THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS Sets World Premiere at AFI Fest

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, the new film from Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies, will have its official World Premiere at AFI FEST 2025 presented by Canva. 

The family-friendly film, directed by Derek Drymon, will screen in the afternoon on October 26, the Closing Day of the festival, at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre as part of the Red Carpet Premieres section. Passes are available here.

Desperate to be a big guy, SpongeBob sets out to prove his bravery to Mr. Krabs by following The Flying Dutchman — a mysterious swashbuckling ghost pirate — on a seafaring comedy-adventure that takes him to the deepest depths of the deep sea where no Sponge has gone before.

The film features Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence, Mr. Lawrence, George Lopez, Isis “Ice Spice” Gaston, Arturo Castro, Sherry Cola with Regina Hall and Mark Hamill, and it will be released in theaters on December 19.

Making its Los Angeles debut with the feature is the new short film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Chrome Alone 2: Lost in New Jersey. From producers Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Jeff Rowe, and Ramsay McBean and directed by Kent Seki, the film reunites audiences with the Turtle brothers from the 2023 feature Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem for a festive adventure. When a mysterious toy company seeks to profit off the turtles’ new hero status, the brothers follow the clues to New Jersey and make a shocking discovery in this all-new original short.

The festival will take place October 22–26 at the TCL Chinese Theatres in the heart of Hollywood and feature a curated selection of Red Carpet Premieres, Special Screenings, World Cinema, Documentaries and Short Films. 

As previously announced, Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro will serve as the Guest Artistic Director for this year’s festival, and the festival will open with Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere and will close with the World Premiere of Song Sung Blue.

Passes to AFI FEST 2025 are now available for purchase online at FEST.AFI.com. Festivalgoers have the opportunity to purchase a Star Pass or upgrade to a Patron Pass. The AFI FEST Star Pass is a five-day pass with access to all screenings (excluding Red Carpet Premieres), early screening selection before individual tickets go on sale, priority theater access, entry to the festival lounge, invitation to the festival mixer to mingle with filmmakers and guests, a complimentary AFI FEST tote and free Rush Line access to all screenings.

The AFI FEST Patron Pass features all the benefits of the Star Pass plus two tickets to all of the star-studded Red Carpet Premieres held at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre and priority screening selection before Star passholders. The full festival lineup will be unveiled on September 30. Individual tickets will be available on October 6.

AFI FEST is recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a qualifying festival for the Live Action, Animated and Documentary Short Film categories for the annual Academy Awards®. AFI FEST is also a qualifying festival for consideration for the British Short Film categories of both the BAFTA Film Awards and the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).

About SpongeBob SquarePants

Premiering in 1999, the SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS series is one of the biggest animated television franchises. Now in its sixteenth season, the flagship show has spawned several spin-offs, including Kamp Koral and The Patrick Star Show, along with movies centered on the characters of Plankton and Sandy Cheeks. 

In 2017, a Broadway musical adaptation premiered on Broadway starring Ethan Slater as the title character, along with Lilli Cooper, Gavin Lee, and Stephanie Hsu. Conceived by Tina Landau, the musical received critical acclaim and twelve Tony nominations, winning one for Best Scenic Design of a Musical. 

Photo courtesy of Paramount Animation