A pirate named Burger-Beard (Antonio Banderas) travels to the island of Bikini Atoll to obtain a magical book that makes any text written upon it come true. The book tells the story of SpongeBob SquarePants, a childlike sea sponge who loves his job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab fast food restaurant and faithfully guards the secret Krabby Patty formula from Plankton, owner of the Chum Bucket and business rival to Mr. Krabs, SpongeBobs boss.\r
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The Krusty Krab is attacked by Plankton; after a military battle with giant foods and condiments, Plankton feigns surrender: he uses a decoy of himself to offer the greedy Mr. Krabs a fake penny, which he hides inside to gain access to Krabs vault. The Plankton decoy distracts Mr. Krabs by crying outside the restaurant so Mr. Krabs can gloat about his victory; Plankton steals the formula, leaving a fake in its place. However, just as he is about to escape, SpongeBob catches him. They have a tug of war over the formula, but it magically vanishes before either can claim it.\r
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Without the secret formula, SpongeBob cant make Krabby Patties, and the customers become ravenous. Only SpongeBob believes that Plankton is innocent of stealing the formula, and when all of Bikini Bottom turns on them, SpongeBob rescues Plankton with a giant soap bubble that he and Plankton fly away in. Bikini Bottom is soon reduced to a post-apocalyptic wasteland because of the absence of the much-relied-on Krabby Patty. SpongeBob proposes that he and Plankton team up to get the formula back; he attempts to show Plankton the meaning of teamwork, but he doesnt quite understand. Eventually, the duo decides to go to the Chum Bucket and rescue Karen, Planktons computer wife, so that they can use her as a power source for a time machine that will take them to the moment before the formula disappeared. They assemble the machine at an abandoned taco restaurant, but accidentally travel far into the future, where they meet Bubbles, a magical dolphin whose job it is to oversee the cosmos. They eventually succeed in retrieving the formula, but it turns out to be the fake Plankton had left.\r
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Burger-Beard, whose seagull minions removed the final page of the book in which he had rewritten the story so that he gets the formula, converts his ship into a food truck to sell Krabby Patties at a beach community named Salty Shoals. The final page, which has been discarded in the ocean, lands on the treedome of Sandy Cheeks, SpongeBobs friend and a squirrel living underwater. Crazed by the lack of Krabby Patties, Sandy thinks the page is a sign from the sandwich gods, and suggests a sacrifice be made to appease them. The town attempts to sacrifice SpongeBob, but he and Mr. Krabs smell Krabby Patties, and the crowd follows the scent, which leads to the surface. Bubbles returns because SpongeBob, whod neglected to keep Jupiter and Saturn from colliding, cost him his job as overseer of the universe. In reality, Bubbles hated the job and thanks SpongeBob by allowing him, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Sandy, and Squidward the ability to breathe on land; Plankton joins also, stowed away in SpongeBobs sock. Bubbles shoots them out of his blowhole to the surface, and they land on a beach.\r
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The team locates Burger-Beard, who, using the book, banishes them to Pelican Island. Using Squidwards ink and the final page, SpongeBob transforms himself and the others into superheroes with special powers — The Invincibubble (SpongeBob), Mr. Superawesomeness (Patrick), Sour Note (Squidward), The Rodent (Sandy), and Sir Pinch-a-Lot (Mr. Krabs). They return and encounter Burger-Beard, who drives off with the formula, which forces the team to give chase. During the ensuing battle, the book gets destroyed and the team attempts to apprehend Burger-Beard, who picks the team off one by one. Antonio Banderas as Burger-Beard the Pirate Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants/The Invincibubble[4][4][5] and Gary the Snail Mr. Lawrence as Plankton/Plank-Ton, Mr Krabs arch-rival and Karens husband Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs/Sir Pinch-A-Lot, SpongeBob and Squidwards boss Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick Star/Mr. Superawesomeness, SpongeBobs neighbor and best friend[5] Rodger Bumpass as Squidward Tentacles/Sour Note[4][5] and Squidosaurus Rex Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy Cheeks/The Rodent[4] Matt Berry as Bubbles Jill Talley as Karen, Planktons computer W.I.F.E Dee Bradley Baker as Perch Perkins and other fish characters Nolan North as Pigeon Cabbie Paul Tibbitt (US)/Joe Sugg (UK) as Kyle the Seagull Mary Jo Catlett as Mrs. Puff, SpongeBobs boating school teacher Lori Alan as Pearl, Mr. Krabs teenage daughter (end credits only) Peter Shukoff as Painty the Pirate (rap battle)