SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D

SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D is an 2003 amusement ride based upon the popular television series SpongeBob SquarePants. It debuted in various amusement parks owned by the now-defunct Paramount Parks (which was bought out by the Cedar Fair Entertainment Company in 2006) in May 2003. It can be found at various aquariums, Adventure aquarium, Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags Over Texas, La Ronde, and the Adventuredome theme park, Kings Island (one of the Paramount Parks-owned locations where it debuted, opening there on May 10, 2003) and Excalibur Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. It is also found at Shedd Aquarium and the Nick Hotel. The ride is also found at Noah's Ark Water Park in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin at the Noah's Ark Dive-In Theater and former Paramount Parks owned amusement park Canada's Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. In Europe, the ride is found at Movie Park Germany in Bottrop, Germany and in Walibi Belgium in Wavre, Belgium The ride consists of a pre-show which then lets in to a stadium seated auditorium. The ride is in 4-D, meaning it's a motion simulator with a 3-D movie. The effects on the ride vary at different parks. Water spray, bubbles, wind, leg ticklers, smoke, and smells are usually found. However, none of the effects, besides bubbles, can be found at the Six Flags parks. The Six Flags name for the ride is SpongeBob SquarePants: The Ride, opposed to others using the traditional SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D. Although the title is different, the rides are the same. A successor called SpongeBob SquarePants 4D: The Great Jelly Rescue premiered at Nickelodeon Family Suites Resort on April 19, 2013. Since then, SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D has only a limited amount of still-operating locations.

Plot

The film opens with Painty the Pirate literally bringing the riders down to the Krusty Krab, where Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob welcome the riders as a trainee fry cook. SpongeBob attempts to complete a Krabby Patty by adding a pickle (in some versions of the ride, when SpongeBob opens the barrel, riders can actually smell pickles), but it slips off and lands into a pogo-sticking Patrick's hands; Patrick immediately dashes out the door.

SpongeBob blows a bubble bike to go into Downtown Bikini Bottom after Patrick, causing mayhem along the way. In Jellyfish Fields, he is greeted by jellyfish which sting him. After a brief encounter with Patrick, SpongeBob accidentally pedals the bike into Rock Bottom, where a giant fish creature pops the bike, causing SpongeBob to fly in the air along with the rider.

While in the skies, SpongeBob spots Patrick pogo-sticking into the Chum Bucket, where he lands. He finds Patrick locked up. He also spots a second Patrick on a pogo-stick, which freaks Patrick out. Plankton appears, claiming his Robo-Patrick truly stole the pickle. Robo-Patrick then attacks SpongeBob with a claw, a buzz saw, and a paddle ball, in a chase around Plankton's lab, yet Plankton's plan fails after Patrick unplugs the robot to plug in his toaster.

SpongeBob receives the pickle which gets into the patty. The customer appears asking for the Krabby Patty. SpongeBob gives it to him, which causes the customer to inflate and explode, as he is allergic to pickles. The effect is a mist on the riders (some versions have water drops thrown at the riders).

Characters

• Painty the Pirate
• Mr. Krabs
• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Squidward Tentacles (cameo)
• Tom (cameo)
• Nancy Suzy Fish (cameo)
• Jellyfish
• King Neptune (mentioned)
• Karen Plankton (cameo)
• Patrick Star
• Sheldon J. Plankton

Voice cast

• Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants and the Jellyfish
• Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick Star
• Rodger Bumpass as Squidward Tentacles
• Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs
• Doug Lawrence as Plankton
• Dee Bradley Baker as Sandals
• Patrick Pinney as Painty the Pirate

Locations

Below is a list of locations. For those that are no longer operating, a explanation of their closure or what replaced the ride (including non-SpongeBob rides) is included. Some locations cancelled plans for the ride altogether. Not ALL locations are listed.

Open and Running

• Fårup sommerland
• Kemah Boardwalk
• Life Science Centre, Newcastle Upon Tyne
• Museum of Science Boston
• Mystic Aquarium
• North Carolina Zoo
• Riverbanks Zoo
• Trans Studio Makassar
• Vialand, Istanbul

Closed, Replaced, or Cancelled

• Adventure Aquarium (replaced with SpongeBob SquarePants 4D: The Great Jelly Rescue)
• Adventuredome (operated until May 2013, replaced with SpongeBob SquarePants 4D: The Great Jelly Rescue)
• California's Great America (operated until 2012, replaced with Happy Feet: Mumble's Wild Ride)
• Canada's Wonderland (operated until 2011, replaced with Monsters of the Deep 3D show)
• Carowinds (operated until 2012, replaced with Dinosaurs Alive! show)
• Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls (replaced with SpongeBob SquarePants 4D: The Great Jelly Rescue)
• Dollywood (defunct)
• Downtown Aquarium (defunct)
• Dreamworld (planned but canceled)
• Excalibur Hotel & Casino's Fun Dungeon (replaced with Wonder Woman 4D and Aquaman 4D)
• Flamingo Land (replaced with Happy Feet 4D)
• Gardaland (2010-2011) (defunct)
• Kings Dominion (operated until 2011, replaced with The Lost World 3D)
• Kings Island (operated until 2010, replaced with Dinosaurs Alive! show)
• La Ronde (replaced with L'expérience Nintendo (Nintendo Experience))
• Maritime Aquarium (defunct, replaced with Happy Feet: The Ride)
• Madame Tussauds New York (replaced with Marvel Super Heroes 4D)
• Moody Gardens (defunct)
• Movie Park Germany (defunct, replaced with Shrek 4-D)
• Nickelodeon Family Suites Resort (2008-2013, replaced with SpongeBob SquarePants 4D: The Great Jelly Rescue)
• Nickelodeon Universe (defunct, replaced with SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge roller coaster)
• Noah's Ark Waterpark (2007-2011, replaced with Pirates 4-D)
• Oregon Zoo (defunct)
• Pier 39 (defunct)
• Rainbow's End (mid-2000s, replaced by Dino Island 2)
• San Diego Safari Park (defunct)
• Sea World (2011-2016) (replaced with SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D: The Great Jelly Rescue)
• Shedd Aquarium (replaced with Happy Feet 4-D Experience!)
• Six Flags Great Adventure (2008-2010, now defunct and replaced with Fly Me to The Moon)
• Six Flags Mexico (defunct, 2005-2008)
• Six Flags New Orleans (closed since 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina, along with the rest of the park)
• Six Flags Over Texas (defunct)
• South Carolina Aquarium (replaced with SpongeBob SquarePants 4D: The Great Jelly Rescue)
• Stone Mountain (defunct)
• Vancouver Aquarium (2008-2010)
• Walibi Belgium (2005-2010, replaced by Rokken Roll)
• Wild Adventures (defunct)

Trivia

• The ride appeared briefly at Camp Snoopy (now known as Nickelodeon Universe) in Mall of America as a film rotation of the now-defunct Mystery Mine Ride. Instead of being in 4-D with special effects, the ride was in 3-D, and the seats would move (causing a very realistic fall during the Rock Bottom sequence).
• This is the first SpongeBob-themed amusement park ride. The second would be SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge, and the third would be SpongeBob SquarePants 4D: The Great Jelly Rescue.

Amusement Park Rides

Movies

Feature-Length Movies: The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) • The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015) • The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020) • Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie (2024) • The SpongeBob Movie: The Search for SquarePants (2025) TV Movies: Atlantis SquarePantis (2007) • Truth or Square (2009) • SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout (2019) • Kreepaway Kamp (2024) Other: SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D (2003) • The SpongeBob & Mr. Krabs Movie (2007) • SpongeBob SquarePants 4D: The Great Jelly Rescue (2013) • The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Rehydrated (2022)