Modern SpongeBob's Wacky Faces

[@LSMark]

Get 20% off from Bubblegum Kids by using my link bubblegumkids.com/?linkId=LSMark_launch_influencer&affluencerId=LSMarkand and code LSMARK at checkout to try them out for yourself! Don’t forget to check out their KZbin page too for more information! www.youtube.com/@BubblegumKidsGum

[@valcq]

no

[@CampCampFanMade]

​@@vermskiL

[@Redlion1900]

@@vermskicounter

[@SquareBlock5]

@@vermskiyou’re not slick😭😭😭

[@sain-ox-so-cool-23]

😎👍

[@drock7310]

Off topic, but I find the interiors of SpongeBob buildings so relaxing. SpongeBob’s house, Squidward’s house, Krusty Krab, BarginMart. Watching these shows on a Sunday evening brings back so much nostalgia!

[@GrilledMormons]

This is one of the reasons i enjoy the older point and click SpongeBob pc games that came out in the early 2000’s, the environments were just hand drawn images, sometimes the ones straight from the show, so being able to walk around and explore that especially now is extremely satisfying in a similar way

[@logancracraftgaming7124]

HAHAHAHAHA ELLIE FROM DANTDM IS IN BURNING FIRE NOW!

[@loganoniedwards2400]

HAHAHAHAHA ELLIE FROM DANTDM IS IN BURNING FIRE NOW! LET'S DANCE ON ITS GRAVE!

[@AdamantWind2071]

​@@loganoniedwards2400Lifeless bot lol

[@sillybeanthing]

​@@loganoniedwards2400bro calm tf down

[@FunnyStarRunner]

SpongeBob's character being changed from more of a nerd to a baby is not only reflected in his design but in the music used as well. At some point the show started prioritizing using intentionally goofy music to highlight if a scene is supposed to be "wacky" instead of the earlier seasons where they continued to use the Hawaiian-style music during funny bits. I can't say though if this was changed in the later seasons because I've never watched those.

[@loganoniedwards2400]

HAHAHAHAHA ELLIE FROM DANTDM IS IN BURNING FIRE NOW! LET'S DANCE ON ITS GRAVE!

[@o_ver2.094]

@@loganoniedwards2400 who?

[@RadishShifu]

@@o_ver2.094 it's probably a bot who wants to be edgy

[@TheOnlyPedroGameplays]

Me when the replies get ruined and nobody can discuss because of the bots

[@GordanTheToad]

I sometimes felt bored when ever they played the same goofy music during a scene that is supposed to be witty banter. I can't put my figure on why but I think it would sometimes add a boring layer of predictability.

[@punkysnarks]

The changes in animation style make you realize what the golden era's bread and butter actually was: dialogue based humor. There's a lot of physical comedy too, but if you put them next to each other, I think there's just barely more dialogue based humor.

[@punkysnarks]

@@logancracraftgaming7124 What?! I'm PopcornPie, soon to be rebranded entirely because of Tumblr drama.

[@lightninjohn5651]

@@punkysnarksit’s a bot, report them for spam

[@low-keydrama1260]

Very true. A lot of people, (including myself) quote older SpongeBob a lot. It’s very memorable and funny

[@amesstarline5482]

The ability to quote a series makes it more approachable than otherwise.

[@andykishore]

Yeah, old SpongeBob knew how to prioritize dialogue over wacky silly faces.

[@SparklingWithNiGHTS-yv5fe]

Well if you ignore the massive faces,the animation of the modern seasons is sure really strong and full of life for modern tv animation standards.

[@sourlab]

I think it just doesn't fit spongebob

[@shka6262]

it may be full of life, but in disgusting way.

[@themountaindude3546]

That's the thing, for modern TV standards

[@Sleepy_Cabbage]

The issue is it's lack of restraint, it's like they throwing weird face after weird face at you, hoping atleast one will chirp out a chuckle

[@kootunesscrewy]

I don't care what people say, but it's still beautiful. Not in the Space Goofs (Season 2) levels, but it's still wonderful.

[@alexm.a.d892]

That comment about show becoming more gag driven was really spot on, a running gag is funny when it happens once in a while, when they start to take more main stage appearance they lose their charm and humor more. Also I love early seasons note because they have such a chill vibe and much better dialog

[@elliswebster7041]

This feels like what happened to American Dad too

[@Dezlite]

Forreal. They just keep bringing Nosferatu back. Also the chocolate skeleton lady from Chocolate with Nuts (she came back in two recent eps)

[@alexm.a.d892]

@@Dezlite I was surprised when I saw Nosferatu being a re occurring character instead of being a background nod to that particular episode

[@KaleBennett]

Something I don't like about Spongebob being drawn nowadays is how often his cheeks go over his mouth rather than being pulled back when he smiles. It feels like an effort to make him come across as more cute and childish, given they did the same for Patrick.

[@ThrillsofColdplay]

Yeah it’s a little off

[@andykishore]

Yeah, SpongeBob's cheeks can be a real problem sometimes.

[@cryodual]

Yeah his cheeks need to be bigger

[@logancracraftgaming7124]

HAHAHAHAHA ELLIE FROM DANTDM IS IN BURNING FIRE NOW!

[@denjismissingnut2222]

​@@logancracraftgaming7124Maybe keep your weird sad little comments to yourself until you mature past the age of 5, freak. Hopefully nothing important to you dies

[@brickdarg6750]

The main issue I have with modern Spongebob just from a quick glance is how any new side character just doesn't mesh with the established crew and other side characters. I can't put my finger on it, but it's similar to the new clones in Clone High 2023. Their art direction just feels too different from what we know the residents of Bikini Bottom to be.

[@JeskidoYT]

also that it's been 10 or even 15 years for some characters to reappear again randomly in the series. THAT LONG

[@kotzpenner]

It’s probably the over complication in design compared to the simpler design of the main cast. I mean you can easily draw the main cast by heart since it’s a few shapes and colours, I mean look at Patrick. The new side chars are often complicated and not fitting. It’s like if you put SpongeBob through a hyper realistic filter.

[@reddeadspartan]

Simpsons has had the same issue for years too, maybe this is just the curse of long running cartoons?

[@Iwidelyoutliveeverything]

They're either tube sausage people claiming to be fish, or wrinkly realistic monsters

[@angel_of_rust]

you can tell they're drawn by the wrong type of Spongebob fans, the type that also like Sonic and make X the Y OCs.

[@FuseiRogu]

The best part of each LS Mark vid is when he shows the fact hes actually open to different opinions and views. He never says anything like "I DONT CARE WHAT YOU THINK", he legit listens. Good on you, Mark!

[@Nicholasmcmath-cr1xl]

Same

[@corporatecanine6030]

And people still find ways to harp on him and villainize him. Its very telling.

[@FuseiRogu]

@@corporatecanine6030 Yeah! They hate when they can't really be upset at the fact he actually cares about their views

[@mythcat1273]

I think the problem with modern spongebob is that once they realized that lots of people used screenshots from the show as reaction images or memes, they've just constantly been trying to produce the next "caveman spongebob" or "surprised patrick"

[@andieallison6792]

YES.

[@low-keydrama1260]

U hit the nail on the head

[@idk7677]

Can’t forget chicken bob

[@theradionicrevival8068]

Mark literally debunked this at the beginning of the video. And honestly as an artist myself, Mark was pretty on point. The internet is crazy and fads come and go and animation takes so long to make its pretty disingenuous to chalk up all that talent to them just being in arms race to make a meme in a cartoon for kids where wacky faces has always been sort of part of the show. Forgot their name, but the og rebel taxi crew straight up brought in a ton of animators in the industry as guests for their old podcast (the pizza party podcast) and one of the most poingnant things said by one of them is what their thoughts were on what they thought of non-animation industry takes and theories And homeboy said they love them because it’s always 100% more interesting than what actually goes on on the inside, due to the fact that it’s all just any other job at the end of the day. Nobody makes choices, everything is some insidious plot or slight on someone’s character or some act of self sabotage for clout. And GOD it rings so true Now to be fair; yeah, a myriad of things impact why artist do what we do in the same way things effect what you do what you do, we’re all just people after all. However- Sometimes-- It ain’t that deep bro, (which I hate saying when it comes to art) but sometimes it not some insidious plot, sometimes an artist puts something in because it’s cool or funny and it makes their job and their day a little brighter. I only bring this up because while not working on anything spongebob related, Tyson Hesse one of the main artist for a lot of modern 2D sonic media had about the same thing to say in response to a fan criticizing the silly faces. They’re doing god knows how many drawings a day, sometimes they just do something silly for silliness sake. To treat it like some valid clout chasing, is honestly pretty scummy imo :/ As Mark said at the beginning, we DON’T know what’s going through their heads, but to make an assumption to rationalize your distaste for something that basically amounts to personal preference is incredibly odd, rude and disenegenous You could just say “idk, I can’t put my finger on it, but it doesn’t feel ‘spongebob’ to me, and I don’t like it.” Instead of using some ad hominem to attack or imply one’s character. Just makes you look shitty, even when you weren’t intending to be.

[@Pablo.673]

Not at all. Even LS Mark said he disagreed with this.

[@chimerschang]

On the topic of the "my leg!" gag, one key element to making it work I feel is that they just used the same voice clip every time. That, and they didn't make the mistake of recent episodes of pointing it out and drawing attention to it.

[@krinkles147]

i never thought the very expressive animation was bad, i just think it’s bad when there’s no jokes that the expressions are trying to enhance. EDIT: mom look i got 800 likes (this does not make me famous) i hate when commentors do that shit

[@andykishore]

That's exactly how I feel about this.

[@kingbash6466]

That's literally my thoughts. Previous seasons 1 had the expressive off-model moments as just that, "moments." It feels like nowadays, it's just feels like watching an old rubberhose cartoon just with 50% less brain cells.

[@logancracraftgaming7124]

HAHAHAHAHA ELLIE FROM DANTDM IS IN BURNING FIRE NOW!

[@sallyparty1978]

200th

[@krinkles147]

@@logancracraftgaming7124 wasn’t that like years ago. bots have no logic

[@TKsh1]

The over-expressive worked for Ren and Stimpy because it complimented the show's acid humor. Without something to back it up, a show like Spongebob doesn't fit the more "grounded" strcture of the show.

[@towivamoriz7789]

Agreed.

[@ReddyToAnimate]

What about Cow And Chicken, I Am Weasel, Space Goofs and Oggy And The Cockroaches?

[@zachflakerton]

There’s a difference between “expressive” faces and what Mr. Enter described the modern wacky faces as “frantic.” The faces shown here 4:30 are still very expressive without being frantic. The frantic faces stray so off model to the point where the characters almost look like they’re not the same person. The show has always used that (maybe with the exception of Season 1) but it was meant to serve a peak emotional moment, like the classic “you like krabby patties don’t you Squidward?” All of the tension in that episode was building up to that very moment so the face served the joke. The fact that they do off model faces every other frame suggests they don’t fit the dialogue or serve any purpose.

[@angel_of_rust]

it feels like compensation tbh.

[@complex2live]

This is a very interesting analysis. Because I honesty do think that Modern SpongeBob has been dumbed down compared to the original. The original (Season 1-3, and maybe the first part of Season 4) had good written episodes that changed cartoon history in a few ways. And it would use crazy faces only if it was a for a joke or just something that would suprise you, and it wasn’t overdone. The newer seasons though, it seems they don’t have writers capable enough to make good stories anymore. But to be fair on both parts, the artists (as you said) are just being told whats going on in the story for the current episode, but there comes a point (normally after the 3rd to 4th season mark, "no pun intended") where you already used the best ideas and don't know what to do and thats the time to stop the show. Just my opinion. Good video Mark. Also I love the fish model. The new Bubble Bass is upon us.

[@logancracraftgaming7124]

HAHAHAHAHA ELLIE FROM DANTDM IS IN BURNING FIRE NOW AND I AM LAUGHING!

[@Exzimius]

​@@logancracraftgaming7124not really relevant to the situation at hand tho.

[@sillybeanthing]

​@@Exzimiusit's a bot, just report it

[@sentientbluewallpaper8859]

​@@logancracraftgaming7124 wrong channel, kid

[@augustoof13]

I had a really bad childhood where I lived in an apartment with my bio parents and the only thing I could do was sit in my crib and watch seasons 1-3 of spongebob, all day every day for 5 years. I’m not kidding, they were genuinely very neglectful. Spongebob was my friend, and i fucking hate what they’ve done to him and his friends. For me, it’s very personal because he was the only thing I had for the first few years of my life, and they took that away too. I would’ve felt much better if they just canceled it maybe 5-6 seasons in, let it die with some shred of dignity. It feels like the only good part of my childhood was taken away from me, too. Sorry I didn’t mean to trauma dump.

[@cold_soup_]

i feel you put the differences between the eras of spongebob into words really well. i feel like i better understand why i'm not a huge fan of the newer seasons despite still loving the early ones. the insight into the differences in the processes for the different eras was really interesting too, it explains a lot why the different periods in the show's run were so radically different from each other also DAMN they did a lot of the artists dirty in the mid seasons. i kinda want to see a world where those episodes had looser animation that better reflected the original storyboards and sketches

[@themachomanrs]

I’m glad Mark is finally going for a more realistic character to himself IRL

[@HeisenbergFam]

"I logged on to Twitter one day" im amazed Mark is still sane after experiencing Twitter, unless he's already insane

[@dillon9378]

Now I know why he is insane. Thank you breaking Walter white🙏🙏

[@GiffanyCD]

This is why I enjoy watching LS Mark, he seems like a real person talking about what he likes and not some Tumblr User getting mad over a single frame of off model animation. this video feels informative, and I actually learned some stuff about animation keep making cool videos

[@logancracraftgaming7124]

HAHAHAHAHA ELLIE FROM DANTDM IS IN BURNING FIRE NOW AND I AM LAUGHING!

[@Flowermations]

@benpodvia5744 Yeah, though at least John owned up to his mistakes and is more calmer in his videos now then he was in the past.

[@allendepacheco3419]

​@@FlowermationsHe actually saw the Patrick Show episode that involves the "online reviewer" and he actually enjoyed it. He said if the episode came out around the same time he was reviewing the other bad SpongeBob episodes, he would go ballistic and call the episode mean spirited for insulting the fan (all while doxxing the writers and have people to harass them). Instead, he actually appreciated the episode for how accurate the Bubble Bass reviews were to the reviews of the 2010s. He explain that the show wasn't for him, but he know some people who like Uncle Grandpa would genuinely like this as they're part of the same niche of humor. Mr Enter is no longer that angry reviewer that would shout random and bizarre takes especially once be pandemic came to an end.

[@Flowermations]

@@allendepacheco3419 Yeah I saw that video too, that´s what we folks call character development.

[@BigForAHedgehog]

I think my biggest gripe about modern SpongeBob is how it's more of a kids show than an all ages show now

[@CallMeAirChaps]

You see this a lot now. It's like writers just go "who cares, kids will eat this up" without remembering that many parents and older siblings are going to have to watch this stuff a lot with the kids. Stuff like old SpongeBob and Shrek were genuinely funny even to the parents

[@Wario1382]

Spongebob is trash without Stephen Hillenburg

[@ethelturner5466]

It was meant to end at the first movie, but Stephen decided that SpongeBob was to good of a show to end on that note, but that was his mistake that he can't take back since he passed away.

[@princessnicki63]

I hate this saying too, though. Spongebob has always been a "kids'" show, it just so happens that it also heavily resonated with adults and adults loved it too because of how genius the dialogue and humor was; however, this newer team of writers (I've noticed this in a lot of other modern cartoons as well) seem to think children are inherently too stupid to find anything other than oversaturated colors and endless body gags entertaining. It's like they went from a show that was creative AND hilarious to......Cocomelon level brain rot. It's unfortunate tbh

[@gummidon1618]

@@princessnicki63 very offended you’d ever compare any version of SpongeBob to cocomelon. Bright colors doesnr automatically equal something is bad and childish.

[@stigmaoftherose]

I think the biggest problem isn't the animation, it's how vibrant the colors are. I think the original muted colors were good for an underwater world and moving to more expensive animation is fine but keeping the original color pallet and contrast is more important than anything else and looking at the new ones are so much more visually noisy that it's hard to look at. It feels like it's designed to overstimulate the brain with bright flashing colors rather than focused on the art, writing and other things that keep you watching. Also I think it's super important for a show to keep some level of visual fidelity over the years on some level, if it looks so different it's hard to tell it's the same show is an issue. Sure, season one Simpsons and family guy also look extremely different but I feel an establishing shot in those still looks like the same show unlike SpongeBob.

[@socialgutbrain7774]

I agree. The new rendering style feels too bright, sharp and sleek. The warmth and fuzziness of older Spongebob, though, that was the stuff. Now I wonder what Adam Paolian's drawings would look like with the original fuzzy lines and cozy colors.

[@macroy2159]

sorry to say this 6 months later, but its always supposed to have been like that. you can look up color guides and animation cels from the early seasons and they'll all have the same, bright color palette.

[@goosegas2087]

​@@macroy2159Couldn't that mean they were relying on the tech to mute the colors for them too? So that way they weren't too dark when they put it together?

[@yamimarus3550]

​@@macroy2159even in the mid to late 2000s (when it was colored digitally) though, it had a saturated color palette, but it wasnt overstimulating to look at. now spongebob is this eye searing neon yellow that completely stands out against his environment. cartoons can have bright and saturated colors, but the inconsistent contrast and color temperatures just looks awful (to me, personally) no matter what cartoon it is

[@yamimarus3550]

​@@goosegas2087this is also a good point. its like how the game boy color and og game boy advance didnt have backlit screens so the colors were made very bright to compensate

[@jaredkino9258]

super refreshing to see a yt video that isn't trying to force me to believe anything or regurgitating 2d extreme views for the sake of attention. Just an honest exploration of a topic with a respectfully subjective angle. _"Here's what's up, here's why it might be happening, I don't think it's personally for me, and that's ok."_

[@nostalgialodeon9305]

Mark I definitely recommend you check out the SpongeBob comics that ran from 2011-2018. They were made by Derek Drymon, someone who had a huge part in the classic era of SpongeBob and Stephen Hillenburg even had involvement with the comics and they definitely feel more in line with the classic SpongeBob then the show has for years! I’d love to maybe see you do a review on them one day!

[@dante_0962]

There comics of SpongeBob?!

[@socialgutbrain7774]

I have an issue lying around somewhere in my room, and it absolutely does have the same charm as the early seasons for sure

[@snnnaaaaaakeeeee4470]

​@@dante_0962Yup. There is some wild stuff in them too.

[@newseason3917]

I love how thoughtful you are of the storyboard artists, you’ve come a long way

[@snakeman8033]

The Mark's Bubble Bass Avatar idea was genius.⭐

[@goatfan300fs7]

Spongebob was definitely made as a show for all to enjoy in its early years before becoming solely a kids show gradually

[@happaxgamma]

The problem with most kids shows (partially cartoons) these days is that they pander too much to kids than being for the whole family. Families are more able to enjoy cartoons like Regular Show and Gravity Falls over something childish like We Baby Bears or Molly McGee. I heard that Adult Cartoons have been getting better reputation in this decade with shows like Smiling Friends, and the Adventure Time revival, but I highly don't recommend children watching those.

[@goatfan300fs7]

@@happaxgamma it helps with a show being regarded as timeless when you make it targeted towards everyone in the audience

[@raidenstark315]

Like the flintstones

[@velocity1852]

I think a big reason SpongeBob lets the artists work so freely now is genuinely because Nick doesn’t know how to manage cartoons anymore lol

[@kingbash6466]

While I commend the effort put into the animation for the modern seasons, especially after how Seasons 6-8felt pretty stagnant, I feel like they overcompensated by making the comedy rely on "lol funny meme faces." The reason why stuff like Squidward's "Tonight" face gets such as big reaction because the first 3 seasons and even parts of Seasons 4-8 understood the concept of restraint. Starting from season 10 it feels like the comedy is basically carried on whether or not you enjoy Ren & Stimpy-esque weird faces for 90% of the runtime, and as someone who still enjoys that style of comedy, even that some understand when not to try so hard to look crazy and wacky at points.

[@legendbtv]

Yeah when you’re watching season 10+ it’s more reaction-inducing to NOT see a wacky face. Hell….. with how the animation is now, we need to stop calling them “wacky”because it’s just the new normal. Lol

[@thesupermayoreo]

@@legendbtvNot when most people who think of Spongebob only think of the golden years of Spongebob from 1999-2004.

[@legendbtv]

@@thesupermayoreo well Yeah….. of course, during that era, stuff like Squidward’s “tonight” face is a wacky face, I’m just saying that when you normalize something like wacky faces, ( post season 9 ) it kind of just makes them faces, imo

[@pugcraft8]

my problems with the new seasons is that before the faces helped the jokes and now the faces are the jokes they took one characteristics of a character and push it to the extreme and now they feel empty and one noted, it make them fill not connected to ther origin. for example mr Krab fills off now

[@harjjw]

I can't help but chuckle every single time it cuts back to the bubble bass avatar

[@maccamachine]

SpongeBob will always be my favorite show. Some of the newer episodes are actually decent and fun and not all terrible like people say I’m sure the people who say that shit never watched it recently. The older seasons are definitely still the best but it’s not all bad now I do love how colorful it is

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

The current seasons of Spongbob are maybe hit-and-miss, but it's better than Season 6 - 8.

[@gomugoat]

theyve been picking up the slack in season 13 but it kinda is terrible ill be real 💀

[@ItalianChicken72]

I agree, I enjoy watching the modern seasons, especially Season 9b and 12

[@usermcskull4713]

Tbh I'm not the biggest fan of post sequel SpongeBob, I think the past two seasons have been good but it's just not really my thing but I really hate the way some older fans tend to talk about long running series. Where they say the modern stuff's bad because of episodes made like 10 years ago

[@thepandorica1660]

​@@usermcskull4713exactly. Like, how many times do we have to say that the Splinter was back in 2008? I was a kid

[@CaptainCat101]

Paramount needs Spongebob to stay relevant, and there isn't an easier way to make quick money than selling Spongebob memes

[@cursorguy]

@@wallowlightlmao what’s that suppose to mean

[@andykishore]

LOL, like as if the fanbase is not keeping it relevant enough already. Consider that this is the same fanbase that won't allow the show to get cancelled and go off the air.

[@2-Way_Intersection]

what???? you act like all paramount is is nickelodeon

[@the_very_cozy_burrito]

​@mrdingus1530 actually i think they are, yknow it's a 25 year old show right?

[@nutquesadilla5075]

He literally refutes this thought process in the video

[@xainsshrimpboat340]

My biggest gripe with modern SpongeBob is the soundtrack. The Hawaiian-style background music gave off a much nicer vibe than the weird, stuffy modern style, in my opinion.

[@GuyNamedCrystal]

A lot of animation discussion online turns really toxic really quickly, so I'm glad that your video was really well thought out!

[@DeathByZombieGames]

This might be a hot take but I don't care how much "effort" it takes to animate new spongebob episodes they need to like cut back on said effort because they're just over doing it

[@fogcomign]

Sad to see mark put in all this effort to make his points clear even though twitter will ignore the whole video anyways

[@StormTeeVee]

That's Twitter for ya

[@SwirlystarsJP]

Really nice to see someone make a video about this. Ever since Season 10, I noticed a big shift in the animation being more wacky but it was in Season 11+ where it felt more and felt too much to where it was the only joke in the episode and was wondering if other people felt the same.

[@bensvideo]

note that the bubblegum kids sponsor also sells NFTs, and they do ""giveaways"" to people who buy their gum. seems pretty sketchy, keep this in mind before buying anything from them

[@LukeVaughn__]

Thanks for letting me be in this video Mark, I had a lot of fun working on it with you! Hope to see you all in Bababooey World!

[@EBTheOriginalMaster]

Really enjoyed your cameo appearance in this one.

[@ShyGuyXXL]

I can totally understand how tempting it must be for the artists to wanna make the show as expressive as it can possibly be. I mean, I'm an artist and I love expressive characters, but when even fairly mundane things are portrayed in a super exaggerated way, it all just sort of mushes together. This doesn't mean you need to make the show feel stiff and stilted. You can fill your animation with subtle movement every now and then. Then it'll feel alive but you won't take away from the moments where the animation SHOULD be big and over the top.

[@snakeman8033]

Well i think this the biggest word what define Modern Spongebob: *"Not bad,but...not for everyone"*

[@BugsyFoga]

You can definitely tell Nick has had been trying to recapture that Ren and Stimpy energy for awhile with the various shows they’ve released throughout the years, and especially with the newer seasons of SpongeBob, and if I’m being honest I heavily prefer this over what the franchise was in post movie era.

[@andykishore]

Some say that they've been trying to do that since Sanjay and Craig and to think that show was 10 years ago now.

[@maxsteellatino3241]

​@@andykishore The Mighty B! was also inspired by R&S, and that show lasted from 2008 to 2010.

[@logancracraftgaming7124]

HAHAHAHAHA ELLIE FROM DANTDM IS IN BURNING FIRE NOW AND I AM LAUGHING!

[@FringSpield87]

@@logancracraftgaming7124Not cool dude, not cool!

[@dynamicjackstorm]

​@@maxsteellatino3241but mighty b was actually really good whilst sanjay and craig was bad. Atleast season 1

[@awespongebob]

Mark as Bubble Bass gotta be the most cursed thing ever

[@RufioTheThird]

I just started watching your content and found you here. What the hell? Keep up the great content, I love it!

[@thetwistedsavant5821]

As someone who's spent essentially my whole life keeping up with the show I personally think the biggest separation from older and newer episodes is the feeling of 'what did this do with my time?'. I feel like older episodes told a good story that may have relied on funny visuals here and there but was still mainly focused on the story above all else, where some (I would say about half) of the newer episodes might just see it is half the story and the other half as something to stare at equal to listening to the story. You're made to focus on what's happening on screen way more than what's being said. (If that makes any sense.) It's like when a video has Subway Surfers covering of the screen; it's not preventing the story being told from being any better but can still distract and take away from what's being said. All that being said I loved old school nerdy Spongebob (He's a literal square for crying out loud!), I can like naïve and ignorant Spongebob when he's not purposefully being annoying for no reason, and loathe 'baby' Spongebob where all he does is harass people and be a problem even when they say as much straight to his face.

[@eatatjoes6751]

It's the Helluva Boss problem for me. The writing needs work, but the animation is *gorgeous* and seemingly carries the whole show.

[@mittycommitspizzatime92]

Helluva boss’ problem is that 99% of the jokes are just “hehe s*x”

[@robertyeah2259]

gotta be real, i cannot finish an episode of anything that person has animated, and it’s because of the dialogue. it sounds so much like the terrible dialogue I wrote when I was 15 where every character is extremely stand off-ish and sexual / or rude because comedy, I guess.

[@trafficonez06]

I feel like the newer animation is a good example of “less is more”

[@Felix_the_forestcat]

I think my main problem with the series is the characters. it seems like they just reduced the characters to one or two traits. Like Patrick is dumb and he eats a lot and SpongeBob is annoying not just to the other characters but to the audience as well. They’re all just not likable anymore. I’ve also noticed that they have been running out of ideas lately, bringing back gags from old episodes, trying to cash out on nostalgia. Either that or they are trying to bring back the magic of early SpongeBob and failing to actually figure out what was special about it.

[@ant_racer]

coincidence when your literally drawing spongebob on rn and this video shows up, lol. honestly, I personally always liked the animation of spongebob since it’s beginning and what it have to offer, the talent the new artists have on the show is impressive and creative for sure. my only real issue with it is when the question really is: does it fit spongebob? The animation really throughout its run always seemed amazing to me, and nowadays I appreciate the effort the artists go to really push the characters animation to its fullest. My only gripe is that I feel they use the animation as a scapegoat to prioritize it over the actual writing. I always loved the writing the show had early on, even in some later seasons as well, but I think the show worked best when that surrealism was more sprinkled on top of good writing, the sparingly done goofy faces over writing that makes the joke of the faces work. When they seem to do it know, it’s really more for the face itself being the joke rather than what they are actually saying, and I’m not the one to bash how people write things, but it would be better if they could also prioritize the writing more often to substitute the faces the characters make, the shows been going on for 20 years now so I understand. Would also just be cool if they experiment more too like I remember you saying in your ranking video, like use stop motion animation or different takes on animation styles, it really would give a breath of fresh air for this show. It’s my favorite show, and really all I’d like to see is for the show to go in a more interesting direction really, at this point it’s been going on for so long, why not do something new yknow?

[@UltraCenterHQ]

It's like the animation quality is absorbing all the other aspects of the show. To the jokes and the character personalities

[@blueminddeveloper1099]

17:35 “British guy comes in and makes the same joke again” Has to be one of the sentences of all time

[@SnooperStar18262]

Nice fish avatar. Threw me off guard! You should do stuff like that more often.

[@mittycommitspizzatime92]

I have a soft spot for season 1’s look, idk how to put it but it all feels very honest

[@toon4thought]

That whole script-driven vs. storyboard-driven discussion gets even crazier when you find out that "The Patrick Star Show" switched to being board-driven sometime midway through its first season, which I think could also be interesting to compare with the current script-driven stuff from the parent series. But that really is a point for another day.

[@truthteller7283]

Oh no. The animation in the newer episodes are stellar. That doesn’t take away that the jokes these days are just about the wacky faces. Wacky faces have always been a standard of SpongeBob. However, they were usually used to enhanced a joke and became part of the joke but never became THE joke. These newer seasons hardly have any actual Witty jokes or dialogue. Remember when SpongeBob and Patrick parent a baby clam and when the clam was crying, SpongeBob tried to calm it down by basically being like “look at the funny face! Daloo, Daloo, Daloo, look at the funny face”? That has basically became modern sponge in a nutshell.

[@ProbablySoon-pv6ee]

Season 9B is not like that at Ll

[@1funneh1]

Bubble Bass Mark is an amazing looking character, and with his clip being one of the more popular ones being thrown around Twitter when his episode aired, it’s also a nice joke as well if that was the intention.

[@mcgrathyboi4175]

Fun fact: Zach Hadel (psychic pebbles) did a few storyboards for SpongeBob and even voice acted for a split second

[@-throat-]

what's da SOURCE

[@ww6372]

The source? Google Psychic Pebbles SpongeBob and read the multiple sources that confirm it. You can't link on KZbin, the burden of proof is no longer on the original poster it's on you to trust or confirm

[@-throat-]

@@ww6372 - no it's ok i looked it up. neat stuff

[@ww6372]

@-throat- sweet. Sorry, saw a recent thread were a creator of a video joined in on mocking a user for sharing a fun fact instead of just fact checking it, so I've become a lol more irritated by people who are like "gimme all the links idk how to google"

[@postironichno_innit]

uh akshually he never really did any voices

[@segaseth]

SpongeBob fans are the most defensive of any long term cartoon fan base. I just like SpongeBob. Just like Star Wars,The Simpsons and Family Guy. Our moments that I enjoy less than others and vice-versa I think people need to also remind themselves that sometimes it's just a lot easier to just enjoy something or say this isn't for me. All without having to attack a whole staff of animators and writers. Great video as usual mark 😊

[@thesupermayoreo]

I can agree with not attacking the writers or animators, but if people wanna voice their opinions on what they heavily dislike, then who are we to say “it’s better to just not say anything negative?”

[@ShockwaveFPSStudios]

In a Post Sequel SpongeBob episode, SpongeBob had the ability to turn into other residents of Bikini Bottom by impersonating them. At first he did to make fun of them, but then he keeps doing it to which not only it annoyed the other citizens of Bikini Bottom and his friends, but it also came with a cost… he lost his identity, becoming a broken shell of his former self. A being who doesn’t know who he is, due to changing forms. I think that perfectly sums Modern SpongeBob. He changes his face every time, and the more he changes his face for a simple joke, the more loses a part of what made him iconic to everyone who watched him over the years. Now he’s an ever changing puppet.

[@maxsteellatino3241]

Season 10 is the one that has handled facial expressions best, while Season 11 is better in the stories, by the way, Lost In Bikini Bottom has the most "Classic SpongeBob" animation of Modern SpongeBob, many expressions in that episode remind me a lot of Season 1. By the way, I think you should have made the comparison with Lost In Bikini Bottom (the first Post-2nd Movie episode), that episode feels more like an introduction than Extreme Spots.

[@TheIrreverentUncleAl]

Oh yeah! Extreme Spots was when the show transitioned into widescreen for the first time.

[@icaroaraujo1507]

Being honest the new animation of spongebob inspires me to become an animator myself. It's just so expressive that I want to practice drawing a lot, so maybe one day I can achive this level of skill. Edit: As it seems The Patrick show went with the "Storyboard driven" technique starting from "The Patterfly Effect".

[@wishdankpods]

what i appreciate about marks content compared to other cartoon reviewers and shows/movie reviewers is im not left wanting more. people tend to just, say the facts and then dip. i’m so used to it i checked at the 5 minute mark bc i thought it was gonna be over but no, and i was glad because i would’ve been left wanting more. keep up the good work mark

[@DJG094]

2:00 Exactly. I saw the show for the first time in over a decade on TV at a hotel over the summer, and I was shocked. The animation is good, but it doesn’t match the tone of SpongeBob’s older animation that I loved. It’s just too exaggerated now in my opinion.

[@seamino8329]

all spongebob episodes now are little more then “hey this thing is from an episode 10 years ago!” please laugh!!!!

[@ApolloAnimationsYT]

4:17 Welp this aged well lol!

[@RealTomahawk7]

The way I see it, it shows the bigger budget and the advances in animation technology compared to 1999. Whether or not it works for the show is for the viewers to decide. And I guess Paramount realized how strong meme culture is today. I mean, I wish I had a dollar for every SpongeBob meme I've seen.

[@that1latinodude20]

I love expressive animation, but like I wish they did it more sparingly

[@randomguyontheinternet7940]

Honestly, I like how SpongeBob has kinda become a modern Loony Tunes. Despite its animation and visions progressing a lot differently. We need more shows that are willing to give artists freedom, that's the kinda stuff that's gonna inspire kids to learn to draw and animate. People act as if being critical or supportive are bad perspectives to have but you need a bit of both when you're talking about a series with so many people working on it. People love to pretend like being critical means you're endlessly bitching and if you're supportive you need higher standards when in reality this doesn't have to be a personal war against each other. Discussions like this should be welcome when it comes to art, even when its aimed at children mainly. If Spongebob can be different but still critically acclaimed and influential I'd be all for that.

[@towelclipz]

You honestly probably have one of the best takes about modern SpongeBob that I've seen (definitely biased tho because it's a pretty close opinion to what I hold on the series), the new stuff shouldn't be compared to the old stuff because it's trying something different qnd that's okay

[@boopsdoops]

it really comes down to the use. the animation where it's on model can be pretty solid still, but the off-model moments that come every half-second can really mess with the show. seasons 1 to 3 could use them well because they weren't so common; they were special because they were truly random and fun moments, and when they're on constantly, you can really lose that value.

[@nd_kui1772]

Honestly it is actually very distracting how much their faces change when they are talking. I know they do it for the funny and it looks soo damn smooth. But man, if they would tone it down and keep that level of smoothness. The animation would definitely be top tier. Over-animating is a thing

[@spleenikfan158]

i think it just feels like they wanna make a new tenor gif everytime spunchbop blinks tbh.

[@bigearl1624]

Mark said that.

[@spleenikfan158]

@@bigearl1624 true. but i thought that before i watched the video so hweffwfdsafdsfawefasefdsa

[@ItalianChicken72]

I honestly enjoy most of the wacky faces, but there are exceptions (Jolly Lodgers for example). Besides, the wacky faces actually toned down in Season 13, you can see this in episodes like Spatula of the Heavens and Hot Crossed Nuts

[@maxsteellatino3241]

Although sometimes the animation in that season looks a bit "slow", the budget probably had to be adjusted with the Spin-Offs

[@ItalianChicken72]

@@maxsteellatino3241That could be it, it must cost a lot of money to manage 3 shows at once

[@DEATH2NOOBZ]

hot crossed *what*

[@maxsteellatino3241]

@@ItalianChicken72 Yeah, I noticed this when I compared the scene of Squidward hitting in the Sushi Maker in Life Insurance, with the one in Friendiversary, in Life Insurance it looks more fluid and detailed than in Friendiversary, especially when the fists hit Squidward, in Friendiversary looks like they won't touch him, and both episodes are 6 years apart (2017-2023).

[@a18yearoldonyoutubeluigi]

We went from perfect balance in the first 4 seasons, to being stiff and soulless like family guy from seasons 5-9 (like just look at Extreme Spots at 16:33 it just feels so nothing and like it was made to annoy you with stuff like Patrick's single tooth and SpongeBob's squint eyes), to now this over expressive Ren and Stimpy wanna be nonsense since season 10. I just don't get how hard it is to write the way episodes were in the first 3 seasons. Same can be said with the Simpsons. Like SpongeBob now is definitely better than it was in the mid seasons, but this is still a far cry from the golden era.

[@MesterFester123]

I like the new animation style. It’s fun to look at, the characters still look quite appealing and as a sucker for expressive faces, it’s easy for me to get hooked into them. It’s way better than something like Season 7 and that’s coming from a guy that actually likes Season 7. That said, I wish it was used a bit more sparsely. It’s fine if they just wanna goof off but it makes the faces have a much bigger punch

[@genesis4322]

I only really saw the first 5-6 seasons and I haven't watched the show in a long while so we are on the same page in terms of experience. I love to hear your opinions because I feel you on these.

[@pewdiepiesubbot8672]

I’ve been watching Spongebob all my life, and I’ve definitely noticed the show change. For a show that’s been on the air this long, it’s inevitable. There have been some changes I wasn’t a fan of, but regarding these most recent seasons I think they’re pretty solid. Yeah, they’re pretty different from the first seasons, but to me it still feels like Spongebob. To me it feels like they’re trying something new, which I respect. We all have different responses to different changes, and that’s alright. That doesn’t make the show bad or good, just different, and that’s fine

[@thesupermayoreo]

You can like it and I can dislike it. Though at the end of the day, there are different iterations of Spongebob that people can go and stick with.

[@theradionicrevival8068]

It’s also kind of inevitable that something running this long hits phases. Everything from dragonball or Jojo (manga AND anime) to western stuff like family guy and the simpsons go through phases that impact the output, for better or worse. It’s inevitable and we have our preferences But just because something changes, just because it isn’t for us, doesn’t mean it’s objectively bad There’s a difference between something isn’t for you, and just being UPSET at something that doesn’t APPEAL to you and treating it as an inherent fault on the creators part. Distinguishing the two is key

[@gagglegames]

My Leg annoyed me because it rerecord the phrase over and over. The humour for me was hearing the same clip as a background noise, like catching a Wilhelm Scream.

[@slimcognito383]

Honestly, my problem with the wacky faces is that it feels like sensory overload since it is done too often.

[@joed3736]

I think the animators or directors or whatever definitely caught on that SpongeBob memes are thing so they try to capitalize on it by making the faces be extra goofy in the modern episodes hoping it will become a meme.

[@ahmadrezaharati248]

my therapist: Bubble Bass LS Mark isn't real, he can't hurt you. Bubble Bass LS Mark:

[@albertscountry7271]

You know, it’s funny that Mark’s Bubble Bass avatar is based on Bubble Bass Reviews considering it’s one of the new board-driven episodes of the Patrick Star Show.

[@patrickstar5966]

I actually really like this video. It's very informative and you make some really great arguments. I also really like how you mention Robertryan Cory's layouts on the show and how they got toned down; it reminds me of how Family Guy tries to do gore/grossout but it ends up coming across as purely gross and disgusting instead of funny thanks to being drawn in the show's overly clean, bland style. Thanks for talking about Robertryan Cory because he seriously does not get enough appreciation. As for me, Season 1 and the first half of 2 are my favorite part of the series because they're more driven by visuals but also have some really great and memorable writing. I thought the animation/drawings in Season 3 became way too stiff (except for in Club SpongeBob, yay Erik Wiese and Andrew Overtoom!) and the humor became way more dialogue-based which I'm not too fond of (but it still had some amazing episodes like the aforementioned Club SpongeBob, Chocolate With Nuts and The Camping Episode). I actually like the "wacky seasons" better than Season 3 but nothing will ever beat the uniqueness and aquatic ambiance of Season 1. The middle seasons are mixed for me. Season 4 was amazing and had really fluid animation and dynamic drawings coming off of the movie. Season 5 was where the show started getting really stiff and Seasons 6-8 are just the absolute worst in terms of visuals. Like Dear Vikings used to gross me out as a kid because of how BLAND it was. Ugh.

[@itzmatt373]

patrick apporves

[@karljulien4954]

The wacky faces really let you know how much they take pride in being a Squash and Stretch cartoon.

[@ethan10146]

It’s simple, when the writing sucks- you make up for it by having the main character do some wacky adhd stuff so you don’t realize as much

[@Daniel_Nye]

The best part of this video is knowing that Mark is watching Futurama (knowing in The Simpsons vid he did he said he's never watched it) makes me hopefull for a "I watched all 150 episodes of Futurama" sometime down the line. ...What's this about Spongebob's animation?

[@mtx247]

My problem with the animation is it's extremely grotesque now. I can understand why many parents say their kids aren't allowed to watch the show. I'm shocked it's not rated teen or higher. They're pretty much showing gore but in a "kid friendly" way.

[@Mrnotpib]

From a writing comparison vs. board driven… how does the writing get *worse* when it’s script driven? The show was so character and dialogue driven in the first few seasons, it felt like a group of people just trying to make each other laugh. I like the idea of having a completed script to work off of for the animators, but can the jokes not suffer from it? Good things need to feel grounded in something, that’s how this show became popular in the first place. Without it, it feels like an “and then” show.

[@mavohq]

man the ‘and then’ thing is exactly how i feel about new episodes. tried to give them a chance but every episode just felt like ‘this happens and then this happens and then this happens and now it’s done’, i definitely preferred it when it was more character driven and the characters weren’t either flat, a complete shell of themselves, or needlessly vindictive

[@snnnaaaaaakeeeee4470]

​​@@mavohqYeah it makes the jokes suffer too. Like, there is no real setup or delivery. It is just "this and then this and then this and then end scene". Like, there was a really recent one involving Sandy that i assume was intended as a job but came off more as some writer's incredibly weird self inserted kinks (something that I have noticed more than once in modern episodes).

[@snnnaaaaaakeeeee4470]

@BrandonNobleRocks If it is getting old and repetitive then perhaps a sign that the show should finish? There is nothing left to do. Everything is a copy of an older episode.

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

Spongebob SquarePant's animation in the current seasons really gives me the _Ren and Stimpy_ kind of vibe due to its zany yet fluid movements that adds to the chaos and nautical nonsense. While I maybe not a fan of it, the painterly close-up shots will always be best part of the show.

[@thecaptain6520]

It gives me vibes of "never draw the same face twice"

[@helpfulplaylists3933]

That's Vincent Waller magic to modern SpongeBob since he worked on the original ren and stimpy show.

[@postironichno_innit]

omg mr friendship

[@Fatih_M177]

​@@thecaptain6520 It's kinda funny when you think about it. John.K goes absolutely nuts anytime an artist unintentionally duplicates a face. While SpongeBob (Or at least Modern SpongeBob) is able to causally pull of the "no same face twice" rule (Unless they're referencing a meme). Like seriously, it feels like almost every face in modern SpongeBob is always different unless they're using the "default/blank faces"

[@wesleypatterson2284]

Spongebob is becoming like the Simpsons in that each generation blindly claims their version to be the best while blindly hating everything that came before and especially after

[@cerealbananas]

Me when a long-running show has a divided fan base:

[@medaman15able]

One thing I love about modern elastic SpongeBob is that you can watch the episode without sound and still know what the mood/what is going on.

[@saniyacantey4108]

While I do commend modern SpongeBob for how good the animation is, I feel like because the show is ALWAYS expressive it loses its charm. There’s a reason why old SpongeBob wasn’t super expressive, and it’s because they would use those more off models expressions for jokes. To elevate a joke wether it was good or not, they would use an expression. And that’s why it was so good, take for example the “who you calling pin head?” Patrick line, the joke was already funny but it’s even better with the face. Sure it could’ve worked as well if Patrick just idk squinted his eyes, but the face really brings it home. SpongeBobs wacky and off model faces have always been loved and used SO much for meme material. But in the newest seasons, you can tell they aren’t as confident in the jokes, so to elevate them they use faces. Except to a worse extent because the joke already wasn’t funny, and when they use expressions ALL the time, it takes away the magic of having a funny joke with a goofy face. Because ALL the faces are goofy so what makes this joke having a certain face stand out!? Again not to say the faces aren’t well animated, they very much are. But having SpongeBob be super expressive ALL the time takes away the magic of what made it so good, there’s a reason you don’t see the newest SpongeBob get faces used for memes like you would the original.

[@frenchfry7774]

I’m eating some grapes while watching this

[@complex2live]

Sweet. This comment is pretty underrated.

[@n50409]

You thought this was gonna be a top comment didn't you

[@frenchfry7774]

@@n50409 yeah and I wasn’t even eating grapes

[@n50409]

@@frenchfry7774 I can't believe you would do this

[@ArtisticTozmic]

How were those grapes

[@blooper2088]

LS Fish is probably the greatest thing I've ever seen please bring him back, dont let him be a one time thing

[@Hauntaku]

The old Spongebob animation was subtle and that's why its animation is best

[@megamodpod8731]

Its so strange to see a long running character get flanderized not just one with him going from nerdy to babyish, but twice then turning wackier

[@SnooperStar18262]

My thoughts on it are that I appreciate the modern series more than I like. I respect it but it doesn't hold a candle to the originals. If you like the whacky faces that's fine, but hiding behind the "it's not made for you anymore" shield is not the way either.

[@FinchZeKey]

I really miss when my favorite cartoon sponge was subtle and sincere 🥲

[@SIudge]

More simple and clean

[@Abexian2234]

​@@SIudgeIt's the way that you're making me feel

[@undergroundman1993]

SpongeBob is unique because you can see the animation evolve with different eras of cartoons. The early seasons take a lot of inspiration from Rocko’s Modern Life and Ren and Stimpy, then as it grew in popularity, it developed its own style and became the standard for a while. Over time it began to take inspiration from other newer series again, probably through similar circumstances of artists working on multiple cartoons.

[@TheBargainBinLLc]

I like that you show both sides. The few modern SpongeBob I have seen feel completely soulless in my opinion, but people growing up with modern SpongeBob probably love it. It just feels like the Simpsons to me. That’s just the problem with a show going on this long, you’re gonna lose people with the changes. Idk if spongebobs decline is as bad as the simpsons, but modern SB always makes me feel empty on a character side, which is why I fell in love with the show in the first place.

[@circleinforthecube5170]

i dont know, i grew up around the late noughts early 2010s and i remember hating modern spongebob, all those super toxic "security system takes control of squidwards house!" critic youtubers came from that time period

[@Lokiip]

The over exaggerated features and over the top fast bouncy movement are its downfall. They dont look good. Theres a reason people are mad about it, because the original creators final wishes were to NOT change it in the exact way the changed it. They didnt wait any time at all. No we may not be the target audience but who do you think picks which shows the kids watch? Who watches with them..? Us. The old show was appealing to all ages. Adults and teens especially loved the art style and hidden adult jokes that seem to be way overly obvious now and the over the top facial movement and quick jumping has a much less appealing quality. It lost its charm. That hurts me to say because it was a staple series in my life for nearly my entire life. That is gone now though. At least we have repeats.