As a cultural figure, Spongebob Squarepants has long been far more surreal than the kids who watch it might realize. The new trailer for “Spongebob Squarepants: Sponge on the Run” continues that trend. The most notable detail in the trailer is the introduction of Keanu Reeves’s disembodied head. Apparently, Reeves plays a tumbleweed in the film. It’s the kind of thing that most of us only dream about when we’re under the influence of a wide variety of drugs.
“Hello, call me sage,” Reeves says in the trailer. “I’m made out of sage and I am a sage, so it works out pretty well.” Of course, Keanu Reeves is not the only thing that might make the next “Spongebob” movie worth the price of admission. The trailer also gives us a sense of what will take our titular sponge on the road — namely, his missing snail Gary.
Frankly, all animated movies should be this confidently strange. Part of “Spongebob’s” lasting appeal is that, while the show is definitely aimed at children, it has plenty of jokes that the adults who are forced to watch it would also enjoy. That’s why, 20 years after the show first debuted in 1999, it’s still a prominent piece of pop culture.
In addition to Reeves, Spongebob and his reliable sidekick Patrick also go to the lost city of Atlantic City and do some gambling. It’s clear from the teaser that “Sponge on the Run” will be exactly what you want from a Spongebob movie — a whole lot of nonsense.
The film is set to be released on May 22, 2020, and it’ll be the first entirely CGI adaptation of the beloved television series. Directed by Tim Hill, the movie will star Tom Kenny, Awkwafina, Clancy Brown, Reggie Watts, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence, Douglas Lawrence, and of course, Keanu Reeves.
The grand adventures of this sponge may never come to an end, and frankly, why would we want them to? Spongebob may be weird, but that’s why we keep him around.
What did you think of the trailer? Is Keanu’s tumbleweed form worth the price of admission? Let us know in the comments below.
Joe Allen is a freelance pop culture writer based out of upstate New York. Follow him on Twitter.