SpongeBob SquarePants: The Ride

SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D
The promotional poster for SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D.
General statistics
Attraction type	4-D film
Theme	SpongeBob SquarePants
Duration	4:40 minutes
Created by	SimEx-Iwerks Blur Studio
Directed by	Tom Yasumi
Written by	Kaz C.H. Greenblatt Mark O'Hare
Story by	Steven Banks
Screenplay by	Johnny Deep
Based on	"SpongeBob SquarePants" created by Stephen Hillenburg
Starring	Tom Kenny Bill Fagerbakke Rodger Bumpass Clancy Brown Dee Bradley Baker Pat Pinney
Voice Director	Andrea Romano

SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D (also known as SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D Ride, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Ride or SpongeBob SquarePants 3-D) is a cel-shaded 4-D film based upon the popular television series SpongeBob SquarePants. It can be found at many aquariums and theme parks across the world. The ride consists of a pre-show which then leads into a stadium seated auditorium. The ride is in 4-D, meaning it is a motion simulator with a 3D movie. The effects on the ride vary at different parks. Water spray, bubbles, wind, leg ticklers, smoke, and smells are usually found.

The ride once appeared at Camp Snoopy in Mall of America as a film rotation of The Mystery Mine Ride. Instead of being in 4-D with special effects, the ride was in 3-D, and the seats would move (causing a very realistic fall during the Rock Bottom sequence). Ironically, in Fall 2007, the Mystery Mine Ride, which once housed SpongeBob SquarePants: The Ride, was demolished to make way for SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge roller coaster, part of the park's transformation into Nickelodeon Universe. In 2008, SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D came to Nickelodeon Family Suites. On April 19, 2013, Nickelodeon Family Suites premiered a sequel called SpongeBob SquarePants 4D: The Great Jelly Rescue.

The film begins with Painty the Pirate Captain in the painting about to sing the television series theme as usual, but he pops out of the painting and throws the riders into Bikini Bottom. The audience ends up in The Krusty Krab, where SpongeBob SquarePants welcomes them and shows them how to make a Krabby Patty by pointing at the ingredients with his spatula. When preparing the Krabby Patty, SpongeBob accidentally loses a pickle. The pickle then bounces out of the restaurant into Patrick Star's hand on a pogo stick. Patrick steals the pickle. SpongeBob, not knowing why, tells the riders to find Patrick on his bubble bike, destroying half of Bikini Bottom. While going through Jellyfish Fields, SpongeBob falls into Rock Bottom, where a fish pops the bubble bike by biting it. The force of the pop hurdles SpongeBob into the air, landing in the Chum Bucket where it is revealed that the real Patrick had been kidnapped by Plankton, and the pickle thief was a high tech robotic version of Patrick. The robot then pursues SpongeBob, only to be unplugged by Patrick (looking for an electrical outlet for his toaster). Plankton is crushed by his robot and SpongeBob recovers the pickle. Sandals enters the Chum Bucket to eat his patty; however, he tells SpongeBob that he ordered his Krabby Patty without pickles. But SpongeBob just laughs. Sandals then starts swelling and he explodes, leaving only his eyes, head, and feet. He then says that he is allergic to pickles and walks away. SpongeBob says, "Well, that was pickle-culiar" and laughs again.