SpongeBob Goes Where No Sea-Fearing Creature Has Gone Before... to the Lost City of Atlantis

SpongeBob Goes Where No Sea-Fearing Creature Has Gone Before... to the Lost City of Atlantis

In The World Premiere of "Atlantis SquarePantis" - Monday, November 12 on Nickelodeon

Rock Legend and SpongeBob SquarePants fan David Bowie Guest Stars as Lord Royal Highness in SpongeBob's First Ever TV Movie, Available on DVD November 13

BURBANK, Calif., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The biggest mystery 20,000 leagues beneath the sea is uncovered when SpongeBob and the gang find the lost city of Atlantis! To celebrate the monumental underwater discovery, Nickelodeon will blow it out of the water all day long with a SpongeBob convergent online and on-air event on Monday, November 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Kicking-off the twelve-hour marathon of kids' favorite episodes from "Z to A" will be the theatrical film The SpongeBob Square Pants Movie (9-10:30 a.m.). The event will culminate with the premiere of SpongeBob's "Atlantis SquarePantis" TV movie guest starring David Bowie and the "Behind the Pantis - How We Made Atlantis SquarePantis" special (8-9 p.m.), all times ET/PT. Also integrated throughout the day, Patchy the Pirate (Tom Kenny) will host his own talk-show from the bottom of the aquarium at the Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas with special guest star Devon Werkheiser of Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and navigate viewers through the episodes that kids voted for online on TurboNick.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071029/NYM042 )

"SpongeBob has become somewhat of a celebrity among celebrities. When you have a rock legend like David Bowie interested in doing a guest role on the show, there's no question that SpongeBob commands serious star power," said Marjorie Cohn, Executive Vice President of Original Programming and Development, Nickelodeon Television. "In fact, David had so much fun recording his role as Lord Royal Highness, that he called it "the Holy Grail of animation gigs" on his personal website."

On Monday, November 12 at 9:00 a.m., the 12-hour marathon begins by counting down kids' favorite SpongeBob episodes that are represented by every letter of the alphabet from "Z" to "A." The specific letter will either be in the episode title or connected to the episode thematically. The marathon kicks off with The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie as the letter "Z" is represented by Plan Z in the movie. Beginning October 15, kids can vote on Turbo Nick.com, Nickelodeon's broadband player, to select their favorite episode for each letter of the alphabet. The marathon culminates with the premiere of SpongeBob's "Atlantis SquarePantis" TV movie, which represents "A" for Atlantis.

In the TV movie, "Atlantis SquarePantis," (8-8:45 p.m.), SpongeBob finds the missing half of an ancient medallion believed to be a relic from the lost city of Atlantis and brings it to the Bikini Bottom Museum where the other half is on display. The two sides are reunited, and suddenly a magical van appears that beckons to take SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Squidward and Mr. Krabs to the legendary city of Atlantis. Each passenger, along with Plankton who has secretly stowed away in the van's glove compartment, is eager to experience the many riches the city is rumored to contain. When the van finally arrives, they are greeted by Atlantis' king himself, Lord Royal Highness (voiced by David Bowie), who spares no time in taking the visitors on a tour. Atlantis proves to be even more wonderful than anyone could have imagined, particularly for SpongeBob and Patrick who encounter the Oldest Living Bubble. But when a flash from Patrick's camera causes a mishap, SpongeBob, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Sandy and Squidward must run from the Atlantean Guards or find a way to make amends.

Immediately following the TV movie (8:45-9 p.m.), Nickelodeon will premiere it's first-ever Nicktoon behind-the-scenes special, "Behind the Pantis - How We Made Atlantis SquarePantis." The special delves into how the TV movie was created, from the initial story pitch, writing, storyboarding, drawing and animation to the voice recording sessions.

In spirit of "Atlantis SquarePantis," Nicktoons Network will air water- themed programming on Monday, November 12. Nick.com will also go "underwater" beginning November 1. Bubbles will take over the site, each with different point values, or in some cases negative points. Collecting bubbles will unlock exclusive Nickpoints, Nicktropolis content and power-ups in the Atlantis game. Kids will also be able to design their own virtual Bubble Buddies with their screen names attached and some will even "pop up" on-air the entire week leading up to the marathon. Nicktropolis will also enable kids to design the room of their dreams using exclusive assets from the "Atlantis SquarePantis" episode, only available for a limited time up to the premiere. Certain assets will only be unlocked by collecting bubbles.

"Atlantis SquarePantis: Bus Rush," Nick.com's new Game of the Week, will be available on November 8. Players must navigate through the fabled city of Atlantis and overcome obstacles before running out of fuel. Additionally, the "Behind the Pantis" special will be available on TurboNick following its on- air premiere on November 13. Later this month, Nickelodeon will release SpongeBob's "Atlantis SquarePantis/Atlantis Treasures" game on its wireless content carrier partners, in addition to two themed-wallpapers and ringtones. Atlantis-themed clip content will also be available.

On November 5, Nickelodeon and THQ will release a new videogame, SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis, for the PlayStation2. In the game, fans can join SpongeBob, Patrick and the rest of their Bikini Bottom pals as they uncover the treasures of Atlantis in order to fulfill SpongeBob's dream of finding the World's Oldest Bubble. Players can control whether the city brings everything SpongeBob desires, or if Plankton's evil plan will burst his bubble. SpongeBob video games have had massive success globally with over 20 million units sold around the world, making it the number one kid's licensed video game franchise.

On Tuesday, November 13, the SpongeBob SquarePants: Atlantis SquarePantis DVD will be released by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment following its on-air premiere. The DVD also contains behind-the- scenes extras and bonus features including exclusive footage of Patchy the Pirate.

In support of SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis television event, Nickelodeon has partnered with first time sponsor Atlantis Resort, which will host a special SpongeBob SquarePants-themed weekend package for families, beginning November 5. The weekend includes a sneak preview screening of the Atlantis SquarePantis TV movie and a custom gift bag. Packaging, featuring Patchy the Pirate, which will air during the SpongeBob marathon leading up to the movie premiere were filmed at the Atlantis Resort.

Burger King will also support Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants: Atlantis SquarePantis TV movie event with a multi-platform program that includes the creation of 12 new mythical-themed SpongeBob premiums for distribution in their Kids Meals. Burger King will also sponsor a sweepstakes with a grand prize family trip to the Atlantis Resort; as well as additional prizing that includes the Atlantis SquarePantis DVD and the THQ Atlantis SquarePantis game for PlayStation2. Dodge and Bandai have also signed on as on-air sponsors for the SpongeBob TV movie.

Launched in July 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has since emerged as a pop culture phenomenon and one of the most popular series in kids' television history. The series is the number one animated program with Kids 2-11 for 6 consecutive years and the Saturday morning play of the series currently ranks as the top rated program among Kids 2-11. Approximately 64.5 million viewers tune into the show each month, including 23.1 million Kids 2-11, 14.4 million Tweens 9-14 and 30.7 million Adults 18+. (Source: Nielsen Cume Data -July 2007). Adult viewers also continue to tune in and have increased by 87% since the premiere of the show in July, 1999.

The most widely distributed property in MTV Networks history, SpongeBob SquarePants is syndicated in 171 markets in 25 languages. SpongeBob SquarePants is among the top rated kids' shows, across broadcast and cable, in every major television market around the world.

SpongeBob SquarePants is executive produced by creator Stephen Hillenburg, who previously worked as a writer, director and creative director on Nickelodeon's animated series Rocko's Modern Life. Hillenburg graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with a master's degree in experimental animation and studied marine biology and art as an undergraduate. Hillenburg created and executive produced The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie which hit theaters in November 2004.

Paul Tibbitt served as a director and writer on SpongeBob SquarePants for its first three seasons and is currently executive producer. He wrote some of the show's most memorable episodes such as "Ripped Pants" and "Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy." Tibbitt was one of the co-writers and storyboard artists on The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. SpongeBob SquarePants is a Nicktoons Production and is produced at the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, CA.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, in its 28th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 96 million households and has been the number- one-rated basic cable network for 13 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) .

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Source: Nickelodeon

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Profile: International Entertainment