9 Ways The SpongeBob Movie Is Basically Just The Odyssey

​​August is a freelance film writer. She studied journalism and cinema at American University. She is a member of the journalism honor society, Kappa Tau Alpha. August has written for various networks and publications, including PBS, Gargoyle Magazine, TheThings, and Identity Theory Magazine. Before returning to entertainment writing, August worked in the Automotive section of U.S. News & World Report. In her free time, August enjoys watching movies in theaters, watching movies at home, listening to podcasts about movies, reading books about movies, watching video essays on movies, talking about movies, thinking about movies, and doing crosswords.

Homer’s The Odyssey is among the greatest and oldest surviving stories of all time. The epic poem has shaped the very nature of storytelling for nearly 2,700 years. As such, aspects of The Odyssey are intertwined in the DNA of most modern narratives—though some adaptations are more direct than others. 22 years before Christopher Nolan’s epic film, an unlikely Odyssey reimagining burst into theaters. The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is a surprisingly spot-on adaptation of the ancient Greek poem.

Director Stephen Hillenburg originally imagined the 2004 movie as the finale to the SpongeBob SquarePants TV show. This meant it would need to be truly epic, and few stories are more epic than The Odyssey. Hillenburg’s narrative of nautical nonsense follows the general formula of Homer’s poem. That is, a hero - or heroes - go on a noble but treacherous journey and return with new insight and perspective. In The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, SpongeBob and Patrick embark on a quest to retrieve King Neptune's crown from Shell City and ultimately prevent Plankton from seizing Bikini Bottom.

The general narrative resemblance here is unsurprising, considering that most 'hero's journey' narratives can be traced back to The Odyssey. However, the similarities do not stop there. Parallels can be drawn to several characters and scenes in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and The Odyssey. While some similarities could be argued as coincidental, others are overt references.

SpongeBob is Equivalent to Odysseus

Odysseus is a man of contradictions, at once hot-headed and fiercely noble. His misguided actions at times result in loss of life for those around him. However, he ultimately has a righteous and unrelentingly tenacious spirit that aids his quest. The war and journey indelibly affect the once brash Odysseus. He returns to Ithaca a new man, but maintains his righteous spirit.

SpongeBob is our chaotic hero in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. While he is more yellow and porous, the sea sponge fits the Odysseus archetype surprisingly well. He makes mistakes throughout his journey, but ultimately his good intentions and unflinching determination help him accomplish his mission and return home. Following his journey, SpongeBob has matured and gained self-assurance, which lands him the manager position he lost in the first act of the film.

Neptune and Minerva are Equivalent to Poseidon and Athena

The events of The Odyssey are largely spurred by Poseidon’s wrath. On several occasions, the vengeful Greek God stands in the way of Odysseus and his crew, unleashing deadly storms. Meanwhile, the goddess of war, Athena, assists and guides Odysseus throughout his journey.

The SpongeBob SquarePants employs a similar dynamic for its undersea rulers. The narrative begins when a wrathful King Neptune—the Roman equivalent of Poseidon—accuses Mr. Krabs of stealing his crown. Neptune initially bars SpongeBob's quest, refusing to give him a chance to retrieve the crown and clear Mr. Krabs. However, his daughter Mindy defends SpongeBob and guides him and Patrick on their journey. Notably, Mindy is a nickname for Minerva, the Roman goddess of war equivalent to Athena (via Collider).

Plankton Attempting to Control Bikini Bottom is Equivalent to Antinous Usurping Ithaca

In The Odyssey, Odysseus must return to Ithaca before the untrustworthy suitor Antinous weds Queen Penelope and usurps the kingdom. The cruel nature of Antinous is contrasted against Odysseus' flawed but ultimately just character.

Plankton stands in as Antinous in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. The film’s wicked plot is orchestrated by Plankton, who sells King Neptune’s crown to Shell City and blames Mr. Krabs. Once Mr. Krabs is frozen by a vengeful Neptune and SpongeBob goes on his quest, Plankton takes over Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob and Patrick must complete their mission before Bikini Bottom falls under Plankton’s unjust rule.

The manner in which Mr. Crabs is literally frozen could also be likened to the way in which Penelope's life is frozen as she waits to hear if her husband is alive or dead.

The Bag of Winds is in both The SpongeBob Movie and The Odyssey

Of the various Odyssey adaptations, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie may include the most direct references to the original story. The bag of winds, for example, is seen in few other adaptations. This is likely because a bag of wind sounds goofy to modern viewers. However, the comedy of this concept is perfect fodder for SpongeBob​​​​​'s nautical nonsense.

In the original Odyssey, the ruler of the winds, Aeolus, gifts Odysseus a gentle, favorable wind and a bag concealing the unfavorable winds. His crew later inadvertently opens the bag, and their ship is blown off course (Via Britannica). In SpongeBob, Mindy gifts SpongeBob and Patrick a bag of winds to aid their journey. However, Patrick accidentally opens the bag too soon, and it blows off into the distance—forcing the sea creatures to hitch a ride on David Hasselhoff.

The Goofy Goober is Equivalent to the Lotus Eaters

On their journey back to Ithaca, Odysseus and his soldiers meet a tribe who consume the Lotus flower to achieve a state of blissful forgetfulness. In Homer’s original epic, members of Odysseus’ crew consume the mysterious plant and forget their duties as well as any concept of time.

SpongeBob and Patrick similarly find themselves in a land of blissful delight in which time slips past unnoticed—The Goofy Goober. After SpongeBob is passed up for the manager position at The Krusty Krab 2, he and his pal pass the time away at The Goofy Goober restaurant, eating a never-ending stream of sundaes. Our heroes are tempted again with sweet sundaes later in their journey, making ice cream a clean stand-in for The Odyssey's enticing lotus flower.

The Thug Tug is Equivalent to the Laestrygonians

Odysseus and his crew face several trials on their journey home from the Trojan War. In one such instance, they venture onto an island in search of provisions and are attacked by a tribe of violent giants, the Laestrygonians. Odysseus’s ranks are further diminished during this deadly encounter, as few make it out alive.

On their pilgrimage to Shell City, SpongeBob and Patrick venture into the Thug Tug to retrieve a spatula they require. Once in the bar, our squeamish heroes find themselves among a dangerous gang of comparatively giant creatures. SpongeBob and Patrick appear comically small and vulnerable among the hulking barflies. The duo barely make it out unharmed by the able-bodied patrons of the bar.

The Ice Cream Lady is Equivalent to a Siren

In classic Greek mythology, sirens lure men to their deaths with their irresistibly melodic songs. In The Odyssey, Odysseus instructs his sailors to plug their ears with wax to block out the sirens’ deadly song. Odysseus alone hears the sirens’ call, tied to the mast of the ship so he won’t leap into the sea. He later reveals that the sirens’ song is “all the things you want it to be. Then, all the things you wish you had never wished for," as quoted in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey.

In the case of SpongeBob and Patrick, all these heroes ever wished for was ice cream. In an unexpectedly terrifying scene, SpongeBob is enticed by a siren’s offering of an unimaginably delectable sundae. When she transforms into a monster, our heroes narrowly escape with their lives.

The Trench is Equivalent to The Land of the Dead

In Homer’s epic, Odysseus and his soldiers must enter the underworld before returning to Ithaca. There, the soldiers face their fallen brothers, and Odysseus converses with the prophet Tiresias (Via Britannica). Though our hero is uneasy about the trek, this journey into the other realm proves vital to Odysseus' return to Ithaca.

SpongeBob and Patrick face a similar trial on their journey in Hillenburg's animated adventure. Princess Mindy informs the unlikely heroes that their only way to Shell City is through the treacherous deep-sea trench. The trench is clearly presented as an underworld of sorts, complete with ghostly green smoke. Adorning disguises provided by Mindy, the terrified duo enter the ominous trench and eventually accept vital assistance from the bottom dwellers within.

The Diver is Equivalent to the Cyclops

The Greek soldiers’ encounter with the Cyclops Polyphemus, Son of Poseidon, is among the most well-known trials in The Odyssey. The men stop on an island in search of provisions and become trapped in Polyphemus’s cave. While they escape from the man-eating giant, their attacks against Polyphemus enrage Poseidon and doom their voyage home.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie makes a clever parody of the cyclops. Nearly to Shell City, Patrick and SpongeBob are stopped by a giant cyclops in the form of a human wearing old-timey scuba diving gear. The scuba helmet acts as the giant's single eye, in a clever reference for well-read adult viewers. The cyclops grabs Patrick and SpongeBob—as Polyphemus does the Greek soldiers in The Odyssey—but does not eat them. Rather, he brings them to Shell City, where they finally discover Neptune's stolen crown and complete their grand quest.