Ok everybody. One last time. Steve Hillenburg is coming back to the show in January, Your collective dreams are coming true.
— . (@paultibbitt) December 11, 2014
The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water was released February 6, which I loved. Two weeks ago, Tutor Sauce and Lost in Bikini Bottom aired right before the Kids' Choice Sports, both written by Jack Pendarvis and animation directed by Alan Smart and Tom Yasumi (Fred Osmond storyboarded Tutor Sauce, Bob Camp storyboarded Lost in Bikini Bottom); Vincent Waller remains creative director. Although Hillenburg is back on SpongeBob (and it shows), he isn't the only one responsible for the show's future. Producer Jennie Monica, who has worked on the show since the beginning starting out as an executive assistant, has held this position for a few years and is now more involved in the creative process.So what does Hillenburg’s return mean and how will it change the show? That remains to be seen. But as far as I know, Hillenburg hasn’t had hands-on involvement or managed day-to-day production on the series for many years since he resigned and stepped down as showrunner, leaving the task to his experienced and capable crew who run the show like clockwork led by Paul Tibbitt. However, he didn’t completely wash his hands clean of the characters and has quietly been involved with SpongeBob Comics, which have been published since 2011 by Bongo Comics. Plus, he didn't leave the show entirely. Still remaining as executive producer, he continued reviewing episodes, approving outlines and storyboards, and offering suggestions.
What do I think about Hillenburg coming back? Well, although SpongeBob still remains one of my favorite shows, I still love the Hillenburg-era episodes more than the ones that were made when Paul Tibbitt was showrunner (that's not to say I didn't like any of them). It's just sometimes the animation looks like shoddy Flash; the physical humor is a bit awkward and laughably ineffective; most of the scripted jokes are pathetically unfunny. There is pretty much no attempt to create memorable lines or running gags; satire and double entendres are almost wiped clean out. The same music tracks are played over and over and over. It's losing its dimensional edge and there's no doubting that. I hope the reason for Hillenburg's return is because he's found the motivation to make something great again. I'd much rather see Hillenburg produce another show than go back to SpongeBob. Still looking forward to seeing him at least go back to what the characters were like prior to making Patrick too stupid for his own good and Squidward downright depressing. Sometimes I just like to think about how brilliant the first three seasons of SpongeBob are. Sorry, Nickelodeon. By now, the damage is done. Not just for SpongeBob, but you as a network. Disney has been dominating when it comes to TV animation, Cartoon Network is finally getting their act back together... You... What do you even have? (They have The Legend of Kor... oh wait, never mind.) Overall, this is a miracle! No more grotesque splinters! Patrick's stupidity will finally be funny again! Plankton will finally be back to being a good antagonist!
Fifteen years after its debut, SpongeBob remains Nickelodeon’s top ratings-earner, and it’s safe to say that it won’t be leaving the air anytime soon. At this point in the show’s history, Hillenburg’s return to a creative position can certainly be viewed as a positive development. Although I don't think he is going to orchestrate every detail of the show, I'm glad he is back as a subordinate consultant and will be giving more input on the show's overall quality.
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