Tom Kenny Movies

More fun and games beneath the waves are in store for you, you, and maybe you as the animated cult favorite SpongeBob SquarePants launches its third season. The opener brings back those antiquated superheroes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy (voiced by Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway), who must rely upon SpongeBob when they lose their utility belts; and as a bonus, SpongeBob's driving teacher Mrs. Puff is arrested -- and she likes it, she really likes it. And what else? Well, a magic pencil leaves SpongeBob a fraction of his former self; snow falls on Bikini Bottom; the Krusty Krab is apparently invaded by a phony health inspector (accept no substitutes!); Squidward ends up a "street octopus," even though there aren't any streets; SpongeBob tries to prove he's tough enough to get into the Salty Spittoon (our motto: No Weenies Allowed); an abandoned clam brings out the parental instinct -- and the absentee parent -- in the redoubtable Patrick; the outside world is given its first glimpse of the fabled "Krusty Krab Training Video" (watch for the POOP session -- it sure beats "Dating Do's and Don't's"); "My Pretty Seahorse" ends with a Very Special Moment that will leave you as confused as the live-action "dad" we see on screen; the legend of the Hash-Slinging Slasher becomes all too true; Gary enters the Great Snail Race, which is not an oxymoron, we think; and at long last, we see "The Lost Episode" -- or rather, the "Other Lost Episode." In addition, this season offers a flashback to SpongeBob's prehistoric relative, as he discovers fire (not a bad trick when you're underwater). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on the manga works of Hiro Mashima, the half-hour anime series Rave Master took place 50 years after a phenomenon called the "Overdrive" resulted in the near-destruction of the world. Before this catastrophe, the Rave, or power of light, had managed to vanquish the Dark Bring, or power of darkness. But after the Overdrive, the Dark Bring was reactivated, and intended to gain control of the world by sending its Power Guard minions to retrieve the five precious Rave Stones. It was up to 16-year-old Haru Glory, son of legendary warrior Gale Glory, to lead the resistance against the Power Guard, and to fulfill his destiny as the new Rave Master. Leaving the safety of his home on Garage Island at the behest of the shaman Shiba, Haru assembled a team of like-minded warriors, including amnesiac gambler Ellie, former thief Musica (whose family had been wiped out by the Shadow Guard), "morphing" fighter Griff, and rave bearer Plute, who looked like a dog and thus obligingly "sniffed out" the missing Rave Stones. Another valuable member of Haru's team was his transforming sword, the Ten Powers. Among the villains were Shadow Guard leader King Gale, his son Blonde Demon (who possessed the powerful Shadow Stone Sinclair), and the King's six flunkeys Shuda, Reina, Jegan, Berial, Iulius, and Haja. Rave Master made its American debut over the Cartoon Network on June 1, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

From the short-lived Nickolodean 'toon Catdog comes Catdog: Together Forever. This production contains five episodes following the adventures of the ultimate odd couple -- a half-canine, half-feline creature trying to cope with their inherent differences. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

The world's most popular invertebrate TV-cartoon star, SpongeBob SquarePants was the brainchild ofStephen Hillenburg, who graduated CalArts with two degrees: one in Marine Biology, and the other in Animation. A cheerful, yellow-skinned denizen of deep who was shaped like a common bathroom sponge and who wore a shirt, necktie and belted shorts, SpongeBob SquarePants lived in a pineapple shell in the underwater community of Bikini Bottom, where he worked at the Krusty Krab restaurant and sometimes commiserated with a land squirrel who lived in a nearby biodome, and whose name was Sandy Cheeks (and for the benefit of those viewings who are always on the lookout for "hidden meanings" in the series' million-and-one jokes and references--well, we've just listed three of 'em in the last sentence). The relentlessly cheerful SpongeBob had a habit of coming up with the most complex of solutions to the simplest of problems--in direct contrast with his best friend Patrick Star the starfish, who was not the brightest bulb under the sea. Other characters on SpongeBob's half-hour animated TV series included his boss at the Krusty Krab, curmudgeonly Eugene V. Krabs, who jealously guarded the secret of his fabled "Krabby Patties"; SpongeBob's pet snail Gary, who behaved more like a cat; his grouchy neighbor Squidward Tentacles, a clarinet-playing octopus; and Mr. Krabs' hated business rival Plankton, who ran a spectacularly unsuccessfully eatery called the Chum Bucket. Boasting superb animation, imaginative background art, and a veritable library of "in" jokes, looney nonsequiturs and obscure pop-culture gags, SpongeBob Squarepants may well have been even more popular with adults (especially college students) than with children. Certainly it was one of the most marketable cartoon series of its era, spawning zillions of dollars' worth of dolls, video games, novelty clothing, sportswear, beach toys, and so on and so forth. Offering two fifteen-minute adventures per half hour episode, SpongeBob Squarepants made its Nickelodeon cable network debut on July 17, 1999, remaining in production until put on temporary hiatus so that Stephen Hillenburg could concentrate on the SpongeBob Squarepants theatrical feature that opened to great audience and critical acclaim in the summer of 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This black comedy chronicles the fall of one of the world's most unlovable clowns as he plies his trade and tries to survive in Palukaville a town where everyone is more or less a Bozo. Shakes loves women and more than that, he loves his booze. Like many of his painted peers, ol' Shakes likes to hang out at The Twisted Balloon, the favorite local pub where he hoists a few, beats up on mimes (the lowest caste in Palukaville) and causes trouble with his girl friend Judy, a woman who cannot say the letter "L." Because the slovenly Shakes can't seem to make it to birthday parties sober and on time, he is fired from his booking agency, causing him to go on a big drinking binge. Later, Shakes awakens and learns that Binky, a lousy TV-clown, is framing him for beating up Shake's former boss with a juggling pin. Now poor Shakes must clear his name. He must also rescue "Juwee" who has been kidnapped by the nefarious Binky, and he must come to grips with his alcohol problem (perhaps the film could be therefore titled "Clown and Sober?"). Keep an eye peeled for cameos by Robin Williams, as a mime instructor, and Florence Henderson as one of Shake's illicit sexual conquests. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The adventures of nautical sea sponge SpongeBob Squarepants and his friends in the underwater town of Bikini Bottom.