gary away. Poseidon orders his guards to capture the group. SpongeBob and his friends manage to escape the guards but are once again cornered. However, when Poseidon reveals that he needs the slime for his appearance, SpongeBob tells him that beauty is on the inside. This causes Poseidon to return to his true appearance. He is accepted for who he is, and allows SpongeBob to take Gary back home. Poseidon releases all his enslaved snails to accompany Spongebob and his friends to Bikini Bottom which ends up becoming a "sea snail refuge".

Though the film was theatrically released in Canada on August 14, 2020, owing to Covid 19, it was made available digitally on Netflix in other territories in November 2020.