During a roundtable interview with CBR, SpongeBob SquarePants cast members Tom Kenny (SpongeBob) and Roger Bumpass (Squidward) spoke about their deep connection with the franchise they've been staring in for over two decades, and what it brings out of them.
Kamp Koral takes SpongeBob SquarePants back in time to when the cast were all pre-teens and at summer camp together. Despite the different animation and slight tone change that comes with the setting shift, Kenny explained that "they're the same characters, but it's just in an earlier point in their development. It's a prequel, I guess, they call them. We don't really think in those terms, but... they're a little bit more naive, a little bit newer to the world, and the world is new to them. They're discovering things that pay off in the later series, depending on your familiarity with... SpongeBob SquarePants." Kenny teased, "there's a lot of Easter eggs... but it can be enjoyed even if you don't have that encyclopedic knowledge of SpongeBob episodes, which surprisingly, I don't."
Reflecting on the last twenty years of voicing SpongeBob and how he came to the part, Kenny noted that, "SpongeBob really does speak to the kid in me. [Series creator Stephen Hillenburg] always said, "the reason I cast you is that there's some of you in SpongeBob, and some of SpongeBob in you. Not that you're a 100% the same, obviously, but there's some crossover there. SpongeBob is high energy and loves his work, and super eager and positive for the most part in his outlook.' And that does describe me, probably."
"When [Hillenburg] let me be SpongeBob, let me tap into that inner child, corny as that phrase is, that inner child where you're guileless, no snark, no guile. Everybody's awesome unless they really prove themselves otherwise. And very open-hearted, the way [Hillenburg] was really open-hearted. It's nice to play a character where that's your go-to. It's really therapeutic."
"I'm hoping really strongly that Squidward does not appeal to the inner child of me," Bumpass joked in response. "He's actually appealing to the inner unrealized, sarcastic, unsuccessful adult in me. And as that is the truth here, I fit well, and dovetail with him very well... It's fun."
SpongeBob Squarepants has been a fixture in western animation for over two decades now, with the original cast remaining in the parts they originated. Kenny has even become a Voice Director for the show. It's something Kenny recognizes as "really a gift, I think, in many different ways." The two voice-actors are keenly aware of how important the series has become to so many people, with Bumpass noting there "are now three generations, because I've come across young parents that married early, and had kids early, and now they have kids. And their parents are the ones that turned them onto this show. So we're not only bi-generational. We are tri-generational now."
That wealth of time with the characters gives the cast "some custodial ownership of the character," Kenny explained. "These characters are really special to us, and it's definitely something that we treat with care. I know Rodger takes Squidward and his role as Squidward very seriously, and me too, with SpongeBob. There's a relationship that SpongeBob and the world of SpongeBob has with people, especially people of a certain age. That's a responsibility, you want to do it right."
"There's a great responsibility," Bumpass concurred. "And it's become such an American iconic image — an idea. And of course, it's international, but for me, I know the other actors feel the same way, that there is a great sense of responsibility. You couldn't go out in public and be a jerk. 'That's the voice of Squidward, and he really is a jerk.' You don't want to bring disrespect to the franchise and to the character."
Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years stars Tom Kenny as SpongeBob, Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick, Rodger Bumpass as Squidward, Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs, Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy, Mr. Lawrence as Plankton, Mary Jo Catlett as Mrs. Puff, Jill Talley as Karen, Lori Alan as Pearl, Carlos Alazraqui as Nobby and Kate Higgins as Narlene. The SpongeBob SquarePants prequel will premiere on Paramount+ on Mar. 4 The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run will make its debut on Premium Video-On-Demand (PVOD) & Paramount+, ViacomCBS’ highly anticipated global streaming service, on Mar. 4.