Sandy Cheeks Proves She’s Ready for Her Closeup in Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie

Get ready to feel old: Bikini Bottom and its famous denizens are celebrating 25 years of existence this year. Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants series—the bizarre brainchild of animator Stephen Hillenburg—was an immediate hit around the globe. The goofball sponge and his expanded circle of friends continue to be the poster children for the rare contemporary animated show that has generational legs (“my leg!”). From memes to spin-off shows and movies, SpongeBob remains an unstoppable aquatic titan. Yet in all those years, the porous one has never passed the clam to his fellow pals to lead a cinematic adventure. Joyfully, that’s been remedied as the most competent resident in town—Sandy Cheeks, the Texan squirrel—gets her own movie in the Netflix Original Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie.

Much like 2020’s Sponge on the Run, The Sandy Cheeks Movie embraces 3D character animation for Bikini Bottom’s citizens, and then takes those 3D characters out into the “real world,” where they’re integrated into live-action plates set top-side in the wilds of Texas. 

Why in the world would Texas factor into a SpongeBob movie, you ask? Because that’s where Sandy (Carolyn Lawrence) is from, as her twangy accent and murky origin story has forever reiterated. The only outsider to call Bikini Bottom home, Sandy is a marine biologist by profession who wears a dive suit to breathe underwater and study the tiny hamlet of aquatic oddities. But now the brisket is being peeled back on everything Cheeks, as she and SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) are forced to return to the Lone Star State to save their beloved town after it’s literally scooped up and kidnapped right out of the ocean.  

As Bikini Bottom’s only reliably effective brain—though Plankton (Mr. Lawrence) would loudly argue against that—Sandy uses science, math and her own deductive reasoning to figure out that that the offending claw came from BOOTS Marine Biology Lab, the employer she’s been providing data to since she settled into her biodome. Incensed by her colleagues having anything to do with this travesty, Sandy grabs a despondent SpongeBob to give chase. She calculates a plan to launch them onto an already airborne plane so they can parachute—flying squirrel style—to the lab’s HQ in Galveston.

Does it go smoothly? No, it does not, which opens the door for a whole stampede of ridiculous physical comedy. While The Sandy Cheeks Movie’s script and tone are typically broad and silly as a SpongeBob movie should be, director Liza Johnson (whose credits are live-action, including What We Do in the Shadows) brings a fresh perspective and sense of humor to the franchise. Working from a genuinely funny script by Kaz and Tom Stern, Johnson does an excellent job plausibly stitching the ridiculous cartoon characters together with the campy “real world” villains: Wanda Sykes’ over-the-top Sue Nahmee, her pampered pooch ‘Cuda and her dim-bulb henchpeople, Phoebe (Ilia Isorelýs Paulino) and Kyle (Matty Cardarople). 

All of that, along with Sandy being given the reins as the prime motivator of the story and SpongeBob just riding shotgun as comedic relief, enlivens the whole adventure. As a long-time fan of all things SpongeBob, the change in protagonist is welcome—if not a bit overdue—considering how well-established the core ensemble is to audiences after a quarter-century. Sandy’s smarts, tenacity and loyalty to her found family makes her a competent, proactive lead for the movie and changes up the usual bumbling, accidental nature to previous stories that typically place SpongeBob and Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke) front and center. 

Through action and circumstances, we’re also finally given a lot of insight into how this squirrel ended up in her profession at the bottom of the ocean. Each acorn of discovery about Sandy’s past life is rolled out in an appropriately outlandish way—be it Stetson-wearing snakes or acrobatic relatives in a traveling circus—that are both funny and fitting for her outsized personality. Not to mention, Carolyn Lawrence is clearly having one hell of a good time voicing Sandy in all her glory, which adds to The Sandy Cheeks Movie’s positive vibe. 

And don’t worry about your favorites being sidelined, because they’re not. As Bikini Bottom’s use is revealed by Sue, the town idiots of Patrick, Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown) and Plankton are all given their moments to shine. Even Squidward (Rodger Bumpass) gets a musical riff, doing a very off-key “Singin’ in the Rain” homage. In fact, The Sandy Cheeks Movie continues the series tradition of including musical numbers, the best being Sandy’s opening number (penned by Linda Perry of 4 Non Blondes fame).  

Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie is a visually clever, character-redefining film for the strongest of animated smart gals, Sandy Cheeks. She is given her due and then some in a movie that rightly celebrates her heart, enthusiasm and grit. Plus, the supporting cast are not left in the dust, having their own consequential sequences that support the overall goal of liberating Bikini Bottom from nefarious hands. It’s a worthy, silly chapter in the porous universe. 

Director: Liza Johnson
Writers: Kaz, Tom Stern
Starring: Carolyn Lawrence, Tom Kenny, Wanda Sykes, Clancy Brown, Bill Fagerbakke, Mr. Lawrence, Rodger Bumpass, Johnny Knoxville, Craig Robinson
Release Date: August 2, 2024 (Netflix)

Tara Bennett is a Los Angeles-based writer covering film, television and pop culture for publications such as SFX Magazine, NBC Insider, SYFY Wire and more. She’s also written official books on Sons of Anarchy, Outlander, Fringe, The Story of Marvel Studios, Avatar: The Way of Water and the upcoming The Art of Ryan Meinerding. You can follow her on Twitter @TaraDBennett or Instagram @TaraDBen