Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants

Lore & Background

The documentary focuses on the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants and its immersion into global popular culture. It documents the show's early inspirations and origins, and features insights from celebrity fans including LeBron James, Ricky Gervais, and Rosario Dawson. The film also examines the series' impact on US President Barack Obama, inmates of San Quentin State Prison, and fans around the world. The cast includes numerous voice actors and crew members from the series, as well as figures such as Alec Baldwin, David Hasselhoff, and Chris Pine, with archive footage of Katie Couric, Jacques Cousteau, Simon Cowell, Whoopi Goldberg, Barack Obama, and Jon Stewart.

Reader's Guide

Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants was commissioned by Nickelodeon to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the series' first episode. The one-hour documentary features an opening song from Avril Lavigne and commentary from creator Stephen Hillenburg, cast and crew members, industry experts, and fanatics. The documentary received positive reviews, with David Hinckley of the New York Daily News noting that its most interesting moments come from Hillenburg and calling it fun for the whole family. R.L. Shaffer of IGN described it as incredibly fun for longtime fans, while Gord Lacey of TV Shows on DVD called it the single-best feature on a Nickelodeon DVD set. Aaron H. Bynum of Animation Insider observed that the first twenty minutes are excellent, profiling Hillenburg and his collaborators, but found the remainder chiefly fluff. The documentary was included as a bonus feature on the 14-disc DVD compilation SpongeBob SquarePants: The First 100 Episodes, which runs 2200 minutes and also includes limited edition packaging, a 3D lenticular, audio commentary, and other extras.

Did You Know?

• It includes commentary from celebrity fans LeBron James, Ricky Gervais, and Rosario Dawson.
• The film examines the series' impact on inmates of San Quentin State Prison.