Paramount Studios presents

SpongeBob SquarePants: Home Sweet Pineapple (1999-2001)

Squidward: How many of you have played instruments before?
Plankton: Do instruments of torture count?
Squidward: No.- Rodger Bumpass, Mr. Lawrence

Stars: Tom Kenny
Other Stars: Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Carolyn Lawrence, Mr. Lawrence, Clancy Brown
Director: various

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (nothing objectionable)
Run Time: 01h:36m:02s
Release Date: 2005-01-04
Genre: television

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
A-	A-	B+	B+	D-

 

DVD Review

The pickings are mighty slim for these compilation SpongeBob titles, but they just keep coming. For the eight-episode (down from the usual ten) Home Sweet Pineapple, Paramount has included two eps (Ripped Pants, Band Geeks) that can already be found on early releases, and as far as I'm concerned that's either tacky, forgetful or greedy—take your pick. Sure, Ripped Pants and Band Geeks are two really funny shorts (dare I say "classic"), but this makes the third time they've been lobbed out there, because the season sets contain them as well.

Crass marketing aside, the show is still a blast (even as reruns), and the nerdy antics of SpongeBob (voiced by Tom Kenny), thick-headed Patrick Starfish (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke) and grumpy neighbor Squidward (Roger Bumpass) make for the kind of animated comedy that serves as a generational bridge. It's old school enough to not need to be particularly message heavy—the writing dwells mostly on quick sight gags and clever dialogue—and the simplicity of the well-meaning SpongeBob's adventures are often laced with surreal visuals, such as his inflatable muscle arms in MuscleBob BuffPants.

Ripped Pants, where SpongeBob mercilessly abuses a gag that makes him famous, is one of the show's best episodes (complete with a killer musical number), and it's one that I never tire of seeing. Likewise with Band Geeks, where Squidward has to assemble a band of Bikini Bottom inhabitants to play at The Bubble Bowl, and things lead to SpongeBob crooning a rock song to the adoring masses.

Yes, these are two great episodes, but I get frustrated, however, seeing the same ones show up more than once on these compilations. Try as I might, I can't get away from the fact that six of the eight episodes on this disc are from Season One (which has been mined to extinction for previous compilations, to say nothing of the Season One set) and two of those eight have already been released as part of other single disc titles. Unless you're giving it to me free, don't try selling me the same stuff three times, Paramount.

Maybe it's just a desperate move to milk some cash out of a dying cow, considering that creator Stephen Hillenburg has not exactly been cranking out new episodes (blame that on the theatrical release of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie), and a rumored fourth season as yet remains just that. For something with just three seasons worth of material, the whole SpongeBob universe is a big rolling juggernaut, the kind of show where it is rerun incessantly on Nickelodeon, and like the comedic crack that it is, is easily digestible in quick eleven-minute doses.

Episode List:

Home Sweet Pineapple
Original Air Date: 08/14/99
Season 1

Sandy's Rocket
Original Air Date: 09/04/99
Season 1

Band Geeks
Original Air Date: 09/07/01
Season 2

Culture Shock
Original Air Date: 09/18/99
Season 1

Sandy, SpongeBob and the Worm
Original Air Date: 09/12/01
Season 2

MuscleBob BuffPants
Original Air Date: 09/25/99
Season 1

Ripped Pants
Original Air Date: 07/17/99
Season 1

Employee of the Month
Original Air Date: 10/02/99
Season 1

Rating for Style: A-
Rating for Substance: A-

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: All eight episodes are presented in their original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. As with past collections, colors are exceptionally bright, lively, and clean.

Image Transfer Grade: B+
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English	no

Audio Transfer Review: The audio transfer is a front-heavy 2.0 surround track, and is more than well suited for the animated material. Dialogue is mixed clearly, with character voices clear and upfront. There is some noticeable imaging across the front speakers, and the mix sounds very peppy.

Audio Transfer Grade: B+ 

Disc Extras

Animated menu with music
Scene Access with 8 cues and remote access
Cast and Crew Biographies
6 Other Trailer(s) featuring The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie, SpongeBob Squarepants: The Complete Second Season, All Grown Up: Lucky 13, Duel Masters, Transformers: Energon, Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams
Packaging: Amaray
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual

Extras Review: Paramount's getting lazy with the extras, too. All that's here, aside from kid-friendly trailers, are cast bios for SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Gary, Plankton, Mr. Krabs, and Squidward, which are pulled from the book SpongeBob Exposed: The Insider's Guide to SpongeBob SquarePants.

Each of the eight episodes represent a single chapter.

Extras Grade: D-
 

Final Comments

The content is still damn funny, but it's a shame that Paramount has so repetitively repackaged these "best of" releases. Despite the high marks, I can't endorse a purchase of this one simply based on the fact that two of the eight shorts here were already featured on previous compilations.

Just buy the season sets and be done with this madness, I say.

Rich Rosell 2005-01-04