The latest entry in the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise, Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie, just made its unauthorized debut on social media.
SpongeBob SquarePants debuted on Nickelodeon in 1999 and has run for 14 seasons and counting. It is one of the network’s longest-running and most popular cartoons.
The zany comedy’s success has also translated into a range of tie-in media and spinoff projects. The latest of these projects is Saving Bikini Bottom: a feature-length side story focused on supporting character Sandy Cheeks.
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie is slated to premiere on Netflix at some point in 2024 – however, some fans have already clapped eyes on the animated flick.
SpongeBob’s new Sandy Cheeks movie leaks online in full
It’s all thanks to X (formerly Twitter) user Indicator, who uploaded The Sandy Cheeks Movie in its entirety on January 21. Multiple users then shared Indicator’s post, spreading the leak even further.
F*CK IT, FULL SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, SAVING BIKINI BOTTOM: THE SANDY CHEEKS MOVIE LEAK pic.twitter.com/daFi9gZzsr
— Indicator (@indicatorfn) January 22, 2024
Nickelodeon’s parent company, Paramount Global, responded quickly, filing a flurry of copyright complaints. This resulted in strikes for the offending accounts. But The Sandy Cheeks Movie nevertheless remained available on the platform a day after the wave of copyright strikes.
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What’s more, once the full-length video was finally removed, copies began cropping up on other sites, including Reddit. Unlike on X, the film wasn’t directly embedded on Reddit, but rather shared via DMs.
The source of The Sandy Cheeks Movie leak is unclear for now, although it’s seemingly tied to a 2023 security breach that saw animation outfit Pipeline Studios’ servers made public. The film also appeared on X on that occasion, although Paramount managed to limit the leak to just five hours.
Pink brands SpongeBob SquarePants song a “mistake”
The Sandy Cheeks Movie leak isn’t the only negative headline for the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise in recent months, either. The beloved series has also had to weather ridicule from within its own ranks, after pop rocker Pink publicly expressed regret over her participation in SpongeBob’s Truth or Square.
Asked to name her worst-ever single, Pink volunteered her contribution to the 2009 TV movie. “Worst? I mean, there’s been so many… I did put out that SpongeBob thing – ‘We’ve Got Scurvy,'” Pink said. “I wish I never did that. That was a real mistake.”
