Nah, the show has gone on far too long for Stephen’s comment about the first film ‘concluding’ the series to even be of any relevance anymore. It just doesn’t matter because, like AnimatiedMadness said, this is a property that could care less about a straight-line continuity.

One more thing I have to say before I rest my own case is this: consider how ingrained in the pop-culture conscious these characters are. One will only need a basic understanding of who these characters are to watch this film without having to know what came before or after.

In this sense, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water can easily (and probably should) be taken as a standalone film rather than as a ‘prequel’ to anything. I’ll stand corrected if they somehow work in a connection to the last film.

Stephen Hillenburg himself confirmed that the first film takes place after the entire series. In fact, the original movie was originally intended to end the series. But due to popular demand, the series continued to stay on the air. Just think of the movie as a thing that concludes the series.

Yes, I’m aware Spongebob has continuity issues. But the creator makes it clear that, in the sense of a timeline, the movie is the last thing to happen to the series.

The King Neptune in the show and movie are two different beings. I’m pretty sure Stephen Hillenburg wouldn’t make that distinction by accident. Which brings us back to the point of the timeline, in that the movie takes at an unknown time after all the events of the TV series.

1. How does the movie take place after the show ends? It hasn’t ended yet! New episodes are still being produced! Where is this coming from, Wikipedia?
2. The continuity in the show is not all that great. It’s as good in continuity as Invader Zim or Looney Tunes. Everything could blow up in the end and be all normal again the next day.
3. King Neptune. The movie version was played by the hilarious Jeffery Tabor while the TV character is played by several different actors over the course of the show, Billy West, John O’Hurley, and Kevin Michael Richardson.

I rest my case.

You’re right about Spongebob and continuity. It tends to be very inconsistent at times. But I expect a sequel, especially since it’s a theatrical production and not television, to be consistent with the first film.

Since I see that film shares nothing in common with the original film (besides the animation style), it is evident that takes before the original film.

I think you missed my point. The first movie takes place after the entire series. So if this movie were to take place after the first film, the points of continuity I just mentioned should be still present.

I don’t think Spongebob Squrepants is the type of property that would be concerned with things like continuity. And even if it were, I don’t think it would have made a difference, since it will have been a whole 15 years since the first movie came out and I don’t know how many seasons have followed afterwards.

Status quo is definitely the law of the land with this franchise.

You don’t watch the show, do you?

Then where is the Krusty Krab 2? And why is Plankton out of jail?

What?

I didn’t see anything in the trailers or in the general plot that indicated that this is a prequel.