HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''SpongeBob's Truth or Square'' (also known as ''Stuck in the Freezer'') is a 2009
made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
comedy special and an hour-long episode of the American
animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed bet ...
''
SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It chronicles the adventures of the title character an ...
'' that was produced as the 123rd and 124th episodes of the series. The special originally aired on
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. Its ...
in the United States on November 6, 2009, celebrating the tenth anniversary of the television series. This is the second ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' television film, following ''
SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis ''SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis'' is the 92nd episode of the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', and a 2007 made-for-television musical comedy film directed by Andrew Overtoom. It first aired on Nickelodeon in t ...
''. Its animation was directed by supervising director
Alan Smart Alan Smart is a retired animator and an animation director best known for his work as the supervising director on '' SpongeBob SquarePants'', which he has been involved with since the pilot, and as assistant director and layout artist on ''The Si ...
, Andrew Overtoom and
Tom Yasumi Yoshito "Tom" Yasumi (born August 20, 1965 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese-born American animator and director best known for his work on '' SpongeBob SquarePants'' as well as '' Rocko’s Modern Life''. Yasumi was the animation director on ''Spon ...
. In the special, SpongeBob and his friends are accidentally locked inside the
Krusty Krab The Krusty Krab is a fictional fast food restaurant in the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. It is famous for its signature burger, the Krabby Patty, the formula to which is a closely guarded trade secret. The rest ...
on the day of its "Eleventy-Seventh" anniversary celebration. As they crawl through the ventilation system trying to escape, they look back on shared memories through flashback moments. Meanwhile, Patchy the Pirate is holding a TV Extravaganza, and is waiting for SpongeBob to show up to it, but with no reply, Patchy sets out to Bikini Bottom in a fit of rage. ''Truth or Square'' was written by
Luke Brookshier Brian Darrell "Luke" Brookshier (born August 31, 1971) is an American writer, director, and storyboard artist known for his work on Nickelodeon's '' SpongeBob SquarePants'' and he was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Animated Program" ...
, Nate Cash, Steven Banks, and
Paul Tibbitt Paul Harrison Tibbitt IV (born May 13, 1968) is an American animator, television producer, writer, storyboard artist, songwriter, voice actor, and director, best known for working on the animated series '' SpongeBob SquarePants''. After ''Spon ...
. Guest stars include
Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama '' Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include ''He Got Game'' (1998), '' Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), '' Men in ...
,
Eddie Deezen Edward Harry Deezen (born March 6, 1957) is an American actor and comedian, best known for his roles as "nerd" characters in films including '' Grease'', '' Grease 2'', '' Midnight Madness'', '' I Wanna Hold Your Hand'', ''1941'', and ''WarGames' ...
,
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is a puppet character created, puppeteered and voiced by Robert Smigel. As his name indicates, Triumph's comedic style is almost exclusively insult comedy. A Montenegrin Mountain Hound, Triumph often puffs a cigar, ...
,
LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest pl ...
,
Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...
,
Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 200 ...
,
Craig Ferguson Craig Ferguson (born 17 May 1962) is a Scottish-born American comedian, actor, writer, and television host. He is best known for hosting the CBS late-night talk show '' The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' (2005–2014), for which he won ...
,
Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comed ...
, and
P!nk Alecia Beth Moore Hart (born September 8, 1979), known professionally as Pink (stylized as P!nk), is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She was originally a member of the girl group Choice. In 1995, LaFace Records saw potentia ...
, with
Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office (British TV series), The Office'' (2001–2003), ''Extras (TV serie ...
having an uncredited voice cameo as the narrator. Upon release, the special attracted an estimated 7.7 million viewers, but was met with mixed reviews from critics; although some generally spoke positively of the special's main animated segments, most criticized the Patchy the Pirate segments, which were described as unfunny and filler.


Plot

SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It chronicles the adventures of the title character an ...
, a yellow sponge, wakes up and realizes that the
Krusty Krab The Krusty Krab is a fictional fast food restaurant in the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. It is famous for its signature burger, the Krabby Patty, the formula to which is a closely guarded trade secret. The rest ...
is celebrating its "Eleventy-Seventh" anniversary. He remembers his first visit to the Krusty Krab and tells Gary the Snail, a sea snail, all about it. SpongeBob then leaves to go to the Krusty Krab, but as soon as he exits his house, he bumps into the back of a long line of customers waiting to get into the restaurant as well. SpongeBob jumps on top of every customer in the line, eventually reaching the restaurant. Mr. Krabs, a red greedy crab tells SpongeBob and
Squidward Tentacles Squidward Q. Tentacles is a fictional character voiced by actor Rodger Bumpass in the Nickelodeon animated television series '' SpongeBob SquarePants''. Squidward was created and designed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. He ...
, a turquoise squid that it is a perfect opportunity for his business rival, Sheldon J. Plankton, to steal the Krabby Patty formula. Mr. Krabs has hired
Patrick Star Patrick Star is a fictional character in the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. He is voiced by actor Bill Fagerbakke and was created and designed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. He first appea ...
, a pink starfish as a
security guard A security guard (also known as a security inspector, security officer, or protective agent) is a person employed by a government or private party to protect the employing party's assets (property, people, equipment, money, etc.) from a variety ...
, so he does not have to pay for a real one, and SpongeBob spectacularly decorates the Krusty Krab with ketchup, toilet paper, and mustard. Patrick, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs follow SpongeBob into the
freezer A refrigerator, colloquially fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so th ...
, where he shows them a giant Krabby Patty
ice sculpture Ice sculpture is a form of sculpture that uses ice as the raw material. Sculptures from ice can be abstract or realistic and can be functional or purely decorative. Ice sculptures are generally associated with special or extravagant events because ...
that he made himself. However, in an attempt to take the ice sculpture outside, they accidentally trap themselves inside the freezer. Mr. Krabs remembers that there is a way to escape without using the door, which is through the ventilation system. While finding their way through the maze of air vents, they look back at some memorable moments in their lives. To get out of the air shaft, SpongeBob molds Squidward, Patrick, and Mr. Krabs into a
battering ram A battering ram is a siege engine that originated in ancient times and was designed to break open the masonry walls of fortifications or splinter their wooden gates. In its simplest form, a battering ram is just a large, heavy log carried by ...
to bust out of the shaft, and he finally makes it out, only to find that all the customers have left after waiting for so long without getting any food. Mr. Krabs is heartbroken, but SpongeBob manages to summon all the customers back as he sings a song called " O Krusty Krab". Meanwhile, Plankton finds the perfect opportunity to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula. He fails, having been caught by Mr. Krabs. The "Eleventy-Seventh" anniversary celebration then goes ahead. Throughout the special,
Patchy the Pirate The characters in the American animated television series '' SpongeBob SquarePants'' were created by artist, animator, and former marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg. The series chronicles the adventures of the title character and his various ...
attempts to hold a celebration of the tenth anniversary of when he started the SpongeBob fan club, and attempts to bring in SpongeBob himself. When Patchy is told SpongeBob is not coming, he vows to get him by any means necessary. He travels to Bikini Bottom, but ends up getting eaten by a whale. Inside the whale, he watches some old tapes of the show before the whale sneezes him out, sending him flying back to the studio, where he dreams of meeting SpongeBob. He wakes up and decides he will never meet his hero, but his guests assure him otherwise, causing him to faint again.


Cast


Production

Production began and ended in 2009.


Writing and music

''Truth or Square'' was written by
Luke Brookshier Brian Darrell "Luke" Brookshier (born August 31, 1971) is an American writer, director, and storyboard artist known for his work on Nickelodeon's '' SpongeBob SquarePants'' and he was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Animated Program" ...
, Nate Cash, Steven Banks, and
Paul Tibbitt Paul Harrison Tibbitt IV (born May 13, 1968) is an American animator, television producer, writer, storyboard artist, songwriter, voice actor, and director, best known for working on the animated series '' SpongeBob SquarePants''. After ''Spon ...
. The writers have described the television movie as "''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself and fo ...
''-esque" that parodies the recycled flashback episodes seen in ''Seinfeld'', ''
Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lis ...
'' and other U.S. shows. The featured song, "We've Got Scurvy", was sung by American singer and actress
Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
.


Cast

''Truth or Square'' stars most of the series' main cast members including
Tom Kenny Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for voicing the titular character in '' SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media. Kenny has voiced many other characters, including Heffer Wolfe in '' ...
,
Bill Fagerbakke William Fagerbakke ( ; born October 4, 1957) is an American actor. He voices Patrick Star in the animated series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and played Michael "Dauber" Dybinski on the sitcom ''Coach''. He also appeared in 12 episodes of the sitc ...
,
Rodger Bumpass Rodger Bumpass (born November 20, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for his long-running role as Squidward Tentacles on the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. He voices several other characters on the show as w ...
,
Clancy Brown Clarence John "Clancy" Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles. Brown's film roles include Viking Lofgren in ''Bad Boys'' ...
,
Mr. Lawrence Douglas Lawrence Osowski, known professionally as Mr. Lawrence, is an American voice actor, writer, animator, storyboard artist, director, and comedian. He is best known for his work as a writer and voice actor for the Nicktoons ''Rocko's Mode ...
,
Jill Talley Jill Talley (born December 19, 1962) is an American actress and comedian. She is a main cast member on the animated series '' SpongeBob SquarePants'', in which she voices Karen Plankton. Her other voice roles include Sarah Dubois on Adult Swim' ...
, and
Carolyn Lawrence Carolyn Lawrence (born February 13, 1967), is an American television, film and voice actress. She is known for her voice roles on Nickelodeon animated shows, including Sandy Cheeks on ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', Cindy Vortex on '' Jimmy Neut ...
(
Mary Jo Catlett Mary Jo Catlett (born September 2, 1938) is an American actress. She is a main cast member on the animated series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', providing the voice of Mrs. Puff. She is also known for originating the role of Ernestina in the 1964 Br ...
and
Lori Alan Lori Alan (born July 18, 1966) is an American actress and voice actress. She has played a long-running role as Pearl Krabs on the animated television series '' SpongeBob SquarePants''. She also voiced Diane Simmons on ''Family Guy'', the Invisib ...
's characters both appear, but they do not speak). In addition to the series' cast, it features
Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama '' Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include ''He Got Game'' (1998), '' Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), '' Men in ...
,
Eddie Deezen Edward Harry Deezen (born March 6, 1957) is an American actor and comedian, best known for his roles as "nerd" characters in films including '' Grease'', '' Grease 2'', '' Midnight Madness'', '' I Wanna Hold Your Hand'', ''1941'', and ''WarGames' ...
,
Craig Ferguson Craig Ferguson (born 17 May 1962) is a Scottish-born American comedian, actor, writer, and television host. He is best known for hosting the CBS late-night talk show '' The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' (2005–2014), for which he won ...
,
Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 200 ...
,
Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...
,
LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest pl ...
,
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is a puppet character created, puppeteered and voiced by Robert Smigel. As his name indicates, Triumph's comedic style is almost exclusively insult comedy. A Montenegrin Mountain Hound, Triumph often puffs a cigar, ...
(
Robert Smigel Robert Smigel (born February 7, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, and puppeteer, known for his ''Saturday Night Live'' " TV Funhouse" cartoon shorts and as the puppeteer and voice behind Triumph the Insult Comic ...
), and
Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comed ...
as guest actors appearing as themselves in the live-action sequences, while
Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office (British TV series), The Office'' (2001–2003), ''Extras (TV serie ...
provided an uncredited vocal cameo as the narrator. Nickelodeon animation president Brown Johnson said "Over the past decade, SpongeBob has become one of the most beloved characters in television history ..And we're excited to cap off the year's celebration with this star-studded special anniversary event."


Directing and animating

Andrew Overtoom, supervising director,
Alan Smart Alan Smart is a retired animator and an animation director best known for his work as the supervising director on '' SpongeBob SquarePants'', which he has been involved with since the pilot, and as assistant director and layout artist on ''The Si ...
, and
Tom Yasumi Yoshito "Tom" Yasumi (born August 20, 1965 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese-born American animator and director best known for his work on '' SpongeBob SquarePants'' as well as '' Rocko’s Modern Life''. Yasumi was the animation director on ''Spon ...
served as the special's animation directors while
Luke Brookshier Brian Darrell "Luke" Brookshier (born August 31, 1971) is an American writer, director, and storyboard artist known for his work on Nickelodeon's '' SpongeBob SquarePants'' and he was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Animated Program" ...
and Nate Cash handled the storyboard direction. It was a part of the series' tenth anniversary celebration. The
title sequence A title sequence (also called an opening sequence or intro) is the method by which films or television programmes present their title and key production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound (often a opening theme song with vi ...
of ''SpongeBob'' for the special was made exclusively for the series' tenth anniversary. It was animated in
stop-motion Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...
animation, with
Cee Lo Green Cee or CEE may refer to: * C, third letter of the Latin alphabet * Cee, Spain, A Coruña, Galicia * Center for Excellence in Education, US * Central and Eastern Europe * Centre for Environment Education * Centre for the Economics of Education, ...
performing the theme. Mark Caballero, Seamus Walsh and Chris Finnegan of
Screen Novelties Screen Novelties is an American animation studio, specializing in stop motion animation. It was founded by Mark Caballero, Seamus Walsh, and Chris Finnegan. Overview Their work fuses classic cartoon sensibilities with mixed-media elements such ...
animated its opening titles. Finnegan claimed that the crew were "thrill d to do the title sequence because "the original title sequence is so recognizable and everyone seen it over and over and it's so great in its own way." Executive producer and the episode's writer Paul Tibbitt said "We don't just want to redraw it he original title sequence we want it to be something special and different ..So we thought we would do it in three dimensions .. Nickelodeon animation president Brown Johnson lauded the new title sequence and said it is "SO great!" Some traditional animation on scraps of brown paper are intermixed into the stop-motion. Tibbitt said that the "biggest surprise" for him in the new title sequence was "the treatment of Painty the Pirate in the beginning" as seen in a fortune-teller machine. Mark Caballero, one of its animators, explained "our idea was like our goal is like the more disturbing, the better because I don't think there is a fortune telling machine out there that doesn't disturb when you see it. Tibbitt said "it was a great idea ..I was just expecting maybe a 3D version of the painting but we got something totally different and it's very cool."


Release

In a press release, Nickelodeon officially announced the special "event" on October 13, 2009. According to the network, the special include "SpongeBob's first visit to the
Krusty Krab The Krusty Krab is a fictional fast food restaurant in the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. It is famous for its signature burger, the Krabby Patty, the formula to which is a closely guarded trade secret. The rest ...
as a baby, a vintage Krusty Krab TV commercial, how SpongeBob found his beloved pineapple house, and the time that SpongeBob and Sandy got married!" Prior to the official announcement of the television special, ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cultu ...
'' broke the news by releasing a clip featuring a scene where SpongeBob and Sandy getting married. It originally aired on
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. Its ...
in the United States on November 6, 2009, as one of many ''SpongeBob'' TV events to air that year (with April featuring " SpongeBob vs. The Big One", and July featuring "The Ultimate SpongeBob SpongeBash" marathon, '' Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants'' documentary, and a special episode titled " To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants").


Marketing

In late 2009,
Burger King Burger King (BK) is an American-based multinational chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based restaurant chain ...
released
tie-in A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original prop ...
toys based on the episode, featuring the characters in block shapes. A book adaptation of the special, titled ''The Great Escape!'', was also released. The book was written by Emily Sollinger, published by Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon, and was released on September 8, 2009. Another tie-in book to the special was also released. The book titled ''Good Times!'' was written by Erica David, illustrated by the Artifacts Group, and published by Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ''Good Times!'' was first released on September 8, 2009, then re-released in 2011. On November 10, 2009, it was released on a
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
compilation of the same name in the United States and Canada, on November 16, 2009, in region 2, and on October 29, 2009, in region 4. The DVD consists of five season six episodes, a short called ''Behind the Scenes of the SpongeBob Opening'', and karaoke-mode songs: "F.U.N.", "Campfire Song", and "We've Got Scurvy". It was also released in the series' season six DVD compilation. On June 4, 2019, "Truth or Square" was released on the ''SpongeBob SquarePants: The Next 100 Episodes'' DVD, alongside all the episodes of seasons six through nine. On April 28, 2020, "Truth or Square" was released on the ''SpongeBob SquarePants: Bikini Bottom Bash'' DVD.


Reception


Ratings

The premiere of ''Truth or Square'' on Friday, November 6 drew 7.7 million total viewers, ranking as basic cable's number-one entertainment show for the week. It was also ranked as the week's number one program among children in the demographic groups ages 6–11 and 2–11.


Critical response

''Truth or Square'' received generally polarized reviews from critics and fans, and was criticized mainly due to the Patchy the Pirate segments, with many comparing them to the segments from " Christmas Who", " The Sponge Who Could Fly", and " Ugh". Paul Mavis from ''
DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
'' said "''Truth or Square'' is a strange mix of some truly memorable animated ''SpongeBob'' moments interrupted unfortunately by the largely unfunny Patchy the Pirate segments." He added "All of those amusing moments in ''Truth or Square'', along with the '' A Charlie Brown Christmas'' ending, make one forget the Patchy segments in ''Truth or Square''." Roy Hrab of
DVD Verdict DVD Verdict was a judicial-themed website for DVD reviews. The site was founded in 1999. The editor-in-chief was Michael Stailey, who owned the website between 2004 and 2016, and the site employed a large editorial staff of critics, whose reviews ...
gave the episode a negative review saying "Wow... This is without a doubt the lamest ''SpongeBob'' episode I have ever seen ..In fact, nothing interesting happens at all. The Patchy interludes and reliance on cameos merely draws attention to the episode's lack of substance." However, the special did garner some positive reception. Nancy Basile of the
About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, l ...
gave the special positive reviews and wrote, "I had doubts that the recent ''Truth or Square'' special of ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' would be funny or clever. I was quite wrong." She added that "My kids and I were mesmerized." Jose Strike of the
Animation World Network Animation World Network (often just "AWN") is an online publishing group that specializes in resources for animators, with an extensive website offering news, articles and links for professional animators and animation fans. Specifically, AWN cov ...
positively reacted to the special and wrote "''Truth or Square'' is a major treat; in fact, I'm so happy I think I'll drop on the deck and flop like a fish..." Ian Jane of
DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
said "''Truth or Square'' isn't your typical episode, as it mixes up a lot of live action material in with the more traditional animated sequences to very unusual effect." He added " ..ut there's enough here in terms of the gags and the jokes that even if it's not a classic episode, it's still one worth seeing." Nickelodeon animation president Brown Johnson said that the special is her favorite among the series. In 2010,
Tom Kenny Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for voicing the titular character in '' SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media. Kenny has voiced many other characters, including Heffer Wolfe in '' ...
won at the
37th Annie Awards The 37th Annual Annie Awards, honoring the best in animation for 2009, were held on February 6, 2010, at Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. Production category nominees Nominations announced on December 1, 2009 Best Animated Feature * '' U ...
for the Best Voice Acting in a Television Production category for his performance as the voice of
SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It chronicles the adventures of the title character an ...
in the special.


Video game

The video game ''SpongeBob's Truth or Square'' that was based on the ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' television special was released for
PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...
,
Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, ...
,
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
, and
Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
. The game was first announced by
THQ THQ Inc. was an American video game company based in Agoura Hills, California. It was founded in April 1990 by Jack Friedman, originally in Calabasas, and became a public company the following year through a reverse merger takeover. Initi ...
on May 21, 2009, and was originally titled ''SpongeBob SquarePants: Happiness Squared'' before being changed early in development. It was published by THQ, developed by
Heavy Iron Studios Heavy Iron Studios, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Manhattan Beach, California. The studio was founded within THQ in August 1999 after the publisher acquired Steve Gray's Chemistry Entertainment. As part of a series of cost ...
, and was released on October 26, 2009, in North America.


See also

* SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout


References


External links

* {{SpongeBob SquarePants episodes SpongeBob SquarePants SpongeBob SquarePants episodes 2009 television films 2009 animated films 2009 films 2009 American television episodes 2000s American animated films American children's animated adventure films American children's animated comedy films Animated films based on animated series American films with live action and animation Nickelodeon animated films Anniversary television episodes 2000s English-language films