Summary
After 25 years of being a supporting character to the iconic yellow sponge, Sandy Cheeks is now getting her own adventure inSaving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie. The Netflix animated movie serves as the fourth feature-length installment in the Nickelodeon franchise, which began with the 2004 hitThe SpongeBob SquarePants Moviebefore continuing with the 2015 sequel,Sponge Out of Water, as well asthe 2020 threequelSponge on the Run. It also marks the second spinoff of the show, with the first beingKamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under YearsandThe Patrick Star Show.
InSaving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie, the titular squirrel gets the spotlight as she and SpongeBob are the only ones left of their friends when their town is taken by a Texas corporation. The duo embark on an adventure to rescue their town, which has actually been captured by the laboratory Sandy works for, but is now being run by the malevolent Sue Nahmee, the new head of the lab who has plans to clone and transform the ocean characters into plush figures and sell them to kids around the world.
Every SpongeBob SquarePants Movie & Special, Ranked
Though the average SpongeBob “episode” is only about 12 minutes long, the crew from Bikini Bottom still know how to carry a movie. Usually.
Alongside Lawrence, theensembleSaving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Moviecastincludes fellow franchise vets Tom Kenny, Mr. Lawrence, Mary Jo Catlett, Clancy Brown, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Dee Bradley Baker, and newcomers Wanda Sykes as Sue Nahmee, Craig Robinson as Pa Cheeks and Johnny Knoxville as Randy Cheeks. Charmingly expanding the world ofSpongeBobwhile also delivering stylish 3D animation and hilarious jokes, the movie is a fresh take on the franchise.
In honor of the movie’s release,Screen Rantinterviewed Carolyn Lawrence to discussSaving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie, getting to lead the firstSpongeBob SquarePantsspinoff movie, learning more about Sandy after 25 years of playing the character, and how the storyboards helped her visualize her performance.
Saving Bikini BottomLed To Lawrence Learning New Things About Sandy She “Didn’t Know” After 25 Years
With 25 years gone since the franchise first started, Lawrence remains one of the longest-running stars intheSpongeBob SquarePantscast, and the decision to make a spinoff centered on Sandy not only thrilled the actor, but also led to her “learning things” about the character she didn’t previously know, while also describing how it’s changed how she views Sandy going forward:
Carolyn Lawrence: It’s so amazing to me that 25 years in, I was learning things about her that I didn’t know, right? That you could play somebody as long as I have, and she’s still new and fresh. I was like, “Oh, that’s her family. Oh, that makes sense. Oh, she can do that. Who knew she could do that?” It was really exciting to me, it expanded my world with her. And then it’s fun that now it gets to expand out into everybody else’s, as well. I think it’s interesting as an actress that the humanity — I know she’s a squirrel [laughs] — of her relationship with her family.
I’ve always loved her, obviously, I love her, but I think this deepened my love for her, understanding more about her. And I feel like moving forward, I guess more of her tender side maybe, because she’s had to be out in the world, and just a doer. She’s had to be a doer to get to where she is. She wouldn’t be a squirrel in the ocean if she wasn’t super motivated. But then you see her with her family. And you see more of that other side of her just being a sibling or wanting her mom to cook. I think it’s an amazing journey. And now, I feel like she’s gonna make me cry sometimes. [Laughs]
Liza Johnson Presented Lawrence With “Beautiful Visual References” To Help Inform Her Performance
Given the production of animated movies can take years to complete, voice actors are generally presented with various forms of art during their recording, whether it be concept art, storyboards or proper animatics and completed sequences. ForSaving Bikini Bottom, Lawrence recalls director Liza Johnson giving her “beautiful visual references” for the movie’s story and having it “all mapped out on storyboards”, which further helped inform her performance, including for segments like Sandy and SpongeBob riding down a cliff in clamshells or getting sucked into a Texas tornado:
Carolyn Lawrence: So Liza Johnson, our director, gave me beautiful visual references. She had it all mapped out in her brain, and then she had it all mapped out on storyboards, and she shared the whole presentation with me. So, I had that visual thing that I love to work with, so that was amazing. And that’s part of what got me super excited about the movie to begin with, because I am a visual learner. It’s amazing to see words on a page, but it changes completely when I get to see the artwork.
I think what’s interesting in animation as an actress, or as an actor, is that all those moments are important. Like, there’s a big difference in seeing something on the page that says, “Character jumps off the cliff,” and you’re like, “How tall is the cliff? Is the cliff rugged? Is it into water?” There’s all kinds of questions about what that jump looks like. So, yeah, in the movie, when I could actually see like, “Oh, she’s in a tornado, and the tornado’s huge,” it helps inform your performance. Definitely.
Saving Bikini Bottom’s 3D Animation Didn’t Use Mo-Cap (But Lawrence Loves The Tech)
In addition to serving as the franchise’s first spinoff, it’s also the first movie to be entirely in 3D, as previous movies have at least started with the traditional 2D animation of the original before transitioning into any other format. While some 3D movies utilize motion-capture to create this animation,Saving Bikini Bottomdidn’t, but Lawrence has fallen in love with doing so recently, and hopes to do so in the franchise’s future:
Carolyn Lawrence: They didn’t on that. We have been doing some mo-cap lately, which has been ridiculously fun, because I had never done it. So, we did mo-cap for the Super Bowl, which was amazing. That was my first time, and that’s when I realized I love it. And then, we did some at the Kids' Choice Awards, so I was really happy to relive my mo-cap moments. But, no, in the movie, it’s all the artistry of the team. Piero Piluso, like there’s no way this movie would have ever been as beautiful as it was without Liza directing and Piero doing all the artwork.
AboutSaving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie
When Bikini Bottom and all its denizens are suddenly scooped out of the ocean, Sandy Cheeks and SpongeBob SquarePants journey to Texas to save the town from a villainous plot.
Stay tuned for our otherSaving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movieinterview with director Liza Johnson.
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movieis now streaming on Netflix.
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie
Cast
After Bikini Bottom is taken out of the ocean on the order of an evil CEO, SpongeBob and Sandy travel to the latter’s home state of Texas. There, they meet up with Sandy’s family and must find a way to return their home to the sea.
