Hmmmm. This Christmas-themed DVD of SpongeBob SquarePants isn’t only being released in September but actually features very little yuletide material beyond the full-length episode “Christmas Who?” that opens the collection. But you’re not buying this for the snow on the ground, but for SpongeBob’s bipolar breakdowns. First let’s get the Christmas segments out of the way: you’ll have to suffer through the Patchy the Pirate intro before you can truly enjoy the sweet “Christmas Who?” (memorable quotes: “Gee, Squidward, maybe Santa Claus will bring me a dictionary so I can understand what you just said” and “Thanks for the lies, Mr. Fairy Tale”); the brilliant “Survival of the Idiots,” which pits SpongeBob and Patrick against a sleeping Sandy-cum-Anna-Nicole-Smith (memorable quote: “Hibernation must mean the opposite of beauty sleep”); and the weakest episode of the entire collection, “Snowball Effect.” As for the rest, here they are in preferential order: “Procrastination” posits a hysterical existential relationship between SpongeBob and a pencil when he’s assigned to write an 800-word paper on “what not to do at a spotlight”; “As Seen on TV” observes what happens when an old fish confuses SpongeBob for a box of cereal and subsequently excites the drama queen’s ego (the highlight here is the song “The Best Time to Wear a Stripped Sweater”); “Chocolate with Nuts” has SpongeBob and Patrick falling prey to a series of absurd marketing scams; the noisy “Squeaky Boots”; the so-so “Pizza Delivery” (notable only for SpongeBob’s last-minute meltdown, figuratively and literally); and “Mermaid and Barnacleboy IV.”
Image/Sound
Sounds good, looks perfect.
Extras
There’s a commentary track by Tom Kenny (the voice of SpongeBob) and creater Stephen Hillenburg on the “Christmas Who?” episode. Though it isn’t very informative and somewhat spotty, it’s fun to hear Kenny do SpongeBob and both laugh at the hysteria they created. The most insightful moment may be when Hillenburg credits Blake Edwards’s Pink Panther films for some of the television show’s more ludicrous gags.
Overall
“Gee, Squidward, maybe Santa Clause will bring me a dictionary so I can understand what you just said.”
Since 2001, we've brought you uncompromising, candid takes on the world of film, music, television, video games, theater, and more. Independently owned and operated publications like Slant have been hit hard in recent years, but we’re committed to keeping our content free and accessible—meaning no paywalls or fees.
If you like what we do, please consider subscribing to our Patreon or making a donation.
