TRAILER: Spongebob Stop-Mo Xmas Special

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This looks insanely cool to me. Coming this winter – a new, unique Spongebob Squarepants Christmas special animated in stop motion. The production was supervised by our pals Mark Caballero and Seamus Walsh of Screen Novelties. Here’s the first look:

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  • Tummy-Tums

    As excellent as this looks from a visual standpoint, I… just can’t muster the strength to get excited for this. Yeah, sadly I’m one of those ‘Spongebob hasn’t been funny since after the movie’ kind of guys, and this is a decade too late imo. I’m sure some would say ‘you should give it a chance’-type comments, but with the show’s history in the writing department, I don’t see why I should.

    • Maya

      I here you. I basically refuse to give any post-movie Spongebob episodes the time of day myself, being what a sloppy excuse they are currently. Still, this special doesn’t appear to be THAT bad. I’ll probably watch it, just to see.

      The new theatrical movie they’re making is an entirely different story though.

  • Clint H.

    This looks cool! Can’t wait to see it! :D

  • Pedro Nakama

    This looks good.

  • Miles

    Even though Spongebob hasn’t been too funny in a few years, it is still excellently timed and is pretty smart with its visuals. I’m glad to see that – after over 10 years – the crew is willing to try something completely different, though.

  • Norco

    Spongebob is like visual Muzak now. It should be running in elevators.

    • http://monstroanimation.blogspot.com/p/animation-article-database.html Jonah Sidhom

      I would never take the stairs again.

  • Jerold Howard

    Congratulations Mark and Seamus! I’m looking forward to seeing this. Nice work guys!

  • Gummo

    Sorry, I wanted to like it but….

    It looks like one of those third-world knockoffs of popular movies and TV shows — everything slightly off.

    And I don’t see the point, either — what’s the advantage, artistically or otherwise, in doing Spongebob in stop motion?

    • wever

      To spoof the Raskin-Bass Christmas specials. This is not the first show/commerical/movie to do that.

      • chipper

        I think even Home Improvement did it.

      • wever

        The PC vs. MAC commercials, Robot Chicken, SNL, Elf, etc…

  • D

    Wow that looks really well done, I love the whole Rankin and Bass vibe the animators are going for. Granted I haven’t payed much attention to Spongebob since it started rehashing the same plot lines and its gimmicks wore thin (around season 3 I believe) but this looks so stylish and fun I’ll have to check it out when it airs.

  • chipper

    I always love how creative this show is.

  • Blasko

    Good for Screen Novelties. I hope it’s a great success, and gives them momentum for their Monster Safari feature.

  • Jon

    Awesome! Looks so great!

  • Mad Hatter

    Personally spongebob to me is like a yappy puppy, cute and funny at first but as time goes by it just gets annoying

  • loonINmiami

    Max Winston Represent!

  • http://www.thegagaman.co.uk Gagaman

    Screen Novelties’ work is always wonderful, like that segment they did for The Flintstones on the rocks and the Mysterious Mose puppet video, and their stop motion version of the Spongebob intro was brilliant so I can imagine how well that went down was what got this greenlit. I wasn’t aware they were planning a feature film as well…yes please!

  • http://gaircyrch.tumblr.com David D

    I, like other fans, have been less than thrilled with post-movie Spongebob. But here’s a reason I’d give this one a chance: I think the biggest crime of recent Spongebobs (yes, even more than reductive characterization) is the unnaturally relentless pacing where hit-and-miss gags are thrown off willy-nilly and characters don’t react to situations so much as gasp when the script tells them to. Stop-motion, by its nature, will slow things down a bit and let things breathe.

  • James Sutton

    I love the new episodes of Spongebob as much as I do the old ones, they’re just different and intriguing to watch. Like the Games Animation episodes of R&S, it’s really fun to watch and see what they do. It’s a different chemistry.

    I’ll definitely be tuning in, if I don’t have to work that is..