Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie/reception

This article gives the reception of the SpongeBob SquarePants film, Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie, which aired on Netflix August 2, 2024.

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 53% of 17 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.9/10..

Catherine Bray of The Guardian gives the movie a 3 out of 5 rating. They commended its entertainment value and appeal to younger audiences and concluded, "For general viewers, it may not pack as much of an emotional punch, but like SpongeBob himself, it's thoroughly absorbing."

Tessa Smith of Mama's Geeky praised the movie for its humor, animation, and story and said, "Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie delivers the same type of jokes that SpongeBob SquarePants fans are used to, but it also tells a heartwarming story and allows viewers to finally meet Sandy and see where she comes from."

Adam Graham of The Detroit News gave the movie a C rating. They felt it retained the series' irreverent humor but in a way that did not connect and criticized it for being overly busy, undercooked, and "feeling like a knockoff rather than a spinoff."

Barry Levitt of The Daily Beast heavily criticized the movie, citing its sidelining of main characters, underdeveloped new characters, lackluster animation and script. He said, "Sandy has always been a delightful if underappreciated part of Bikini Bottom, but the movie fails to give her the spotlight she rightfully deserves. Its initial promise is washed out by cheap jokes, an uninspired plot, and off-putting animation."

Numerical ratings

On Google Reviews, the movie's rating is 1.9 with 1 star.

Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 56% rating.

Common Sense Media gives it a 2 out of a 5 rating.

IMDb gives it a 3.7 out of 10 rating.

The user score of Metacritic gives it a 1.9 out of 10 with a "overwhelming dislike" score. The Metascore is currently unknown.

Nielsen viewership

The film received 12.8 million viewers in its opening weekend on Netflix, making it the most-watched title of the week on the streaming service.

Accolades

Piero Piluso received a nomination at the 52nd Annie Awards in 2024 for Best Storyboarding - Feature, but Despicable Me 4 won in this category.