Plankton: The Movie

Story

After another failed attempt to steal the secret recipe for the renowned Krabby Patty, Plankton (voice of Mr Lawrence) and his wife, Karen the Computer (voice of Jill Talley), get into an argument. Karen is fed up with being ignored and disrespected and breaks up with Plankton. She throws him out of the Chum Bucket and decides to take over the world on her own.

Plankton teams up with SpongeBob (voice of Tom Kenny), who uses psychoanalysis and hypnosis to determine what went wrong with the relationship between Plankton and Karen. While talking through their history, Plankton remembers that Karen’s original components are still at their old university. He uses these components to create a new Karen and takes the new Karen to fight the old Karen. But instead of fighting, the Karens combine to take over the world together!

Plankton can’t see what’s wrong with his actions until Karen’s empathy chip is inserted into his brain. Consequently, Plankton realises his mistakes and sets off with SpongeBob to seek Karen’s forgiveness and rekindle their relationship before she destroys the world.

Themes

Crime; war; family breakdown

Violence

Plankton: The Movie has some violence. For example:

Plankton brandishes a pistol-like flamethrower.
Mr Krabs stretches Plankton like a slingshot and flings him back to the Chum Bucket.
Plankton argues with Karen over her changes to the restaurant. He tears down all her changes, setting the restaurant and SpongeBob’s feet on fire.
Karen threatens to crush and destroy Plankton.
During a musical act, Karen envisages taking over the world and universe. In her vision, she uproots major structures including the Statue of Liberty, which she wears as a heel while stomping and destroying the ground beneath her.
Karen magnifies the Chum Bucket, causing buildings and citizens in Bikini Bottom to be lifted into the sky.
Weapons including swords and spears fly at SpongeBob. They impale nearby tomatoes and send juice splattering onto the walls. This looks like blood. SpongeBob is momentarily obscured by the weapons, and it looks like he might have been impaled too.
Bikini Bottom citizens dressed as army soldiers catapult barrels at Karen.
Mr Krabs is almost squashed when Karen throws an anchor at him. He’s obscured for a short time, and it looks like he has been hit.
In a flashback, Plankton’s college roommate tries to squash him with studded football boots, but he’s frozen by Karen. He stays in this frozen state until the present moment.
Plankton is hit by an explosive banana.
A child tries to step on Plankton and Karen before throwing them back into the sea.
The old and new Karen prepare to fight. The new Karen leaps into the air with both hands raised in fists, ready to smash the old Karen in the face. After getting hit with a beam, they dance and team up instead.
Karen shoots a freeze ray at Plankton, who escapes with SpongeBob’s help.
SpongeBob and Plankton enter the Krusty Krab restaurant and find tomato sauce, which looks like blood, all over the floor. SpongeBob gets very upset.
The ‘gal pals’ fight the Karens. They get shot with laser beams, stomped on and slammed against the floor.
Karen and Plankton rise out of the ocean to take over the world. They scare people at the beach, who scream and run away.

Sexual references

There are no sexual references in Plankton: The Movie.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Plankton: The Movie shows some use of substances. For example:

Plankton says, ‘The family business was moonfizz’. Moonfizz is a reference to moonshine alcohol.
SpongeBob and the ‘gal pals’ drink coffee, which makes SpongeBob hyperactive.

Nudity and sexual activity

Plankton: The Movie has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:

SpongeBob slaps Patrick on the bottom with a spatula.
Karen says to Plankton, ‘You walk around naked all the time’.
Plankton shakes his bottom at Karen.
Plankton and Karen kiss.
People are shown shirtless and in bikinis at the beach.

Product placement

There’s no product placement in Plankton: The Movie.

Coarse language

Plankton: The Movie has some coarse language, insults and name-calling, including ‘You trying to kill me?’, ‘pitiful, pathetic jerk’ and ‘boneheaded, puny buffoon’. Also, Plankton says his university is ‘BSU’, which SpongeBob interprets as a swear word directed at him.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Plankton: The Movie is an animated musical comedy set in the SpongeBob universe.

Because of its violence, scary scenes, coarse language and themes, Plankton: The Movie is best suited to children aged 10 years and older. We recommend parental guidance for children aged 7-9 years.

The main messages from Plankton: The Movie are the importance of empathy and respect towards friends and loved ones. It also cautions against blind greed and ambition by showing the effects these have on relationships.

Values in Plankton: The Movie that you could reinforce with your children include love, empathy, teamwork, respect and growth.

Plankton: The Movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about issues like the following:

Fast food – when remodelling the Chum Bucket, Karen says, ‘It’s still fast food. There’s the evil’.
Boundaries and privacy – Mr Krabs advocates for ‘invasions of privacy’ in relation to Plankton and Karen.
Psychology – SpongeBob looks like Sigmund Freud while psychoanalysing Plankton, and Karen’s heads are a possible reference to Freud’s id, ego and superego. These are outdated and stereotypical concepts, which might give children the wrong idea about psychological support for mental health. Plankton also says things like, ‘I don’t need a shrink’.