How The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Is A Retelling Of The Odyssey
A Christopher Nolan movie adaptation of Homer's Odyssey is one thing — but there’s another, more porous version that deserves your attention.
The tale of Odysseus and his perilous journey home is one of the most well-known stories of all time. Based on a series of epic Greek poems by Homer, the twisty tale shares what happens after the infamous Trojan Horse incident, which was actually spearheaded by renowned warrior Odysseus himself.
In short, Odysseus wins the war, but as he and his men make their way back home, they face a series of trials, including face-offs with monsters like the cyclops, irresistible siren songs, and even the wrath of Poseidon, the god of the sea.
In the many years since, there have been countless movies and TV shows centred around an epic journey home filled with trials and tribulations, and honestly, we have Homer to thank for that. But the most surprising one is, arguably, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie — and really, you need to hear me out on this one.
How Is The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Like The Odyssey?
In the beginning, SpongeBob and friends get on the wrong side of King Neptune, which is similar to how Odysseus and his men ended up facing the fury of Poseidon after blinding his son. And, on the subject of Poseidon, his son, the Cyclops appears in both the myth and the SpongeBob Movie, with SpongeBob and Patrick facing off against what they call a “cyclops,” although in reality it's just a person in a diving suit.
They also encounter their own form of a ‘siren’ — which is a monstrous fish disguised as a sweet old lady offering delicious ice cream. As netizens have pointed out, ice cream in itself in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is essentially the film’s equivalent to the addictive lotus flower presented in Homer's Odyssey, with SpongeBob and Patrick getting ‘drunk’ on sundaes at the Goofy Goober Ice Cream Party Boat.
It’s also arguable that Mindy is Athena. Not only does she act as a spirit guide throughout SpongeBob and Patrick’s journey, but also, as Collider points out, Mindy could be a shortening of Minerva, which is the Romans’ answer to Athena. At the film’s climax, she even provides SpongeBob and Patrick a bag of wind to help them get home. Odysseus is imparted with the very same gift in the myth.
Other TV Shows/Movies Based On Homer's Odyssey
Of all the loosely-adapted retellings of The Odyssey, the most famous is probably the film O Brother, Where Art Thou. It’s probably the most overt, too. The film follows escaped prisoners Ulysses (George Clooney), Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson), and Pete (John Turturro). They journey across Mississippi in order to reach Ulysses’ stashed treasure. There’s a scary cyclops-like figure (Big Dan), riverside sirens, and a ‘suitor’ for Ulysses’ ex-wife Penny (yes, just like Penelope) in the form of Vernon T. Waldrip.
On the small screen side of things, The Simpsons also got involved. Obviously. Compared to Nolan’s movie, The Simpsons were able to keep the adaptation of the epic to under ten minutes long, which is an impressive feat in itself. Homer Simpson is obviously Odysseus, while Ned Flanders is the trusting king Priam of Troy who falls victim to the Trojan horse trick. Patty and Selma are the sirens, Bart is Telemachus, and Marge is obviously Penelope, who has to ward off suitors like Krusty, Groundskeeper Willie, Sideshow Mel, and Mr. Burns. Barney also pops up as Dionysus, because why not?
Finding Nemo is another unexpected example. In a press junket clip with The Odyssey cast, UK presenter Lindsay Russell points out a fundamental similarity: “It’s just a guy looking for his dad, and his dad’s out there looking for him,” she said. Anne Hathaway hugely enjoyed this theory, suggesting that Penelope is Dory, and that the Cyclops is equivalent to Bruce the shark. As the Fortress of Solitude points out, it is also worth noting that, in The Odyssey, the God of the sea, Poseidon, ensures that the ocean gives Odysseus a pretty miserable time. Equally, Marlin faces all kinds of challenges as he voyages through the ocean.
