Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants
"Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants" is a SpongeBob SquarePants DVD bonus feature. It is a documentary about the development of SpongeBob SquarePants and how it became a huge success. It was made to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the show. It can be found in the The First 100 Episodes DVD.
Interviews
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Jerry Beck (animation historian)
- Tom Kenny (voice of SpongeBob)
- Stephen Hillenburg (creator of SpongeBob SquarePants)
- Bill Fagerbakke (voice of Patrick Star)
- Patchy the Pirate
- Carolyn Lawrence (voice of Sandy Cheeks)
- Clancy Brown (voice of Eugene H. Krabs)
- Rodger Bumpass (voice of Squidward Tentacles)
- Brian Doyle-Murray (voice of the Flying Dutchman)
- Tim Conway (voice of Barnacle Boy)
- Ernest Borgnine (voice of Mermaid Man)
- Marion Ross (voice of Grandma SquarePants)
- LeBron James (NBA basketball player)
- Whoopi Goldberg (archive footage)
- Former President Barack Obama (archive footage)
- Ricky Gervais (comedian)
- Ween (musicians)
- Triumph the Insult Comic Dog
- Craig Ferguson (comedian)
- David Hasselhoff (actor, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie)
- Mr. Lawrence (staff writer and voice of Sheldon J. Plankton)
- Alec Baldwin (actor)
- Chris Pine (actor)
- Rosario Dawson (actress)
- Keke Palmer (actress)
- Tony Hawk
- Katie Couric (archive footage)
- Jon Stewart (archive footage)
- Simon Cowel (archive footage)
- Nile Rodgers (founder, We Are Family Foundation)
- Gene Shalit (movie critic)
- Robert Thompson (Professor of Television, Syracuse University)
- Jeffrey Katzenberg (CEO of DreamWorks Animation)
- Jacques Cousteau (archive footage)
- Dr. Steve Spruill (author, Absorbing SpongeBob)
- Derek Iversen (staff writer)
- Nate Cash (storyboard writer)
- Nikki Vanzo (Rough Draft Studios, Korea)
- Kristen Flores (executive assistant/writing corrinator)
- Scott Mansz (overseas animation supervisor)
- Vincent Waller (creative director)
- Richard Pursel (staff writer)
- Alan Smart (staff writer/storyboard artist)
- Luke Brookshier (staff writer/storyboard artist)
- Paul Tibbitt (executive producer)
- Albie Hecht (former President of Entertainment, Nickelodeon)
- Steve Downs (animatics editor)
- Andrea Romano (voice director)
- Dani Michaeli (staff writer)
- Walt Disney (archive footage)
Synopsis
The documentary focuses on the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants and its immersion into global popular culture. The film documents the show's early inspirations, and its origins. Among the millions of fans are celebrities such as LeBron James, Rosario Dawson, and Ricky Gervais, who express their insights for the show and its title character, SpongeBob. It also features the series' impact on the US President Barack Obama, the inmates of San Quentin State Prison, and fans around the world. Additional discussion includes the controversy of homosexual agenda against SpongeBob, the election of Patchy the Pirate as president of the SpongeBob Fan Club, and the fan mail Nickelodeon is receiving as reactions to SpongeBob.
Production
Music
| ( ‣ ) Production music |
| ( • ) Original music |
| ( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
• SpongeBob SquarePants Theme Song - Avril Lavigne [Opening]
‣ Breakfast News - Nigel Beaham-Powell, Bella Russell [Opening with Realistic Fish Head]
‣ Surfmania - Eric Spencer [SpongeBob's immense popularity]
‣ La Paloma - Frank Ricotti [Stephen Hillenberg introduction]
‣ Tiki March - Lionel Wendling [Other shows]
‣ Apocalypto - Daniel Pemberton [Various crew members discuss their experience with the show's conception]
‣ Authority OL - Tom Habes ["There's a lot of cartoonists who have ideas for cartoon shows..."]
‣ Bikini Parade - Sammy Burdson [Crew members explain how "weird" the show is]
‣ Waikiki Dance - Lionel Wendling [Cast & crew screening]
‣ Hot and Tasty (b) - Larry Tuttle [The show's initial reception]
‣ Good Laugh - Frank Sarkissian, Yannick Kalfayan [Tom Kenny introduction]
‣ Old Hilo March - Kapono Beamer [Old cartoon inspiration]
‣ Crazy Kazoo - Fred Woods [Crew members having fun at the animation studios]
• Doing the Sponge - Peter Straus [Aquarium trip]
‣ Funny Animals - Yannick Kalfayan, Franck Sarkissian [Montage of the storyboard presentation of Jellyfish Jam]
‣ Workaday World - Jack Beaver ["It is kinda like a relay race, y'know..."]
‣ Good Laugh - Frank Sarkissian, Yannick Kalfayan [Voice directing/Sandy introduction]
‣ Surfmania [#30] - Eric Spencer [Patrick Star introduction]
‣ Moloka'i Nui B - Kapono Beamer [Tom Kenny further discusses Patrick]
• Mr. Krabs' song - Eban Schletter [Mr. Krabs introduction]
‣ Bouncing Baby (a) - Alistair Friend [West One Music] [Squidward introduction]
• Plankton's Song - Eban Schletter [Plankton introduction]
‣ Moloka'l Nui A - Kapono Beamer [Celebrity voices]
‣ Gentle Sheep - Franck Sarkissian, Yannick Kalfayan [SpongeBob introduction]
‣ Hula Festival - George Elliot [SpongeBob's appeal]
‣ Old Hilo March - Kapono Beamer [SpongeBob's appeal [cont.]]
‣ Guitar Tsunami - Eric Spencer [Montage]
‣ Hot and Tasty (b) - Larry Tuttle ["It's always tough to figure out what makes a phenomena..."]
• Jellyfish Jam - Brad Carow [SpongeBob's cultral impact]
‣ Hula Festival - George Elliot ["It was just suddenly everywhere..."]
• SpongeBob SquarePants Theme Song - Derek Drymon, Stephen Hillenburg, Mark Harrison, Blaise Smith [Theme song in different dubs]
• Closing Theme 1 - Steve Belfer [Plays briefly in the "Dunces and Dragons" clip]
‣ Honolulu March - J. Dounfrey, Hans Haider ["In the world of cartoons, it's as big as it comes."]
‣ Not For Sale - Gerhard Narholz [The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie]
‣ Great Moments - Gregor F. Narholz [Movie clip]
‣ Not For Sale - Gerhard Narholz [Crew members react to the show's success]
‣ Dark Premonition A - Dick De Benedictis [Newspaper headline]
‣ Happy Banjo - Eric Gemsa, François Fournet [Homosexual controversy]
‣ Vacation A - Mac Prindy, Kapono Beamer [Homosexual controversy [cont.]]
‣ Bring Back [#18] - Lars-Luis Linek [Patchy the Pirate]
‣ Girls of Waikiki A - Mac Prindy, Kapono Beamer [Fan mail]
• SpongeBob SquarePants Theme Song - Derek Drymon, Stephen Hillenburg, Mark Harrison, Blaise Smith [SpongeBob "super fans"]
• Closing Theme 1 - Steve Belfer [SpongeBob "super fans" [cont.]]
‣ Old Hilo March - Kapono Beamer [Interviews]
‣ Eyewitnessed News - Paul Lawler [Vallejo, California news case]
‣ Monokini - Lionel Wendling ["People have intimate relationship with these characters..."]
‣ Detective Dynamite - Veigar Margeirsson [West One Music] [Burger King inflatable heist]
‣ OMG Run (a) - Gabriel Shadid, Tobias Marberger [Hillenburg's departure]
‣ Human Cycle - Steven Carter [Hillenburg's departure [cont.]]
‣ OMG Run (a) - Gabriel Shadid, Tobias Marberger [End of scene]
‣ Coconuts Beach - Lionel Wendling [Paul Tibbitt]
‣ Hail to the Chief - Graham De Wilde [Obama]
‣ Kids Channel - Yannick Kalfayan, Franck Sarkissian ["SpongeBob brings us back to a more innocent time, so to speak."]
‣ Holiday Club [#16] - Yannick Kalfayan, Franck Sarkissian [SpongeBob's universal appeal]
‣ Treasure Hunt [#10] - Yannick Kalfayan, Franck Sarkissian ["Sponges don't have hearts."]
‣ Blackpool Rock (a) - Sean Lyons [SpongeBob's future]
• The Best Day Ever - Andy Paley [Conclusion]
‣ Jolly Roger (a) - Mr. Stix [West One Music] [Closing credits]
Release
- This documentary is available on The First 100 Episodes, 100,000,000 Fans Can't Be Wrong, The Best 200 Episodes Ever, and The Best 300 Episodes Ever DVDs.
Trivia
- This documentary premiered on the show's 10th birthday.
- In a DVD of a 10th anniversary press kit titled "100,000,000 Fans Can't Be Wrong,"[1] a rough cut of this documentary, which is not much different from TV airings besides some timing, can be found.
- During one of the cast recording scenes, the actors can be seen voicing a scene from "SpongeBob's Last Stand," which was released a year after this documentary aired.
- It also shows a part of the storyboard from "Rodeo Daze."
- This documentary reveals that SpongeBob SquarePants was picked up for a second season on August 11, 1999[2] and a third season on September 20, 2000.
- It is shown that Rodger Bumpass has a collection of SpongeBob SquarePants merchandise when he talks about getting fan mail from prisons.
- The South Park episode "Weight Gain 4000" is shown playing for a portion of time.
- A portion of The Ren & Stimpy Show episode "Ren's Brain" is also shown.
- A 2008 news report on KCCI of a woman who collected hundreds of SpongeBob items is used in this documentary when talking about the show's merchandise.
- This documentary was rated TV-PG when it aired on Nick@Nite on July 23, 2009.[3][4]
- This special received 1.67 million viewers on Nick@Nite, and 0.50 million viewers on VH1.[5]
