Animation News: Spongebob Spin-off, Secret Life of Pets 2 Box Office, and Godzilla's Struggles

Spongebob Spin-off Controversy

• 💡 A new CG Spongebob spin-off, "Kamp Koral," is announced, focusing on a 10-year-old Spongebob at summer camp.
• ⚠️ The announcement has drawn criticism, with former showrunner Paul Tibbitt stating that Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of Spongebob, would have "hated this."
• 🧠 Hillenburg was reportedly very protective of Spongebob and initially hesitant about CG animation, only coming around after seeing a demonstration for the "Spongebob SubPants" attraction.
• 🎬 The spin-off is linked to the upcoming theatrical movie "It's a Wonderful Sponge," which itself has had a convoluted release schedule.

Underperforming Animated Films

• 📉 "The Secret Life of Pets 2" had a disappointing opening weekend, making less than half of what the first film grossed ($47 million vs. $104 million).
• 📊 This follows a trend of underperforming animated films in 2019, including "Missing Link," "How to Train Your Dragon 3," "Wonder Park," and "The Lego Movie 2."
• 🎢 The poor box office performance raises questions about Universal's plans to turn "The Secret Life of Pets" into a theme park franchise, with significant attraction construction already underway.

Godzilla and MonsterVerse Woes

• 💥 "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" also underperformed at the box office, leading Warner Bros. to consider pushing back the release of "Godzilla vs. Kong."
• 🎨 Despite passionate creators and impressive concept art, the film struggled to engage audiences, with many finding the action difficult to follow due to dark and rainy nighttime sequences.
• 🎬 The struggles of the MonsterVerse films highlight Hollywood's challenges in turning existing IPs into successful franchises, even with significant investment.

Animation Industry Reflections

• 🎨 The discussion touches on the legacy of artists like William Stout, whose concept art for a 1990s "Jurassic Park" animated series was ahead of its time.
• 💡 The conversation also revisits the ambitious but unproduced "Magic Kingdom" project and the challenges of creating unique animated films like Disney's "Atlantis: The Lost Empire."
• 🎙️ The hosts also mention their podcast's new Patreon, offering exclusive content like commentary tracks for movies.