Pinned thread Art Style analysis in Spongebob and various other shows

Favorite art style

  • Markerbob

    Votes: 53 42.1%
  • Noodlebob

    Votes: 5 4.0%
  • Cubebob

    Votes: 2 1.6%
  • Normal

    Votes: 8 6.3%
  • Moviebob

    Votes: 12 9.5%
  • Modern SpongeBob Animation

    Votes: 10 7.9%
  • Cheekbob (season 6 version)

    Votes: 3 2.4%
  • Noodlebob knock-off (Season 4-5)

    Votes: 4 3.2%
  • 2004 produced early season 4 (season 3 lookalikes)

    Votes: 8 6.3%
  • Greenblattbob (Dying for Pie and Fear of a Krabby Patty)

    Votes: 21 16.7%

  • Total voters
    126

Original Raw and Uncut

Two-Headed Starfish
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one thing i found weird is that the episode "Party Pooper Pants" had some markerbob, the song was also markerbob but everything else is normal animation

Yeah, the invitation scene, and underwater sun were markerbob, but the actual episode was normal animation. Same thing happens in Ugh, the actual episode was normal, but the Krusty Krab cutaway was Markerbob. The walk cycles in the Sponge Who Could Fly are also markerbob, but the actual episode is normal animation. I don't know why season 3 specials have the tendency to switch between markerbob and normal animation. You seem to notice a lot of things I notice, great minds think alike.
 
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Original Raw and Uncut

Two-Headed Starfish
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one thing i found weird is that the episode "Party Pooper Pants" had some markerbob, the song was also markerbob but everything else is normal animation

My theory is that the actual episode was animated before they made the live action scenes and other segments. Which is why the song is markerbob, same with the other specails. I wonder what season 4 would look like if it had markerbob, too bad that was when they switched the animation software.
 

SploderEnigma

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My theory is that the actual episode was animated before they made the live action scenes and other segments. Which is why the song is markerbob, same with the other specails. I wonder what season 4 would look like if it had markerbob, too bad that was when they switched the animation software.
Now that you say that, is it possible to categorize season 4 by art style? Like how some episodes have PaleBob (like MM&BB6), and maybe episodes with a S3-like design?
 

SpongeyMind

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SpongeyMind

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Spongebob's design switches from "Markerbob" to Erik Wiese's normal thin-line Spongebob for a few seconds in Welcome to the Chumbucket when Plankton's moving the grill:

View attachment 11846
also one thing with cubebob (normal season 2-3 art) when he is not smiling, his teeth don't show
lbG05ZS.jpg
S62uDYn.jpg
A1NHR25.png
 
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Original Raw and Uncut

Two-Headed Starfish
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also one thing with cubebob (normal season 2-3 art) when he is not smiling, his teeth don't show
lbG05ZS.jpg
S62uDYn.jpg
A1NHR25.png



I've noticed that too, markerbob's teeth are always showing. I've also noticed that normal season 2-3 artwork has several designs.

Some episodes he's skinny and noodley:
Screenshot 2020-04-10 at 6.52.16 PM.png



Some episodes he's very wide:
Screenshot 2020-04-10 at 7.03.04 PM.png



And some episodes, he's very small and cube like:
Screenshot 2020-04-10 at 7.00.36 PM.png
 

SpongeyMind

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Compare the season 5 knock-off versus the actual season 2/3 design:


Season 5 knock-off:
View attachment 11853


The actual season 2-3 design:
View attachment 11854



The season 2-3 design is more organic looking, and the outlines are wobblier. Spongebob's shade of yellow looks more homemade
also note that season 5 knock off has larger pupils and thicker outlines and larger teeth, they stopped animating the normal 2/3 art in 2002, also sponge who could fly oddly felt like a season 4 episode
 

Original Raw and Uncut

Two-Headed Starfish
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also note that season 5 knock off has larger pupils and thicker outlines and larger teeth, they stopped animating the normal 2/3 art in 2002, also sponge who could fly oddly felt like a season 4 episode


It still has season 2/3 style voice acting, music, and sound effects, and Spongebob still has his lower pre-movie voice.
 

Original Raw and Uncut

Two-Headed Starfish
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Without the voices and sound, I could of thought it was a early post movie episode, compare the animation to good neighbors or have you seen this snail

Spongebob was a dull shade of yellow in early s4. But in this episode he's a firm shade of yellow like he was duirng other episodes in the third season. So Spongebob's shade of yellow also gave away the fact that it was pre-movie.
 

Original Raw and Uncut

Two-Headed Starfish
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Without the voices and sound, I could of thought it was a early post movie episode, compare the animation to good neighbors or have you seen this snail

But I hear you. The episode is very seasonally ambiguous, as well as other episodes that aired around the movie. It's kind of like season 4 of adventure time, some episodes that aired around that time make it very hard to tell when they were made.
 

Original Raw and Uncut

Two-Headed Starfish
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The markerbob episodes have a lot of colored outlines:

Screenshot 2020-04-10 at 11.35.31 PM.png

Look at the underwater sun segment in Party Pooper Pants. If this scene used normal thin-lined Season 2-3 artwork, like the actual episode, the "FUN" letters would have black outlines, same with the fork. The fork would also be thinner and more pointy if it weren't markerbob.


For some reason Squidward doesn't have his markerbob design when he's getting a tan. He looks the same as he does in episodes with regular line art:
Screenshot 2020-04-10 at 11.44.11 PM.png
 
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EM.

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Compare the season 5 knock-off versus the actual season 2/3 design:


Season 5 knock-off:
View attachment 11853


The actual season 2-3 design:
View attachment 11854



The season 2-3 design is more organic looking, and the outlines are wobblier. Spongebob's shade of yellow looks more homemade
Now compare Spongebob's Chimps Ahoy design with the 2/3 markerbob design.

Season 4 mimic
Screen Shot 2020-04-11 at 5.29.51 AM.png

Season 3 OG
Screen Shot 2020-04-11 at 5.33.01 AM.png

Minus the colors and the thickline of season 4 this could look like a legitimate season 3 episode, like The Lost Mattress does.
 
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