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E-mail China.org.cn, October 15, 2024
The new animated movie "Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie" will be released in Chinese theaters on Oct. 18, marking the return of the beloved SpongeBob and his friends to the big screen in China after nine years.
A poster for "Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie." [Image courtesy of Shanghai Huahua Culture Media Co., Ltd.]
Directed by Liza Johnson and featuring familiar voice actors Tom Kenny, Carolyn Lawrence and Bill Fagerbakke, the film tells the story of when Bikini Bottom is suddenly scooped out of the ocean and held hostage in a Texas laboratory. Sandy Cheeks and SpongeBob journey to Sandy's home state of Texas, where they meet her family and must save Bikini Bottom from an evil CEO who plans to transform the inhabitants into a mass-manufactured line of cuddly toys.
The fun-filled "Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie," which focuses on the character Sandy Cheeks, is the first in a series of spinoffs and the fourth film in the franchise. This hilarious hybrid project combines CG animation with live-action footage, rendering the characters in 3D, simulating real-world textures and shadows.
The release of "Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie" coincides with the 25th anniversary of the "SpongeBob SquarePants" TV show, which debuted on Nickelodeon in 1999 and is based on the creation of former marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. It also marks the 20 years since the release of "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" (2004), the first film in the series. However, this is the first SpongeBob movie to not receive a theatrical release; instead, it was shown on various streaming platforms around the world such as Netflix, until China decided to release it in theaters.
The China premiere of "Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie" was met with cheers from small children, their parents and grandparents at a theater in Beijing on Oct. 13. Two actors dressed in SpongeBob and Patrick costumes also came out to greet the audience. An ensuing Q&A session was highlighted by excited and nostalgic speeches from several audience members.
Patrick and SpongeBob performers pose with the audience at the China premiere of "Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie," Oct. 13, 2024. [Image courtesy of Shanghai Huahua Culture Media Co., Ltd.]
The previous installment, "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water," which was screened in China in 2015, was considered a hit among movies targeting young children, grossing a total of 56.67 million yuan across the country.
