Hey gang, Valkor here. And Christmas done come early here at TOV, thanks to the folks at Paramount Home. They've sent along "It's a SpongeBob Christmas" and while we reviewed the DVD last year (It was OK, but too short), this year it's being put out in a Blu-Ray Combo Pack bulked up with a slew of extras to enjoy. But is it worth the double dip?
Taken from my original review: "It's a SpongeBob Christmas" takes the popular Nick show and its characters to a whole new level, stepping away from the traditional animation in favor of full-on stop motion action. So it would appear Plankton has devised a scheme involving handing out fruit cake and a new element he discovered called "Jerktonium". His plan is to lace the cake with this new element and feed it to all the citizens in Bikini Bottom, making them all jerks. Why? He figures if everyone else is bad, then maybe Santa Claus won't think he's all that bad and he'll get the gift he really wants – the secret Krabby Patty formula. But the formula doesn't work on one citizen – SpongeBob. And it's up to the yellow sponge to rescue Bikini Bottom before Santa skips their town completely. Plus he'll to contend with Plankton's other creation – MechaSpongeBob.
It's a SpongeBob Christmas comes in Blu-Ray Combo Pack format, which includes a BD copy, DVD and UltraViolet digital copy. As far as extra features, to kick things off, the BD disc comes packed with ten episodes from the series (not entirely holiday related). Highlights include:
SB-129 – All Squidward wants is o have some alone time, but SpongeBob and Patrick pester him to go jellyfishing. And in an attempt to escape their pestering, he attempts to hide out but winds up traveling through time, meeting various versions of SpongeBobs and Patricks.
Ripped Pants – SpongeBob attempts to gain the attention of gal pal Sandy Squirrel but in doing so he rips his pants, which opens up a whole new world of hilarity. Unfortunately for SpongeBob, he runs that joke into the ground.
Jellyfishing – SpongeBob and Patrick finally get Squidward out for some Jellyfishing. Unfortunately for Squidward its post an accident and he's all bandaged up. But that doesn't the duo from taking him out anyway.
Something Smells – When SpongeBob creates a ketchup/onion/moldy peanut sundae, all of Bikini Bottom suffers… and he doesn't know why. Patrick, who isn't offended by the stench, tells the Sponge that maybe he's ugly. So they set out to fix his problem.
Other features include a "behind the Scenes" featurette, a storyboard animatic of the special, two MP3's, Violent Femmes sing the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song, and finally "SpongeBob Secrets". You're getting a pretty hefty BD set that makes for a great stocking stuffer… or does it?
The Good:
It does! And it's just the type of Blu-Ray I've been looking for. If you already have the first DVD of "It's a SpongeBob Christmas", I definitely recommend getting this set; not just because of the special, which is in glorious HD (not that I'm slouchin on the DVD), but the loads of extras you get warrants the purchase. I would have been happy with just the episodes, which was my complaint when I reviewed the DVD, but the other stuff was a lot of fun to watch as well, especially the "SpongeBob Secrets", specifically the voice over work. It's hilarious! Toss away that old DVD and set yourself up with this brand spanking new combo. It's definitely worth it.
The Bad:
Nada here, the set is complete to perfection.
The Ugly:
N/A
"It's a SpongeBob Christmas" is available on October 15th, which is the perfect time to pick it up this disc set and stash it away, so you'll have it ready for the holidays. This BD is chocked full of holiday goodness that everyone can enjoy. And out of TOV 5 stars, "It's a SpongeBob Christmas" Blu-Ray Combo Pack gets a 5 star perfect for the great additions included.
