While I have heard much gnashing of teeth about the irregular schedule that Spongebob Squarepants and other Nickelodeon cartoons have, I feel that this allows the creative team to keep the shows fresh without experiencing burnout as rapidly as other children’s show. Nowhere is this better seen than in Heroes of Bikini Bottom, the Spongebob DVD that is touching down on June 14th.
The 88 minute-runtime of this DVD gives viewers 8 different shorts, while having an additional bonus of an episode of T.U.F.F. Puppy. This collection contains the episodes that were originally aired during February and March of 2010, including Back to the Past, The Bad Guy Club for Villains, Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful, A Pal for Gary, Yours Mine and Mine, Kracked Krabs, A Day Without Tears, and Summer Job. While there is always the tendency for established show to have character creep (the inclusion of additional characters), I feel that these episodes show that the extended characters (Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, Gary, Squilliam) can be few in number while significantly increasing the quality of the episodes.
The video quality of this DVD easily surpasses any original airing of the shows, while the fact that these episodes do not have the normal amount of Nickelodeon programming should be at least one of the determining factors whether one will buy a copy of Heroes of Bikini Bottom. If you like Spongebob, pick it up today.
Rating: 7.5/10
Heroes of Bikini Bottom (DVD) / 2011 Nickelodeon / 88 Minutes / http://www.nick.com