This is what I said about the movie a few months ago.
I think that the movie is SpongeBob's best appearance. Yep, he's even better here than in the television series.
Why?
Because look at him as a whole. Think about what he goes through in the movie. He's lost. He's trying to find his place in the movie, who he is. SpongeBob goes on an adventure to prove that he's not a kid. He doesn't want people calling him a kid and telling him that he can't do something. He wants to help his friends. In the movie, SpongeBob is going through STRESS.
"I'm ready. Depression. I'm ready. Depression."
Now think about the movie itself. What audience is it directed at? It's too mature for little kids, so what is it?
Of course, the movie is directed at older kids, and TEENAGERS, like most people here.
"But I'm not a kid! I can do it!"
Now think about teenagers themselves. What do they go through before becoming adults? Don't they think about things like their future and WHO THEY ARE? Don't teens often get patronized? How many teenagers out there go through STRESS with different difficulties?
"I've been through a lot in the past six days five minutes twenty and a half seconds. And if I've learned anything during that time, it's that you are who you are."
After his adventure, SpongeBob learns to just be who he is: a kid.
How about situations that teenagers go through? I myself am one of those people who never have and never will bow into peer pressure, but so many others out there do. Parents will constantly tell their kids "be yourself". BE YOUSELF: WHO YOU ARE.
In the end, what advantages does SpongeBob have in the episodes that he lacks in the movie? He's more consistently funny? He has a deeper voice?
Sure, I doubt there are any real talking sponges out there, but when you get down to it, doesn't SpongeBob have many qualities in the movie that the main audience can relate to? I don't see SpongeBob in the series as quite that level. Heck, as much as I like the SpongeBob in the series, I must admit that there are times where he is one dimensional, particularly post season three episodes.