It’s hard to believe SpongeBob has now been around two decades, 12 seasons, 3 films, and nearly 40 video games. Sooner or later is was bound to be a Broadway musical right? Well in 2017 that’s exactly what happened, and now the same musical comes to your home with the DVD release.
In this disaster story, SpongeBob, Sandy, and Patrick attempt to save Bikini Bottom from an erupting Volcano, whilst plankton sets out a scheme to hypnotise the whole town, who’s go-to idea to save the town is to put on a music concert. For the most part the casting is excellent. The actors that play SpongeBob, Squidward, and Mr Crab are the standouts, with their mannerisms and voices being very similar to the cartoon. The less said about Patrick Starr, however, the better.
The songs are the high quality you come to expect from Broadway. Highlights include Just a Simple Sponge, Bikini Bottom Day, and the extremely catchy Chop to the Top. The thing that makes this standout from most musicals it’s how much it leans into its cartoon origins. They have a live sound effects musician at the back of the stage adding humour throughout. Special effects look and are cheap, including a moment where characters are just acted out badly with someone playing with small figurines of bikini bottom, complete with random army man toy. The sets and characters are bright and colourful. All this add to the shows charm.
In terms of extra content on the DVD itself, there’s not a great deal. It’s just the main feature, a sing-a-long version, and collections on photos. The SpongeBob Musical is a delight for children and adults of all ages. Its catchy songs will become earworms long after an eventful evening in Bikini Bottom.
