Tom Kenny Archives – CULTURE MIX

Review: ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,’ starring Mark Hamill and the voices of Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, George Lopez and Regina Hall

December 19, 2025

by Carla Hay

Pictured from left to right: Barb (voiced by Regina Hall), Flying Dutchman (voiced by Mark Hamill), SpongeBob SquarePants (voiced by Tom Kenny), Mr. Krabs (voiced by Clancy Brown), Squidward (voiced by Rodger Bumpass), Gary (voiced by Tom Kenny) and Patrick Star (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke) in “The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants” (Image courtesy of Paramount Animation/Nickelodeon/Paramount Pictures)

“The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants”

Directed by Derek Drymon

Culture Representation: Taking place in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom and other underwater areas, the animated film “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” (the fourth SpongeBob SquarePants-starring movie in “SpongeBob Square Pants” franchise) features talking animals, talking objects and one human character.

Culture Clash: Desperate to prove that he is strong and brave, SpongeBob Square Pants asks a mysterious Flying Dutchman pirate to train him on how to swashbuckle, but the Flying Dutchman as a nefarious agenda of his own.

Culture Audience: “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the “SpongeBob SquarePants” franchise and cute but not outstanding animated films.

JK Fishlips (George Lopez), SpongeBob SquarePants (Tom Kenny) and Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill) in The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants from Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon.

“The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” takes some inspiration from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies for the “SpongeBob SquarePants” franchise’s fourth movie starring earnest “good guy” SpongeBob SquarePants. This movie sequel is lightweight, predictable, and adequately entertaining for people who want to see family-friendly animation that has a pirate adventure. It works as a stand-alone film for people unfamiliar with the “SpongeBob SquarePants” franchise.

Directed by Derek Drymon, “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” is based on Nickelodeon’s long-running “SpongeBob SquarePants” TV series, which features an array of characters who live in an underwater city called Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob (voiced by Tom Kenny) is literally a sponge. He’s a fry cook at a fast-food restaurant called the Krusty Krab. Squidward (voiced by Rodger Bumpass), a cranky and pretentious squid, also works at the Krusty Krab. “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” was written by Pam Brady and Matt Lieberman.

The beginning of “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” shows a pirate narrator (voiced by Clancy Brown) telling the story of the movie’s chief villain—a pirate named the Flying Dutchman (played by Mark Hamill), who became trapped underwater by an unlucky curse. Even though the Flying Dutchman has supernatural powers, he can only be released from the curse by a “precious youth with an innocent mind.” The curse will be fully lifted by sunset of the day that curse is unlocked. The curse will then pass on to the being who unlocks the curse and will turn that next unlucky being into a ghost.

The Flying Dutchman, who is human, mostly appears as a ghost in this movie. The Flying Dutchman character first appeared in 1999’s “Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost” episode in the “SpongeBob Square Pants” series. In the 2006 film “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” the Flying Dutchman is the name of a ghost ship whose captain is a tentacled villain named Davy Jones. The name Davy Jones has significance during a scene where some of SpongBob’s associates go looking for him at a high school.

Meanwhile, in Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob excitedly tells his best friend—an emotionally immature starfish named Patrick Star (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke)—that SpongeBob is grown to the size of 36 clams, about one clam taller than SpongeBob used to be. SpongeBob says this growth spurt means that SpongeBob’s wise pet sea snail Gary (also voiced by Kenny) doesn’t have to be re-homed. To celebrate, SpongeBob and Patrick go to an amusement park, where the most terrifying ride is a pirate themed roller coaster called Ship Wreck.

SpongeBob and Patrick go to Krusty Krab owner Mr. Eugene Krabs (also voiced by Brown), a very materialistic and greedy crab, because Mr. Krabs promised them that he would ride on this roller coaster with SpongeBob. Mr. Krabs then tells a story about he sailed with the Flying Dutchman and earned a swashbuckling certificate, which he shows to SpongeBob. When SpongeBob says he wants to be a swashbuckler too, Mr. Krabs says he doesn’t think SpongeBob is ready.

SpongeBob is determined to prove Mr. Krabs wrong. SpongeBob accidentally loses Mr. Krabs’ swashbuckling certificate inside a horizontal air vent. SpongeBob thinks going through this air vent and finding this certificate will be the perfect opportunity to prove that SpongeBob has what it takes to be considered brave and strong.

Accompanied by Patrick, SpongeBob goes through the air vent. Patrick and SpongeBob find themselves in what they find out later is the lair of a trapped Flying Dutchman, who is imprisoned in a bubble. SpongeBob finds and blows a pipe horn that sets the Flying Dutchman free.

The Flying Dutchman can immediately see that SpongeBob is the “precious youth with an innocent mind” that the Flying Dutchman needs to permanently break the curse. When SpongeBob mentions that he wants the Flying Dutchman to train SpongeBob to be a swashbuckler, the Flying Dutchman readily agrees to train him. What the Flying Dutchman doesn’t tell SpongeBob is that the Flying Dutchman is just using SpongeBob to permanently the curse from the Flying Dutchman, and the curse will then be passed on to SpongeBob, who would turn into a ghost.

The Flying Dutchman has a pirate sidekick named Barb (voiced by Regina Hall), who is sarcastic and sassy but very loyal to the Flying Dutchman. In order to reverse the curse, the Flying Dutchman plans to take SpongeBob to Challenge Cove, where a series of physical challenges must be met to advance to the next level, just like a video game. Patrick tags along, but the Flying Dutchman has no use for Patrick and thinks Patrick is a nuisance.

Back in Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob and Patrick are declared missing. Mr. Krabs, Squidward and Gary go on the hunt to find SpongeBob and Patrick. Their hunt takes them to Bikini Bottom High School, where they encounter a dodgeball class lead by a shark named Coach Tuna (voiced by Tom Wilson) and find some hallway lockers that set them on a path to getting closer to finding SpongeBob and Patrick.

Like most animated films from major studios, “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” has celebrity voice cast members who have cameo roles. George Lopez voices the character of JK Fishlips, a cynical and controlling movie-studio executive. Isis “Ice Spice” Gaston has the role of a ticket taker at the amusement park.

“The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” is a very hyperactive movie that breezes through Challenge Cove challenges in a montage that seems meant for people who have very short attention spans. The banter between the characters is what you might expect from this type of movie. There are some enjoyable slapstick gags, while the verbal jokes are intentionally hokey. The animation’s visuals are sufficiently appealing.

Hamill’s campy villain performance is a highlight of the movie. However, when the Flying Dutchman appears as a giant, this character might be a little too scary for children under the age of 6. “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” won’t be considered the best “SpongeBob SquarePants” movie, but it’s not the worst either. If you’re not an avid fan of the “SpongeBob SquarePants” franchise, then expect nothing more than a slightly amusing animated film that’s somewhat forgettable but easy to watch.

Paramount Pictures released “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” in U.S. cinemas on December 19, 2025.

Review: ‘Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted,’ starring Swamp Dogg, Moogstar and Guitar Shorty

May 23, 2025

by Carla Hay

“Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted”

Directed by Isaac Gale and Ryan Olson

Culture Representation: Taking place in California’s San Fernando Valley, the documentary film “Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted” features an African American and white group of people cast of characters discussing the life and career of singer/songwriter Swamp Dogg.

Culture Clash: Swamp Dogg (whose real name is Jerry Williams Jr.) has had ups and downs in his career, including hit songs and being dropped by Elektra Records in the 1970s for his extreme left-wing views on the Vietnam War.

Culture Audience: “Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of Swamp Dogg, music from the late 20th century, and documentaries about unconventional entertainers.

Moogstar in “Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted” (Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures)

“Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted” is a unique documentary reflecting underrated singer/songwriter Swamp Dogg: eccentric, rambling, creative, and unpredictable. Some viewers won’t like this nonconformist storytelling style, but others will appreciate it. The movie gets its title from the fact that the swimming pool at Swamp Dogg’s house is being painted while he tells his story during this biographical documentary, which blends archival footage with footage filmed specifically for the documentary. By the end of the movie, the artwork painting in the swimming pool is revealed.

Directed by Isaac Gale and Ryan Olson, “Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted” is narrated by musician/visual artist Greg Grease. The movie had its world premiere at the 2024 SXSW Film and TV Festival. “Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted” jumps back and forth between being a retrospective and being a present-day chronicle of what Swamp Dogg was doing with his life at the time this documentary was filmed.

Swamp Dogg was born as Jerry Williams Jr. on July 12, 1942, in Portsmouth, Virginia. He’s not a household name, but he’s written about 2,000 songs and worked with 500 artists, according to Grease’s narration in the documentary. Swamp Dogg has co-written some well-known hits, including Gene Pitney’s 1969 song “She’s a Heartbreaker” and “She’s All I’ve Got,” a 1971 song originally recorded by R&B singer Freddie North and made more famous by country singer Johnny Paycheck.

Black artists who make music tend to be stereotyped as only capable of working in certain genres, such as R&B, funk, dance, hip-hop, jazz and blues. Unlike many of his peers, Swamp Dogg defied those stereotypes by also working in country music as well as R&B and funk. His unconventionality didn’t catapult him to superstar status, but he’s been a well-respected artist precisely because of being so authentic to himself.

“Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted” begins by showing the pool painter arriving at the Swamp Dogg’s house in California’s San Fernando Valley. Also living at the house are Swamp Dogg’s musical partners Moogstar and Guitar Shorty, who also give their insights and commentary. The documentary shows some of the trio’s jam sessions and songwriting collaborations, which aren’t spectacular but aren’t terrible either.

Swamp Dogg and Moogstar have a relationship that’s similar to the musical partnership that George Clinton and Bootsy Collins had when they were band members in Parliament-Funkadelic. Moogstar has a persona that’s reminiscent of Collins because Moogstar dresses flamboyantly and often talks in “trippy” ways, like he’s on another planet. Guitar Shorty, a longtime venerated blues musician, is not as talkative as Moogstar. But since Guitar Shorty is in the same age group as Swamp Dogg, Guitar Shorty’s has a valuable perspective of certain eras that he lived through long before many other people in the documentary were born.

Swamp Dogg gives a brief overview of his earliest years in the music business. In 1954, when he was 12, his first recording “HTD Blues (Hardsick Troublesome Downout Blues)” was released on the Mechanic record label in 1954. Back then, he used the stage name Little Jerry Williams and continued to record under than name into his teenage years and 20s. In 1964, he had a minor hit with “I’m the Lover Man,” a song which he wrote. His breakthrough song as Little Jerry Williams was “Baby You’re My Everything,” which reached No. 32 on the R&B single chart in 1966.

Throughout the late 1960s, he continued to work as a solo artists and as a songwriter and producer for other artists, including Patti LaBelle & the Blue Belles, Dee Dee Warwick and Doris Duke. It was during this period of time that he also began collaborating with Gary U.S. Bonds (real name: Gary Anderson), who’s had a prolific career as a singer/songwriter. By the end of the 1960s, Williams wanted a change and reinvented himself.

Williams changed his name to Swamp Dogg in 1970. The 1970s were a decade that also marked his transformation as an outspoke political activist. He began to experiment more with the then-emerging genres of funk and psychedelic soul. But this experimentation also included getting scathing criticism for his 1971 album of cover songs “Rat On!,” which was a sales flop.

In the documentary, Swamp Dogg speaks with fondness of joining the “Free the Army” tour, an anti-Vietnam War tour that also featured left-wing progressive Jane Fonda and Dick Gregory. The documentary makes this statement: “His radical political views got him placed on the FBI’s watch list and dropped from Elektra Records.”

Swamp Dogg candidly shares that the 1970s were a decade of his greatest commercial success and most destructive personal excesses. He spent a lot of time back then recording in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. “I became a millionaire down there,” Swamp Dogg comments. “I was eating Zoloft like you eat M&Ms.”

All the drug-taking made him paranoid that people were out to trick him and kill him, Swamp Dogg says. It was a period of time when he bought nine cars that he didn’t need. Swamp Dogg reflects on his tendency at the time to want to show off with material possessions: “I wanted to be grand, but that’s not what it’s all about.”

Swamp Dogg, who says he is accustomed to having strong women in his family, gives credit to his wife Yvonne for being a steady presence in his life and keeping him from getting too out of control. The couple got married in 1963. Yvonne became his business partner, who managed many his dealings in the volatile music industry. Yvonne died in 2003, but the documentary has some archival footage of her.

Swamp Dogg’s daughter Dr. Jeri Williams (whom he calls his “main daughter” out of his five daughters) is interviewed in the documentary. She says she “feels sort of bad” that he put some of his career to the side to help raise her and her siblings. She compares her father to being a like a CIA operative with secrets, because she says that there are many things in his life that she doesn’t know about and he won’t discuss.

“Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted” shows the expected array of clippings from magazine and newspapers, as well interviews and appearances on radio and TV, for the “blast from the past” parts of the documentary. Not surprisingly, some of the footage is grainy, which fits this scrappy, low-budget documentary just fine. There are slightly amusing mentions and clips of Swamp Dogg’s 2021 appearance on “The People’s Court” (a reality TV show for small-claims court cases), when musician Lloyd Wright sued him $1,425, for non-payment of 19 musical tracks. Swamp Dogg lost his case on “The People’s Court” and didn’t seem bothered by it in the show’s post-judgment interview with him.

Aside from Swamp Dogg’s confession to having a drug problem in the 1970s, he doesn’t get too revealing in the documentary about any of his personal shortcomings or scandals. The documentary is quirky in telling some things that we really didn’t need to know about Swamp Dogg. For example, Swamp Dogg says that he got a vasectomy in 1996. He claims it was Yvonne’s idea.

The documentary shows Swamp Dogg getting some celebrity admirers as visitors while his pool is being painted. They include actor/comedian Johnny Knoxville, “SpongeBob SquarePants” creator Tom Kenny, animator Mike Judge (best known for “Beavis and Butt-Head”), visual artist Art Fein and songwriters Jenny Lewis and John Prine. Lewis and Prine collaborated on some of the songs on Swamp Dogg’s 2020 album “Sorry You Couldn’t Make It.” Toward the end of the documentary, there’s footage of a backyard barbecue party for Swamp Dogg’s house, with some of these famous guests in attendance.

Some famous entertainers have the type of personality where a “hangout” documentary is a better fit for them, compared to a “tell all” exposé. Swamp Dogg is one of those artists. A great deal of “Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted” is nostalgic. But the overall feeling is that Swamp Dogg isn’t stuck in the past and is still living life to the fullest in the present.

Magnolia Pictures released “Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted” in Los Angeles on May 2, 2025, and in New York City on May 9, 2025. The movie will be released on digital and VOD on July 1, 2025.

Review: ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run,’ starring the voices of Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Matt Berry, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Carolyn Lawrence and Mr. Lawrence

March 3, 2021

by Carla Hay

Pictured clockwise, from left to right: Sandy Cheeks (voiced by Carolyn Lawrence), Patrick Star (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke), Plankton (voiced by Doug Lawrence), SpongeBob (voiced by Tom Kenny), Gary (on top of SpongeBob’s head) and Mr. Krabs (voiced by Clancy Brown) in “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” (Image courtesy of Paramount Animation)

“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run”

Directed by Tim Hill

Culture Representation: Taking place in the fictional, underwater places of Bikini Bottom and the Lost City of Atlantic City, the live-action/animated film “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” features a predominantly white voice cast (with some African Americans, Asians and Latinos) in a comedic adventure story that’s part of the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise.

Culture Clash: SpongeBob SquarePants and his neighbor Patrick Star go on a mission to rescue SpongeBob’s best friend/pet snail Gary, which is being held captive by an egotistical overlord named King Poseidon.

Culture Audience: “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise and people who like family-friendly animation that can be enjoyed by various generations.

King Poseidon (voiced by Matt Berry) in “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” (Image courtesy of Paramount Animation

As the first computer-generated imagery (CGI) animated movie in the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise, “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” is an exuberant and eye-catching adventure that makes up for some predictable moments with just enough unexpected zaniness to make it worth watching for anyone who appreciates earnestly goofy animation. It’s not necessary to see any episodes of the long-running Nickelodeon animated series “SpongeBob SquarePants” or its spinoff movies (“Sponge on the Run” is the third one in the film series) to enjoy the movie, although it certainly provides some better context for some of the relationships in the movie.

“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” has several scenes that are flashbacks to some of the characters’ childhoods. It’s an obvious promotion for “Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years,” the prequel spinoff “SpongeBob” TV series that launches on Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access) on the same day that “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” is available on the streaming service. “Kamp Koral” focuses on what some of the main characters did as children at Kamp Koral, and “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” gives a sense of what people can get expect from this spinoff TV series.

Written and directed by Tim Hill, “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” is the first “SpongeBob” movie to be released since the 2018 death of SpongeBob SquarePants creator Stephen Hillenburg, who died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the age of 57. The movie has a dedication to Hillenburg before the end credits. Compared to 2004’s “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie” and 2015’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water,” there’s a slightly wackier vibe to “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run,” thanks in large part to an amusing featured role from Keanu Reeves.

Things in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom are what SpongeBob fans can expect: SpongeBob SquarePants (voiced by Tom Kenny), the cheerfully upbeat sponge protagonist, is still working as a fry cook at a fast-food restaurant called the Krusty Krab, which is owned by his cranky Scottish boss Mr. Krabs (voiced by Clancy Brown). The pessimistic Squidward Tentacles (voiced by Rodger Bumpass) also works at the Krusty Krab. The tiny green copepod named Plankton (voiced by Mr. Lawrence) and his computer wife Karen (played by Jill Talley) are still scheming to get the secret recipe formula for the Kristy Krab’s Krabby Patty burgers, in order to boost Plankton and Karen’s failing rival restaurant the Chum Bucket.

This time, there’s a new challenge: SpongeBob’s best friend/pet snail Gary (also voiced by Kenny, who makes Gary sound like a cat) is stolen by Plankton, who gives Gary to the vain and tyrannical King Poseidon (voiced by Matt Berry) because the king uses snail slime to keep his face looking youthful. King Poseidon ran out of snails and offered a reward to anyone who could provide him with a useful snail. Plankton sees that offer as an opportunity to try to get in the king’s good graces and get revenge on SpongeBob. King Poseidon lives at Poseidon Palace, which is located in the Lost City of Atlantic City.

What follows is a madcap trek that involves SpongeBob and his amiable starfish neighbor Patrick Star (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke) going on a mission to find and rescue Gary. Along the way, they end up in a Western ghost town, where they have some off-the-wall encounters with flesh-eating zombie pirates (portrayed by live actors), a rapping gambler (played by Snoop Dogg) and a villainous zombie cowboy called El Diablo (played by Danny Trejo). But some of the funniest scenes in the movie are with a giant, advice-giving tumbleweed named Sage that rolls into SpongeBob and Patrick’s lives when they first arrive in the ghost town. Sage is a tumbleweed with a talking head of Reeves inside the center.

Also part of these antics is a new automated computer robot named Otto (voiced by Awkwafina), which the brainy squirrel Sandy Cheeks (voiced by Carolyn Lawrence) has given as a gift to Mr. Krabs. However, Mr. Krabs quickly gets annoyed with Otto and throws the robot away. Otto ends up becoming a crucial part of how the story develops.

The movie also has some cameos of celebrities playing a version of themselves as underwater animated characters that work at a nightclub in the Lost City of Atlantic City. Tiffany Haddish appears briefly on stage as a wisecracking fish that’s a stand-up comedian named Tiffany Haddock. Jazz saxophonist Kenny G plays a plant called Kelpy G, which does a smooth jazz version of “My Heart Will Go On,” the theme from the 1997 movie “Titanic.” It’s a somewhat subversive song choice, considering “Titanic” is a disaster movie where most of the characters end up drowning in the ocean.

There are some other endearingly oddball and unexpected choices in the movie, such as a criminal trial that takes place at the nightclub. The King Poseidon character plays with masculine and feminine stereotypes, by blurring the lines between obsessions with machismo and obsessions with beauty products. It’s why King Poseidon is not a typical villain in an animated film.

“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” clearly knows its audience well, since it’s made for kids as well as adults. “SpongeBob SquarePants” has been on the air since 1999; therefore, many of the kids who grew up watching the show now have children of their own. It explains the inclusion of Reeves, Snoop Dogg, Kenny G and Danny Trejo as cameos, since these stars’ pop culture significance have a different meaning to people who are old enough remember the 1990s and early 2000s.

The movie’s very retro music soundtrack is definitely geared more to adults, with rock and pop tunes from the late 20th century, such as Foghat’s “Slow Ride,” Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” and Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca.” Weezer has two songs on the soundtrack: “It’s Always Summer in Bikini Bottom” and a cover version of a-ha’s “Take on Me” and the original song Also on the soundtrack is the Flaming Lips’ “Snail: I’m Avail.”

Mikros did the movie’s vivid CGI and animation, which is not as outstanding as a Pixar movie, but it’s better than most CGI animated films. Writer/director Hill moves things along at a brisk-enough pace, even though it’s very easy to know how the movie is going to end. “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” imparts a lot of positive messages of self-acceptance, but the characters have enough foibles and flaws to make the jokes relatable to viewers. Watch this movie if you like animated films and you’re up for an energetic diversion that might make you want more “SpongeBob” movies, regardless of how familiar or unfamiliar you might be with the franchise.

Paramount Pictures’ Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies will release “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” on Paramount+ on March 4, 2021, the same date that Paramount Home Entertainment releases the movie on VOD. The movie was released in Canada in 2020.