"Rock Bottom" | |
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SpongeBob SquarePants episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 17b |
Directed by | Nick Jennings (art) Tom Yasumi (animation) Paul Tibbitt (storyboard) Ennio Torresan (storyboard) Alan Smart (supervising) |
Written by | Paul Tibbitt Ennio Torresan David Fain |
Production code | 2515-138 |
Original air date | March 15, 2000 |
"Rock Bottom" is the second segment of the 17th episode of the first season of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants . It first aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on March 15, 2000. In this episode, SpongeBob gets stranded in Rock Bottom, a strange city in the abyssopelagic zone.
The episode was written by Paul Tibbitt, Ennio Torresan, and David Fain, and the animation was directed by Tom Yasumi. Upon release, "Rock Bottom" was viewed by two million households and received positive reviews from critics.
SpongeBob and Patrick board a bus home from Glove World, a glove-themed amusement park. They accidentally board the wrong bus, which then takes them down a 90-degree cliff. The cliff leads to Rock Bottom, a town inhabited by many strange deep-sea animals. Patrick becomes frightened of Rock Bottom, so SpongeBob leaves him at the bus stop while he goes to get a bus schedule. As soon as SpongeBob leaves, the next bus to Bikini Bottom arrives, and Patrick leaves SpongeBob behind. Unable to climb the 90-degree cliff, SpongeBob decides to wait for the next bus.
After a number of mishaps prevent him from boarding a bus, SpongeBob heads to a bus station and waits in a very long line. By the time he reaches the front, he finds out that the next bus leaves in 5 seconds; he misses it and learns that it was the last one until morning. As the lights go out for the night, SpongeBob hears a noise and dashes back to the cliff in terror. The source of the noise is revealed to be a friendly-looking anglerfish creature, who has retrieved SpongeBob's glove balloon. The creature blows up the balloon and ties it to SpongeBob's wrist, which allows him to float up the cliff. Believing that SpongeBob is still stuck in Rock Bottom, Patrick boards a bus and heads down the cliff to fetch him. SpongeBob spots him on the way out, but decides to leave Patrick on his own as to not get stuck again.
"Rock Bottom" was written by Paul Tibbitt, Ennio Torresan, and David Fain, with Tom Yasumi serving as animation director. Tibbitt and Torresan also worked as storyboard directors. [1] The episode originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on March 15, 2000, with a TV-Y7 parental rating. [2]
Series head writer of the first season Merriwether Williams said the episode's story is "so simple." [3] She remarked "To me, it's one of the best episodes. It just stayed with one idea." [3] The episode was about "how he [SpongeBob] keeps missing the bus and how that makes him feel." [3] Williams said the episode was "so small that you could explore gags and opportunities for gags." [3] The episode was an example of "a good outline" in the series where the storyboards and humor were done easily. [3] Williams said "it was great for the board guys." [3] She added "In many ways, my job was to create situations where the board guys could be funny, to create a situation that could be funny, and let them go for the actual, specific jokes." [3]
"Rock Bottom" was released on the DVD compilation called The Best of SpongeBob SquarePants on May 11, 2004.[ citation needed ] It was also included on the SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete 1st Season DVD, released on October 28, 2003. [4] [5] [6] On September 22, 2009, the episode was released on the SpongeBob SquarePants: The First 100 Episodes DVD, alongside all the episodes of seasons one through five. [7] [8]
"Rock Bottom" was watched by 2.1 million viewers upon its release. [9] It received very positive reviews from media critics. Nancy Basile of About.com gave the episode a positive response and ranked it No. 4 on her "Best SpongeBob SquarePants Episodes" list. [10] Basile said "The raspberries and SpongeBob's increasing frustration make this a hilarious episode." [10] She cited the episode as a "running up against Murphy's law over and over again" and said "so it's very relatable." [10] Basile's favorite scene was "SpongeBob tries to extract a snack from the vending machine before the bus across the road drives away." [10]
Emily Estep of WeGotThisCovered.com ranked the episode No. 5 on her "Top 10 Episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants" list. [11] She said "While 'Rock Bottom' is mostly a goofy episode, it's also one of the scarier episodes of SpongeBob." [11] She also said the episode has "the ideal balance of cuteness and sheer terror – like SpongeBob running from a mysterious character, saying, 'Well, that place will be there tomorrow. I guess I'd better keep walking. Running. Better start running. Running. Sprinting! Yes, I just gotta keep sprinting!' (Before he hits a wall; 'Sitting, sitting, bleeding.')" [11] that made the episode "so well-remembered." [11] Bill Treadway of DVD Talk gave the episode a 3 out of 5 rating. [12]
In 2021, Jordan Moreau, Katcy Stephan and David Viramontes of Variety ranked the episode No. 14 on their 15 best SpongeBob episodes list. They noted how the episode flips the usual dynamics of SpongeBob annoying people around him by putting SpongeBob in a setting weirder than him. [13]
"Rock Bottom" served as an inspiration for the SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge ride. [14] The ride first opened on March 15, 2008, at the Mall of America's Nickelodeon theme park re-branded from the Mall of America's Park at MOA, formerly Camp Snoopy, to Nickelodeon Universe in the Minneapolis-St. Paul suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. [15] [16]
The SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge features vertical lifts and 90-degree turns providing the riders a 60-plus foot drop, a maximum speed of over 40 miles per hour and a 4.4 maximum G-force rating. The ride time is approximately two minutes and is the shortest Gerstlauer roller coaster built yet. [15] [17]
Sandy Cheeks is a fictional character in the American animated comedy television series SpongeBob SquarePants and the Nickelodeon franchise of the same name. She is voiced by Carolyn Lawrence and first appeared in the episode "Tea at the Treedome", which premiered on May 1, 1999. She was created and designed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg who is also the creator of the series. Sandy is portrayed as an intelligent anthropomorphic flying squirrel who wears an astronaut-like diving suit and lives underwater.
"Band Geeks" is the second segment of the 15th episode of the second season, and the 35th overall episode of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. It originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on September 7, 2001. It was written by C.H. Greenblatt, Aaron Springer, and Merriwether Williams, and the animation was directed by Frank Weiss. Springer served as director, and Greenblatt served as storyboard artist.
"Chocolate with Nuts" is the first half of the twelfth episode of the third season and the 52nd overall episode of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. It was written by the storyboard directors, Paul Tibbitt and Kaz, alongside Kent Osborne and Merriwether Williams with Andrew Overtoom as animation director and Carson Kugler, William Reiss and Mike Roth serving as storyboard artists. The segment was copyrighted in 2002 and aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on June 1 of that year. In this episode, SpongeBob and Patrick become entrepreneurs in an attempt to live a fancy life.
"Pizza Delivery" is the first segment of the fifth episode of the first season of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. It first aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on August 14, 1999. The segment was written by Sherm Cohen, Aaron Springer, and Peter Burns, and the animation was directed by Sean Dempsey. Cohen also functioned as storyboard director, and Springer worked as storyboard artist.
"Dunces and Dragons" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, and the 66th episode overall. It was written by Zeus Cervas, Erik Wiese, and Tim Hill, and the animation was directed by supervising director Alan Smart and Tom Yasumi; Cervas and Wiese also functioned as storyboard directors. The episode originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States as a half-hour special on February 20, 2006.
"Have You Seen This Snail?", also known as "Where's Gary?", is the third episode of the fourth season and the 63rd overall episode of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. Its animation was directed by supervising director, Alan Smart and Tom Yasumi, and written by storyboard director Aaron Springer and supervising producer Paul Tibbitt. The episode originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on November 11, 2005. Actress and comedian Amy Poehler guest starred in the episode as the voice of Grandma. It is the first double-length episode to not be hosted by Patchy the Pirate in a framing device.
SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge is a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter roller coaster located at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota. Standing 74.5 feet tall, it is the tallest roller coaster in the park. It also features a beyond vertical drop. It is the first roller coaster themed to SpongeBob SquarePants, and opened with the Nickelodeon Universe grand opening on March 15, 2008. The ride features a vertical loop, and a heartline roll. The ride was installed by Ride Entertainment Group, who handles all of Gerstlauer's operations in the Western Hemisphere.
The first season of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, created by former marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, aired on Nickelodeon from May 1, 1999, to March 3, 2001, and consists of 20 half-hour episodes. The series chronicles the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. The show features the voices of Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Clancy Brown, Mr. Lawrence, Jill Talley, Carolyn Lawrence, Mary Jo Catlett, and Lori Alan. Among the first guest stars to appear on the show were Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway voicing the superhero characters of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, respectively.
The second season of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, created by Stephen Hillenburg, aired on Nickelodeon from October 20, 2000, to July 26, 2003, and consists of 20 half-hour episodes. The series chronicles the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. The season was executive produced by series creator Hillenburg, who also acted as the showrunner.
The seventh season of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, began airing on Nickelodeon in the United States on July 19, 2009, and ended on June 11, 2011. It contained 26 half-hour episodes, with a miniseries titled Legends of Bikini Bottom. The series chronicles the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom.
"What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?" is the 18th episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, and the 98th episode overall. It first aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on October 13, 2008.
"SpongeBob SquarePants vs. The Big One", also known as "The Secret of Kahuna Laguna" and "SpongeBob SquarePants and The Big Wave" is the 11th episode of the sixth season and the 111th overall episode of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. The episode was written by Aaron Springer who also directed the storyboards, Paul Tibbitt, and Steven Banks, and the animation was directed by Andrew Overtoom and supervising director, Alan Smart. The episode was part of the series' tenth anniversary celebration in 2009. It features guest appearances by Johnny Depp as the voice of Jack Kahuna Laguna, Bruce Brown as the narrator, and Davy Jones as himself. It originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on April 17, 2009.
"To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants" is an episode from the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, acting as the second half of the 16th episode of the sixth season, and the 116th episode overall. It first aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on July 17, 2009, and was written by Luke Brookshier, Nate Cash and Steven Banks.
SpongeBob's Truth or Square is a 2009 made-for-television comedy television film and an hour-long episode of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants that was produced as the 123rd and 124th episodes of the series. The special originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on November 6, 2009, celebrating the tenth anniversary of the television series. This is the second SpongeBob SquarePants television film, following SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis. Its animation was directed by supervising director Alan Smart, Andrew Overtoom and Tom Yasumi.
The eighth season of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, created by former marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States from March 26, 2011, to December 6, 2012, and contained 26 half-hour episodes, with a miniseries titled SpongeBob's Runaway Roadtrip. The series chronicles the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. The season was executive produced by series creator Hillenburg and writer Paul Tibbitt, who also acted as the showrunner. In 2011, SpongeBob's Runaway Roadtrip, an anthology series consisting of five episodes from the season, was launched.
The ninth season of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, created by animator and former marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg, originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States from July 21, 2012, to February 20, 2017, and contained 26 half-hour episodes. The series chronicles the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. The season was executive produced by series creator Hillenburg and writer Paul Tibbitt, the latter of whom also acted as the showrunner for the first 11 episodes of the season. Starting with "Lost in Bikini Bottom", Marc Ceccarelli and Vincent Waller became the supervising producers and showrunners and served in that position for the rest of the season.
"The Clash of Triton", also known as "Neptune's Party", is the 26th and final episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, and the 126th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on July 5, 2010.
"The Great Patty Caper", also known as "Mystery with a Twistery" and "Krabby Patty No More", is the 17th episode of the seventh season and the 143rd overall episode of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. The episode originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on November 11, 2010. The series follows the adventures of the title character in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. In the episode, the key to the vault holding the Krabby Patty recipe gets lost and SpongeBob must locate it before the recipe is lost forever.
"Graveyard Shift" is the first part of the 16th episode of the second season, and the 36th episode overall, of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. The episode was written by Mr. Lawrence, Jay Lender and Dan Povenmire, and the animation was directed by Sean Dempsey. Lender and Povenmire also served as storyboard directors. The episode was copyrighted in 2001 and aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on September 6, 2002.
"Extreme Spots" is the first half of the first episode of the ninth season and the 179th overall episode of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. The episode originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on July 21, 2012. The series follows the adventures and endeavors of SpongeBob and his various friends in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. In this episode, SpongeBob and Patrick try to join an extreme sports team called The Drasticals by completing dangerous and extreme tasks.