SpongeBob SquarePants & Star vs. the Forces of Evil: The Musical Movie!

SpongeBob SquarePants & Star vs. the Forces of Evil: The Musical Movie! is a 2018 American crossover animated musical action adventure comedy-drama film directed by Dominic Bisignano and Paul Tibbitt and produced by Paramount Animation, Walt Disney Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, The Kerner Entertainment Company, and United Plankton Pictures and distributed by Paramount Pictures in North America and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures in International. It is a crossover between SpongeBob SquarePants and Star vs. the Forces of Evil.

SpongeBob SquarePants and Star vs. The Forces of Evil: The Musical Movie had its world premiere at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles on December 1, 2018, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 14, 2018. The film has grossed over $348 million worldwide against a $90 million budget. The film was praised for its animation, characters, story, voice acting, humor, and soundtrack, with many critics regarding it as one of the best superhero films of all time. The film got 2 wins, including Best Animated Feature Film at the 76th Golden Globe Awards and 3 wins at the 24th Critics' Choice Awards, also including Best Animated Feature, and winning Best Animated Feature at the 46th Annie Awards and earned numerous other awards and nominations, including 7 nominations at the 91st Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature, Best Original Song, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Picture, making it the fourth animated feature (after Beauty and the Beast, Up, and Toy Story 3) to receive this nomination. It was Stephen Hillenburg's last film work when he died right before the film's release, and the film is dedicated to his memory. A sequel and a spin-off are in development.

Plot
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Cast

 * Eden Sher as Star Butterfly, a magical princess from the dimension of Menwi.
 * Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants, and Gary the Snail, SpongeBob's pet snail.
 * Adam McArthur as Marco Diaz, Star's best friend.
 * Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick Star, SpongeBob's best friend.
 * Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob's boss.
 * Alan Tudyk as Ludo Avarius and River Butterfly, Star's father.
 * Rodger Bumpass as Squidward Tenacles, SpongeBob and Patrick's neighbor.
 * Grey DeLisle as Jackie Lynn Thomas, Marco's girlfriend, and Moon Butterfly, Star's mother.
 * Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy Cheeks
 * Jenny Slate as Pony Head
 * Artt Butler as Rafael Diaz, Marco's father.
 * Nia Vardalos as Angie Diaz, Marco's mother.
 * Nate Torrence as Ferguson O'durguson, Marco's friend.
 * Matt Chapman as Alfonso Dolittle, Marco's other friend.
 * Lori Alan as Pearl Krabs, Mr. Krabs' daughter.
 * Jeff Bennett as Principal Skeeves
 * Dee Dee Rescher as Miss Skullnick
 * Jon Helder as Oskar Greason
 * Minae Noji as Brittney Wong
 * Amy Sedaris as Mina Loveberry
 * Mr. Lawrence as Sheldon J. Plankton
 * Rider Strong as Tom Lucitor, Star's ex-boyfriend.
 * Mary Jo Catlett as Mrs. Puff
 * Jeffrey Tambor as Glossaryck
 * Jill Talley as Karen Plankton
 * Michael C. Hall as Toffee
 * Abby Elliott as Janna Ordonia
 * Jessica Walters as Meteora Butterfly (Miss Heinous)
 * Esmé Bianco as Eclipsa Butterfly
 * Jaime Camil as Globgor
 * Daron Nefcy as StarFan13
 * Dana Davis as Kelly
 * Gregory Michael Cipes as Tad

Songs

 * Bad Romance (sung by Star, SpongeBob and the gang) from Lady Gaga
 * Waiting for a Star to Fall (sung by Marco, Patrick and the gang) from Boy Meets Girl
 * Should I Stay or Should I Go? (sung by Plankton) from the Clash
 * Where You Are (sung by Star and Marco) from Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey
 * There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (sung by Star and SpongeBob) from Shawn Mendes
 * All About the Bass (sung by Jackie and Sandy) from Meghan Trainor
 * Firework (sung by Star, SpongeBob, Patrick, Marco and the Gang) from Katy Perry
 * Where Are You - performed by ???

Trailer songs

 * ??? by ???
 * ??? by ???
 * ??? by ???

Production
In June 2015, after the success of the premiere of Star vs. The Forces of Evil and the success of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, it was announced that a crossover musical film between SpongeBob SquarePants and Star vs. The Forces of Evil was in development. Hillenburg and Nefcy announced the film as Untitled SpongeBob SquarePants and Star vs. The Forces of Evil Crossover Musical Movie. On September 3, 2015, Paramount and Disney announced that it would be titled SpongeBob and Star: A Musical Movie. Bisignano and Tibbit described the film as "an idea inspired by M.U.G.E.N and South Park 's "Imaginationland."

On September 13, 2016, the release date for SpongeBob and Star: A Musical Movie was announced for December 14, 2018. On February 7, 2017, the film was retitled SpongeBob SquarePants and Star vs. The Forces of Evil: The Musical Movie!.

Trailers

 * The official teaser trailer was released on March 28, 2018, and was shown before Isle of Dogs, Rampage, Avengers: Infinity War, Show Dogs, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Incredibles 2, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation.
 * The first official trailer was released on July 16, 2018, and was shown before Teen Titans Go! To The Movies, Mission: Impossible-Fallout, The Meg, Crazy Rich Asians, and Alpha.
 * The second and final official trailer was released on September 28, 2018, and was shown before Smallfoot, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, The Grinch, and Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Video game
A video game based on the film, titled, SpongeBob SquarePants and Star vs. The Forces of Evil: The Musical Movie Video Game!, was released on December 4, 2018, for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, and PC.

Theatrical release promotions

 * Hasbro and Hasbro Gaming released a line of action figures, diecast vehicles, playsets, board games and a limited-time Monopoly game edition.
 * Mattel released a limited-time UNO game edition.
 * Thinkway Toys released a line of plush toys and action figures based on the film.
 * Facebook Messenger released stickers based on the characters for messenger.
 * Bandai released a line of trading cards with the scenes from the film.
 * McDonalds released 6 toys for Happy Meal. The toys are Star, SpongeBob, Marco, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, and Ludo, and ran a series of SpongeBob/Star vs. Evil-themed television adverts to promote this. In the Australian market, a few small plush characters of Star, SpongeBob, Marco, Patrick, and Squidward replace some of the toys in the US lineup.
 * Paramount and Disney had teamed up with Hooters restaurants to promote SpongeBob and Star vs. The Forces of Evil: The Musical Movie. They decorated the restaurants with SpongeBob and Star vs. The Forces of Evil stuff and included 2 exclusive plushes for $10 dollars: SpongeBob wearing a Hooters shirt and Star dressed as a Hooters girl.
 * Cinnabon released SpongeBob's head-shaped cinnamon buns.
 * Coca-Cola released a limited edition bottle with Star and SpongeBob in the cover. The promotion is revived during its home media release.
 * General Mills had 6 toys that came with General Mills-branded cereals.
 * Chips Ahoy! added a new flavor to their cookie line-up, called "The Ultimate 2 Cartoons Combo", consisting of peanut butter, Oreo's, Reese's, M&M’s and rainbow chocolate chips with free merchandise from the film inside.
 * Lunchables did a promotion with a chance of winning a trip to Burbank, California also they did Free mini-posters on the back of the box.
 * Hostess did a limited edition flavor for their cupcakes, named "SpongeBob and Star's Cupcake", where the iconic 8 squiggles on the cupcake are red, and the filling is larger.
 * Energizer did a promotion where the company hid 5 free mini flashlights inside their batteries, which are Star, SpongeBob, Marco, Patrick, and Mr. Krabs.
 * Kraft Macaroni and Cheese had release macaroni and cheese shaped like Star, SpongeBob, Marco, and Patrick. These soon joined the Kraft Mac and Cheese pasta lineup.
 * Airheads released a limited-edition flavors "The Star Butterfly Flavor" and "SpongeBob's Jelly Fish Taste".
 * M&Ms did an promotion with an chance of winning the tickets to see the movie. Other prizes includes 25 million dollars, a trip to California with the Regency Village Theater movie premiere. Other prizes include winning the tickets to see the movie, a Nintendo Switch with the movie video game, and a signed SASVEMM! poster. Plus, an new limited time M&Ms flavor called Crispy M&Ms Power Pink (Pink strawberry-flavored).
 * Nicktoons and Disney XD aired marathons of both shows, Saturdays and Sundays in December 2018 with sneak peaks of the movie during the marathon.
 * Scholastic released nine books for the film: The Junior Novel, Sticker Activity Book, The Movie Storybook, The Revenge of Shadow Moth, Coloring & Activity Book, The Funny Joke Book, Meet the Toons, The Past Wind To the Rescue, and SpongeBob's Paint Box.
 * Walmart hosted a week-long SpongeBob SquarePants and Star vs. The Forces of Evil: The Musical Movie! @ Walmart party where the stores are decorated with SpongeBob plushies, special Star vs. Evil stand-outs boards, and even some Funko POP! SpongeBob and SVE hanging on the roof. Walmart also lets you buy the legendary Star for only 5 dollars.
 * Barnes & Noble hosted a SpongeBob SquarePants and Star vs. The Forces of Evil: The Musical Movie-themed event in November, December, and January.
 * Paramount Home Entertainment and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment announced that they will release SpongeBob SquarePants and Star vs. The Forces of Evil: Best Episodes on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD, on August 20, 2018. They also released a "septology" pack of the rest of the SpongeBob and Star vs. The Forces of Evil films, on Blu-ray and DVD, on November 14, 2017.

DVD/Blu-Ray promotions

 * Pizza Hut will release Star's head-shaped Pizzas and a deal called the 2tastic combo which includes a large bacon and sausage pizza, breadsticks, a 2-liter soda and the limited time Caramel/marshmallow Brownie.
 * Subway will release a Kid's Meal promotion, it will include 8 SASVETMM bags (which are Star, SpongeBob, Marco, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Squidward, Ludo, and Sandy), 9 mini backpack plushes (which are Star, SpongeBob, Marco, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Squidward, Ludo, Sandy, and Pony Head), a kid's Subway sandwich, chips or fruit, and a drink.
 * Coca-Cola will re-release a limited edition bottle with Star and SpongeBob in the cover.
 * Nescafé released a collection of mugs based on the film.
 * PEZ will release three dispensers, these includes Star, SpongeBob and Patrick.
 * Burger King will release a kids' meal promotion which includes 10 toys (Star, SpongeBob, Marco, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Ludo, Squidward, Sandy, Pony Head, and Ferguson) and a activity box.

Cinema promotions

 * Cinemark released various combos, which includes a popcorn, a soft drink and a character topper. Cinemark also promotes the film with a phone policy announcement on November 17.
 * AMC Theatres released a combo, which includes a popcorn, a soft drink, a side (either a Lay's bag or a M&M's and Sour Patch) and a character topper.

Taglines
A musical you will never forget.

SpongeBob and Star are in their own musical movie. (Used on billboards advertising the film)

Oscar campaign
SBSPASVETMM 's "Not since..." Oscar campaign drew a lot of attention, emphasizing the film's uniqueness and critical acclaim. The campaign consisted of posters featuring characters from the film, comparing SpongeBob SquarePants and Star vs. The Forces of Evil: The Musical Movie to previous winners such as The Lord of the Rings, Shakespeare in Love, Titanic, and more. Walt Disney Studios Chairman Rich Ross explained they were going for the Best Picture win, not just Best Animated film. The Hollywood Reporter gave the campaign a bronze award in Key Art Awards Winners 2019.

Home media
The film will be released on digital on March 5, 2019, and on DVD and Blu-ray from Paramount Home Media Distribution on March 26, 2019. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will release their own versions of the DVD and Blu-Ray on the same day, but will only be sold in Walmart stores. Bonus features will include a behind-the-scenes featuring a short highlighting some of the Easter eggs hidden throughout the film, deleted scenes, and the music videos for "Waiting for a Star to Fall" and "Where Are You". The releases will include three short films (similar to Illumination Entertainment's mini-movies) titled: Good Looking Musical, Bad Romance Friends, and Double Trouble Dare.

Box office
As of January 25, 2019, SpongeBob SquarePants and Star vs. The Forces of Evil: The Musical Movie! has grossed $164.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $165.1 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $329.3 million, against a production budget of $90 million.

On January 21, 2019, the film surpassed The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water ($324.2 million) to become the highest-grossing SpongeBob film in the SpongeBob SquarePants film series. It is currently the third highest grossing Nickelodeon film.

Critical response
The film received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film had a rating of 97%, based on 133 reviews, with an average rating of 9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "This movie is awesome! It deserves a sequel!." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 89 out of 100, based on 75 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.

Accolades
The film won 2 Golden Globe Awards at the 76th Golden Globe Awards for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song for "Where Are You". The film also won 3 Critics' Choice Awards for Best Animated Feature, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Score. The film is also nominated for 8 Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature, Best Original Song, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Picture. It also received numerous awards and nominations.

Television series

 * SpongeBob visits Star vs. the Forces of Evil

Sequel
In August 2018, the directors were still focused on completing the film but acknowledged that the introduction of the SpongeBob/Star vs. Evil musical crossover in the film could create the potential for many different stories to be told depending on the success of this film. By the end of November, Paramount and Disney was developing a sequel and several spin-offs from the film due to the "incredible buzz" surrounding it. Dominic Bisignano and Paul Tibbitt will return to direct, which would continue the musical story of SpongeBob and Star.

Spin-off
A spin-off based on the film is currently in development and will be titled Patrick's 1st Musical Movie, with Paul Tibbitt set to direct.

Trivia/Notes

 * This is the only SpongeBob SquarePants film to be produced by The Kerner Entertainment Company.

Soundtrack

 * SpongeBob SquarePants & Star vs. the Forces of Evil: The Musical Movie!/Soundtrack

Gallery

 * SpongeBob SquarePants & Star vs. the Forces of Evil: The Musical Movie!/Gallery

Transcript

 * SpongeBob SquarePants & Star vs. the Forces of Evil: The Musical Movie!/Transcript

Quotes

 * SpongeBob SquarePants & Star vs. the Forces of Evil: The Musical Movie!/Quotes

Credits

 * SpongeBob SquarePants & Star vs. the Forces of Evil: The Musical Movie!/Credits