
Watts describes his time working on Sponge on the Run as his chance to undergo "trial by fire [and become involved in the universe.

"In the '90s, I didn't have TV, so I only got SpongeBob in little slices and doses people saying lines and stuff like that." "The funny thing is I knew of SpongeBob and all my friends loved ," he says. The king's right-hand man (or fish, rather) is the Chancellor, voiced by Reggie Watts (SYFY's Wild Life), who, by his own admission, has kind of been living under a SpongeBob-less rock for the past two decades - just like Patrick Star! Instead of running away from home, Gary is mysteriously "snail-napped" and taken to "The Lost City of Atlantic City," the Vegas-inspired domain of King Poseidon ( What We Do in the Shadows' Matt Berry). Sponge on the Run takes that concept and broadens the scope. " wanted to springboard off of that idea for the movie," Hill explains. The filmmaker also reveals that the story was directly inspired by the Season 4 episode "Have You Seen This Snail?," in which SpongeBob's pet snail, Gary (also voiced by Kenny), runs away from home. Pretty much make it a really fun road trip with some great cameos and just wacky adventures. You see them on a new adventure and kind of expect Steve Hillenburg's original idea about the show.

Speaking with SYFY WIRE during a virtual press junket, Hill states that his ultimate goal for Sponge on the Run, premiering on Paramount+ on March 4, was to "stick to the characters and the show.

The project ended up being written and directed by Tim Hill, a writer who's been with the long-running TV show since it first aired all the way back in 1999. That idea eventually became The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, the first film in the series to be completely animated with 3D techniques. Prior to his passing, the marine biologist-turned-animator had an idea for a third feature film starring Bikini Bottom's happy-go-lucky fry cook (voiced by Tom Kenny). In November 2018, the world lost Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants.
