Plankton: The Movie is a 2025 American animated musical comedy film based on the television series SpongeBob SquarePants, created by Stephen Hillenburg. It is directed by Dave Needham and written by Kaz, Chris Viscardi, and Mr. Lawrence, based on a story by Lawrence. It stars Lawrence, the voice of Plankton, alongside the rest of the series' regular cast. The story follows Plankton, whose plans for world domination are put to a halt when his computer wife, Karen, decides to take charge. It is the second in a series of SpongeBob character spin-off films following the first in 2024.
The film was originally conceived by Lawrence as a half-hour special, but was eventually put into development as a feature. In March 2020, ViacomCBS announced that it would be producing SpongeBob spin-off films for streaming television. In June 2024, a spin-off film featuring the character Plankton as its lead was announced with its creative team attached. Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper composed the score, and Bret McKenzie, Linda Perry, Mark Mothersbaugh, and Bob Mothersbaugh wrote original songs.
Prior to its release, the entire film was leaked in August 2024, as a video upload online. Plankton: The Movie was officially released on Netflix on March 7, 2025.
Plot[]
The movie begins where Plankton planned for Operation Success to get the Krabby Patty secret formula after 25 years of failures. His wife Karen had forgot his plan because she was hanging out with the Gal Pals. Plankton arrived and reminded her about the plan and head to the Krusty Krab to steal the formula. Mr. Krabs taught SpongeBob a skill that allows to spy on their enemies.
As they arrived, Plankton tells Karen to give him a lift, but the computer wife is offended, allowing her to join the heist. Plankton sneaks inside but his attempt's yet again had been unsuccessful. When he returns home to the Chum Bucket, he is surprised that Karen has turned the restaurant into a successful Mexican-themed chum restaurant with an active customer base. He asked what she did to the place and she explained that he won't need the secret formula and gave the place a neat touch. Plankton refused and demanded to help her steal the formula. Karen insisted that his idea has not changed and told him to think about her idea. However, frustrated that her move isn't evil to his exact specifications, Plankton burns the place down.
Fed up with Plankton never listening to her ideas, Karen removes her Empathy chip from her circuitry, and throws him out of the Chum Bucket. He landed right onto SpongeBob and to their shock, the Chum Bucket began to float, magnetizing anything metal. Then, Karen announced that their evil alliance is over and transform into a hydra with three heads. They introduce themselves as Smart, Snarky and Evil, who wanted to take over the world by building a giant robotic Mega Karen and kill Plankton.
He and SpongeBob managed to escape to the Barg'N-Mart, safely while the three Karens decided they should make their battle station by using the buildings. Now safe in the market, SpongeBob asked Plankton why Karen is so angry. He replied that he had no idea how, and since he forgot everything in his past, SpongeBob decided that he should use his hypnotism gear in order to get Plankton to be on the same page as Karen. Thinking of a plan, he secretly analyzed that he would find a way to destroy Karen and gives SpongeBob a go to hypnotize him.
When he was a child, Plankton had made Karen when she was just a calculator connected with a potato and petri dish. They quickly escaped the Bar'N-Mart, where they arrived at the Bikini State University. When he was just a young adult, he updated Karen and made their first freeze way to take over the world. Arriving at his old college room, they found Karen's old calculator and escaped through Plankton's basement, where all his inventions from trying to steal the Krabby Patty has been kept.
Their original attempt at world domination was thwarted by a human child at the beach, who threw them back into the water, and it is revealed that overhearing Mr. Krabs jokingly say that the Krabby Patty secret formula is what will help him take over the world is what led Plankton to make his life's goal to steal the recipe.
SpongeBob realized that Plankton's obsession made Karen turned against him and Plankton is able to make a new Karen, forcing her to fight the Hydra Karen. However since he made Karen parts, the Karens merged her into a stronger robot, forcing them to run away. SpongeBob was horrified that Bikini Bottom is all gone and h angrily accused Plankton that he lied that he was never interested of getting Karen right. He decided to leave Plankton because Mr. Krabs was right and goes to be with his real friends.
Plankton decided that he will accept his fate to let the Hydra Karen to destory him. Just then, SpongeBob and the Gal Pals rescued him and head to their secret headquarters. Sandy, Pearl and Mrs. Puff demand him why Karen is so angry had had four heads. Plankton, feeling guilty said that he and Karen was in love and the night before, Karen had removed her Empathy chip, which horrifies them. Plankton managed to find the empathy chip but Sandy tells him that Karen was never happy with the way things were. She takes the chip inside his brains and decided to help Plankton get to the Mega Karen.
They sneak inside and find out that their town is completely jumbled up. There, SpongeBob reunited with his best friend Patrick. Sandy tells SpongeBob to get Plankton to Karen while they fight the counterparts.
While Plankton heads to reconcile with Karen. SpongeBob and Patrick head to the engine room, powered by potatoes, and cook all of the potatoes to mitigate the ship's fuel. In the control room, Plankton reached Karen and apologized but Karen attempts to dismiss Plankton's attempt to win her back by handing him the Krabby Patty formula. Surprisingly, Plankton tells her that she was the real secret formula, and the two begin attempting to take over the world together once again. However, Patrick has eaten all of the potatoes that were stockading the engine room, causing the mech to crumble apart and restore Bikini Bottom to its former glory. Everyone attempts to attack Plankton and Karen, until SpongeBob intervenes, saying that he's a "sucker for a love story," to which everyone agrees and celebrates.