Carolyn Lawrence Movies

Originally filmed as a pilot for a Nickelodeon cable network TV series, the computer-animated feature Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius turned out so well that it was decided to release the film theatrically in 2001. One year later, things came full circle, and the weekly, half-hour TV version of Jimmy Neutron was unveiled by Nickelodeon. The title character was a ten-year-old inventor, living in the sitcomish town of Retroville with his mom, dad, and robot dog Goddard. Together with his colorful schoolmates -- many of them even geekier than he was -- Jimmy was regularly called upon to save his family, his town, or his world by concocting a whole slew of intricate gadgets, some of which actually worked properly. Created by John A. Davis and Steve Oedekerk, the weekly version of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius premiered on September 6, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, 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

Something nefarious is afloat in the depths of Bikini Bottom: King Neptune's crown has been stolen, and the prime suspect is Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob's boss at Mr. Krabs' Krabby Patties. Despite the overwhelming evidence against Mr. Krabs -- not to mention having been turned down for a long-awaited promotion at the restaurant -- SpongeBob (voice of Tom Kenny) refuses to believe that his boss is responsible and teams up with his best friend, Patrick (voice of Bill Fagerbakke), on a mission to Shell City, where he hopes he can exonerate Mr. Krabs and return the crown to its rightful owner. Of course, this is no easy task; once outside the safety of Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob is faced with the overwhelming dangers of the sea, not the least of which being a cyclops that many believe to be responsible for the deaths of countless other unfortunate sea-creatures who ventured outside county lines. Among those who lent their vocal chords to the film include Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Tambor, and Alec Baldwin. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

A handful of zoo animals leave behind their well-protected environment for the streets of the big city in this computer-animated comedy. Sampson (voice of Kiefer Sutherland) is the king of a make-believe jungle far from the African plains -- he's a lion on display at a zoo in New York City's Central Park, and he lords it over the other animals, including Nigel (voice of Eddie Izzard), a testy koala bear; Larry, a dumb but well-meaning snake; ; Bridget (voice of Janeane Garofalo), a bright but cynical giraffe; and Benny (voice of Jim Belushi), a very New York-ish squirrel who is good friends with Sampson and is trying to romance Bridget without much success. The pride and joy of Sampson's life is his son, Ryan (voice of Greg Cipes), and he's devastated when one day Ryan is crated up and shipped back to Africa. Sampson is desperate to find his boy, and with the help of his pals he escapes the zoo and sets out on a daring mission to rescue Ryan, battling the unfamiliar terrain and Kazar, a wildebeest with a will to power and a passion for choreography (voice of William Shatner) along the way. The Wild was the first directorial credit for animator and special-effects artist Steve "Spaz" Williams. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide