By John Corrado

It’s hard to believe that SpongeBob SquarePants has been on the air for nearly two decades after premiering in 1999, but the ninth season of the long running animated series wrapped up earlier this year, and is now available on DVD.

This set features all 26 episodes from the season which mostly aired between 2012 and 2016, including the three special double episodes It Came From Goo Lagoon, SpongeBob, You’re Fired! and Goodbye, Krabby Patty?, which are all among the best in this set.

It’s worth noting that the episode SpongeBob, You’re Fired! actually garnered controversy due to the fact that it explores the very real topic of job loss, and has been seldom aired since its debut in 2013, which in my opinion just makes the episode that much stronger and more worthwhile.

It had been a while since I had actually seen any new episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants, having grown up watching the first few seasons in the early to mid 2000s, and I was happy to find the same irreverent and often surreal sense of humour that I remembered from the show when watching through these discs.  The series continues to provide plenty of entertainment value for young and old viewers alike, operating with a wonderfully cartoonish sensibility and delivering plenty of off the wall sight gags involving the delightful characters.

This season also features some all-star voice guests, including Bob Barker, Betty White and Aubrey Plaza, as well as a chance for Jon Hamm to play an animated parody of his most famous character in Goodbye, Krabby Patty?, and a Laverne & Shirley reunion for David Landers, Michael McKean and the Fonz himself Henry Winkler in Sharks vs. Pods.  For fans of the series, and those of us looking to catch up with it again, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Ninth Season is a lot of fun to watch and is well worth picking up.

The four disc DVD set also includes the five bonus shorts Frozen Krabby Patty, More Feeling, What Else Can a Krabby Patty Do?, Krabby Patty Report and Krabby Patty Jingle, which are a series of fake ads that tie into the Goodbye, Krabby Patty? episode.

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Ninth Season is a Paramount Home Media Distribution release.  It’s 588 minutes and rated G.