It’s approaching that time of year when TV networks start airing holiday specials, and Nickelodeon is treating its viewers to something a little earlier. Nickelodeon will be airing a brand-new stop-motion animation special on October 13, featuring none other than the beloved characters from the SpongeBob SquarePants universe.
Titled The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom, the special will see the Flying Dutchman returning to Bikini Bottom to ensure its residents are scared for Halloween – especially SpongeBob, who believes that scary things are actually funny. It will be the second time Nickelodeon airs a stop-motion SpongeBob holiday special, the first being 2012’s SpongeBob SquarePants: It’s a SpongeBob Christmas!
All the main citizens of Bikini Bottom will be in costume for this holiday event, with SpongeBob dressed as a flower, Patrick as a knight, Sandy as a mad scientist, Mr. Krabs as a dollar bill, Plankton as a devil, Karen as a cat, and Squidward as…well, himself. The town and its various establishments are also appropriately decorated for the holiday; Mr. Krabs’ restaurant has been transformed into “The Horrors of the Chum Bucket” where there’s a showcase of Plankton torturing food, while Plankton’s “The Horrors of the Krusty Krab” tells of Mr. Krabs turning customers into Krabby Patties.
The animated special was produced at Los Angeles-based stop-motion animation studio Screen Novelties. As intriguing as the premise itself sounds, the most interesting thing about this special might be the process of creating it, and just what was involved in bringing the SpongeBob characters to life in this way.
Twenty-seven unique sets were used for the production, across five different stages. Some more impressive numbers: the texture on Bikini Bottom’s coral reefs was made from 15 boxes of cereal, SpongeBob’s pineapple house was decorated with eight pounds of glitter, and a roller coaster track was constructed out of hundreds of popsicle sticks. Black lights were used throughout the production to create a fluorescent glow across the sets.
In addition to traditional stop-motion animation, the special also incorporates marionette puppeteering, hand puppets, and 2D hand-drawn animation, the latter designed by Sally Cruikshank.
The special will feature one new song, “The Scare Song,” written by Mr. Lawrence, with music by Eban Schletter and sung by the Flying Dutchman’s crew of pirate ghosts.
Other names attached to the project include writer Mr. Lawrence, Brian Morante as storyboard director, and Jennie Monica as producer. The special was directed by Mark Caballero and Seamus Walsh, and produced by Chris Finnegan of Screen Novelties.
The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom will premiere on Friday, October 13, at 7 p.m. ET/PT, so don’t miss it! Check out the trailer below!
What do you think of the trailer for The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom? Will you be watching the premiere of this new holiday special?
Edited by: Hannah Wilkes
