Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years

Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years
Genre	Comedy
Created by	Stephen Hillenburg
Developed by	Luke Brookshier Marc Ceccarelli Andrew Goodman Kaz Mr. Lawrence Vincent Waller
Written by	Kaz Mr. Lawrence Andrew Goodman Luke Brookshier
Voices of	Tom Kenny Bill Fagerbakke Rodger Bumpass Clancy Brown Carolyn Lawrence Mr. Lawrence Mary Jo Catlett Jill Talley Lori Alan
Theme music composer	Luke Brookshier Marc Ceccarelli Andrew Goodman Kaz Mr. Lawrence Eban Schletter Vincent Waller
Composers	Nicolas Carr Sage Guyton Jeremy Wakefield Brad Carow
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producer	Stephen Hillenburg
Running time	22 minutes
Production companies	United Plankton Pictures, Inc. Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Release
Original network	Paramount+
Picture format	HDTV 720p
Audio format	5.1 surround sound
Original release	March 4, 2021 (2021-03-04) – present
Chronology
Related shows	SpongeBob SquarePants
External links
Website

Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years (also known simply as Kamp Koral) is an American computer-animated television series created by Stephen Hillenburg and developed by Luke Brookshier, Marc Ceccarelli, Andrew Goodman, Kaz, Mr. Lawrence, and Vincent Waller that premiered on Paramount+ on March 4, 2021. The series is a prequel and spinoff of Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants, featuring younger versions of the characters as they attend a summer camp. In August 2021, the series was renewed for a 13-episode second season.

Premise[]

The series follows 10-year-old SpongeBob SquarePants as he spends his summer at a sleepaway camp called Kamp Koral.^[1][2] The camp is run by Mr. Krabs, a single father raising his baby daughter, Pearl.^[3] The camp's activities are overseen by Mrs. Puff, who works as the scoutmaster and arts-and-crafts teacher.^[3] SpongeBob bunks in a cabin with his friends Patrick Star and Sandy Cheeks. Their cabin is run by Squidward Tentacles, a pessimistic camper who is slightly older than the others (almost a teenager)^[3] and is a junior counselor. Unbeknownst to the campers, the local chef Plankton runs a secret laboratory underneath the camp where his computer assistant Karen helps him create elaborate inventions to take over the world. Episodes focus on SpongeBob and his friends learning more about the campsite, exploring new places, and taking part in summertime activities.

Characters[]

The characters in their CGI designs.

• SpongeBob SquarePants (voiced by Tom Kenny)^[4]
• Patrick Star (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke)^[4]
• Squidward Tentacles (voiced by Rodger Bumpass)^[4]
• Mr. Krabs (voiced by Clancy Brown)^[4]
• Sandy Cheeks (voiced by Carolyn Lawrence)^[4]
• Sheldon Plankton (voiced by Mr. Lawrence)^[4]
• Mrs. Puff (voiced by Mary Jo Catlett)^[4]
• Karen Plankton (voiced by Jill Talley)^[4]
• Pearl Krabs (voiced by Lori Alan)^[4]
• Nobby and Narlene (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui and Kate Higgins respectively)^[5]

Release[]

The series was originally planned to premiere on Nickelodeon in July 2020,^[2] but on July 30, 2020, it was announced that the series would instead be released on CBS All Access, the ViacomCBS streaming service, in early 2021.^[6][7] It was later announced that the series will be airing on Nickelodeon as well later in the year.^[8] On January 28, 2021, it was announced that the first six episodes would release along with The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run on March 4, 2021 with the launch of Paramount+.^[9] The series also began airing on Nickelodeon on April 2, 2021.^[10] On June 24, 2021, it was announced that new episodes would release on Paramount+ on July 22, 2021.^[11]

Production[]

Development[]

According to Vincent Waller, the idea for the show originated in a flashback scene from The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run. Having worked on the original show for years, Waller calculated the hierarchy of the camp and the ages of the characters (albeit, younger). Marc Ceccarelli helped develop the new characters and new locations.^[12] In October 2018, on one of Brian Robbins' first days as the president of Nickelodeon, he "decided to put a room together and really look at what the SpongeBob universe looks like." According to Robbins, "out of that came the Kamp Koral idea and actually a couple of other ideas."^[13]

Announcement[]

On February 14, 2019, it was announced that an unnamed spinoff of SpongeBob SquarePants was in the works at Nickelodeon.^[14][15] On June 4, 2019, it was announced that a CG-animated spinoff of SpongeBob SquarePants under the working title of Kamp Koral was officially green-lit with an initial order of 13 episodes.^[16][17]

On February 19, 2020, the show was officially titled as Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years.^[1] It was also announced that the voice cast from SpongeBob SquarePants would return for the spinoff series.^[4][5] A sneak peek of the series aired during the Bears-Saints NFL wildcard game on January 10, 2021 on Nickelodeon.^[18]

On March 4, 2021, it was announced that an additional 13 episodes had been ordered, bringing the series total to 26 episodes.^[19] On August 11, 2021, the series was renewed for a second season of 13 episodes.^[20]

Episodes[]

Reception[]

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Allie Leatherman of Legacy Press felt that the series overplays the slapstick for comedic purposes that children would not find funny. She also argues that, "The shadows are extremely harsh, the color palette is ugly, and the backgrounds are boring and lifeless. The animation makes it unclear if it even takes place underwater. The character design is alright other than Patrick, who just looks like pink mush in the shape of a star."^[30]

Jessica Curney of The Michigan Daily felt that the series is not needed and unnecessary for the franchise and that it does not have the same "spark" as the first three seasons of the original show.^[31]

Mikel J. Davies of The Harvard Crimson wrote that the show "seems to fall short of becoming a beloved classic like its predecessor" and that its comedy is "shallow and unremarkable, much unlike the original show", but praised the decision to keep the original show's main cast of characters and their voice actors, and remarked that "in general, Kamp Koral is an entertaining and enjoyable show", and that "there is hope as the show continues", as "some of the episodes had that familiar spark of creativity".^[32]

Home media[]

References[]

External links[]

• Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years at IMDb