"The Jelly Life" is a Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years episode from season 1. In this episode, SpongeBob pretends to be a jellyfish for research purposes.
Characters[]
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Patrick Star
- Sandy Cheeks
- Squidward Tentacles
- Jellyfish
- Kid jellyfish
- Super Jelly (on comic)
- Giant jellyfish (on comic)
- Jelly from the Jam Lagoon (on comic)
- Sensei Buzz Buzz (single appearance)
- Woman fish (on comic)
- Perch Perkins
- Kevin C. Cucumber
- Incidentals
- Larry the Lobster
- Mo
- Elwood (cameo)
Synopsis[]
One day in Jelly Meadows, SpongeBob and Patrick try to catch a jellyfish with the help of Sandy's new Jelly Angler submarine, which she pilots remotely. Despite flying through a large swarm of jellyfish, nothing is caught in the net. Some other campers begin laughing at SpongeBob, so Sandy pilots the Jelly Angler over them and releases a large burst of steam, making them cough. The campers throw rocks at the Jelly Angler, one of which gets caught in its net. Unimpressed, SpongeBob carelessly throws it away, and it goes into the vehicle's exhaust pipe. The Jelly Angler crashes, although SpongeBob and Patrick escape unharmed. SpongeBob apologizes to Sandy, and she suggests that he try a new method to catch them. She asks him what he knows about jellyfish, and he replies that he only knows what he has read in comics. Sandy advises SpongeBob to go out and watch jellyfish in the wild, and gives him a tape recorder to document his observations.
SpongeBob records some wild jellyfish.
SpongeBob comes across a wild society of jellyfish and attempts to communicate with them, but mistakenly says something offensive, resulting in him getting stung. He goes back to camp and makes a jellyfish costume, using Squidward's ballet tights, then filling a pink hat with air from Sandy's dome. Now disguised, SpongeBob tries to talk to groups of jellyfish, only for them to fly away. He decides to imitate their actions, and tries joining in on a game of hopscotch, only for his legs to get twisted. He is seemingly accepted by a group of jellyfish, who throw him into a rock structure and laugh at him. Patrick comes across SpongeBob and tries to catch him, confusing him for a real jellyfish. Patrick catches him, but reacts with horror upon looking at him closer, and walks away. Some jellyfish sympathize with SpongeBob, promising to teach him their ways.
Sensei Buzz Buzz teaches SpongeBob jellyfish net evasion techniques. SpongeBob easily integrates into jellyfish society, but finds himself unable to sting others. He returns to camp to share his findings. The campers are impressed and roll out a red carpet, and SpongeBob does a quick dance for them, unknowingly building up an electric charge due to friction with the carpet. Mo and Larry want to see him sting someone, and SpongeBob sadly admits that he cannot. To demonstrate, he touches Squidward, who gets an electric shock and is sent flying into the sky, to SpongeBob's surprise. He runs away in horror, shocking others by accident in the process.
Patrick tries to catch SpongeBob.
SpongeBob sadly returns to Jelly Meadows, deeming himself an outcast from both jellyfish and camp society. Patrick shows up and tries to catch him again. SpongeBob uses his training from Sensei Buzz Buzz to avoid his net, and hesitantly tries to sting him. Upon his tentacle connecting with Patrick, nothing happens. Sandy wheels in a blackboard and explains that SpongeBob already had used up his electric charge from the carpet on the other campers. SpongeBob apologizes to Patrick, and the next week, they have both returned to camp as normal. Observing jellyfish in the newly repaired Jelly Angler, SpongeBob wonders if they still think about him. Some jellyfish morph into SpongeBob's shape and imitate his laughter, then fly away. Squidward finally lands far away in the meadows, ending the episode.
Production[]
This episode's clean storyboard was completed on June 3, 2021.[1][2][3][4][5]
Prop design for this episode was in production on July 15 and 17, 2021.[7]
This episode was confirmed by Cartoonlounge.de on August 7, 2022.[8]
Art[]
Prop design illustration[]
- Designed by Maddie Carter.[7]
Storyboards[]
- Plussed by Yeardley Wells and Jordan Koch,[1][2][3][4][5][9] based on rough boards by Keegan Tsetta.[10]
- Four full storyboard scenes plussed by Jordan Koch can be found on his website.[5]
Animation[]
- Director notes by Pablo Smith.[6]
Production notes[]
Jordan Koch:
- Koch gave a "shout out to Brandon Warren for bringing [him] on" to the Kamp Koral crew.[9]
- Warren said that "he had the pleasure of working with [Koch] on the episode" and stated that "he contributed such appealing and silly drawings and some fantastic emotional acting for SpongeBob while feeling lonely in the wilderness", believing he did "great work."[11]
Music[]
| ( ‣ ) Production music |
| ( • ) Original music |
| ( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
‣ Childs's Play - Tommy Reilly, James Moody [Opening.]
‣ Forward Advance - Laurie Johnson ["Atomic batteries to power!"]
‣ Adventure - Ronald Hanmer ["Ready for takeoff!"]
‣ Domestic Fun (B) - Ernest Tomlinson ["You almost got a lot of them."]
‣ Will He, Won't He? - David Lindup [The Jelly Angler puffs smoke at laughing campers.]
‣ Dramatic Cue (G) - Ronald Hanmer [Kids throw rocks at the Jelly Angler.]
‣ Alley Cat - Tommy Reily, James Moody [SpongeBob catches a rock.]
• Nude Sting - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob launches the rock into the exhaust pipe.]
• Grass Skirt Chase - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [The Jelly Angler crashes.]
‣ Another Spring - Tommy Reilly, James Moody ["Sorry I ruined the Jelly Angler."]
• Idea Sting - Nicolas Carr ["Only what I've read in comic books."]
‣ Folli the Foal - Andrew Fenner [Sandy suggests SpongeBob should study jellyfish in the wild.]
‣ Mysterious Jungle - Lionel Wendling [SpongeBob secretly observing jellyfish/"I shall now try to imitate their language."]
‣ Old Hilo March - Kapono Beamer [SpongeBob gets stung by jellyfish after trying to imitate their language.]
‣ Childs's Play - Tommy Reilly, James Moody [SpongeBob uses Squidward's ballet tights as a costume.]
‣ Aquarium - Bernard Babaud, Eric Gemsa [SpongeBob floats past Squidward.]
‣ Hawaii Hawaii - Lionel Wendling, Lisa Doby [SpongeBob tries to socialize with the jellyfish.]
• Huh? Vibe Sting - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob thinks.]
‣ Tense Moments - Alan Wynn ["One way to get closer to wild animals is to mimic their actions."]
• Spongemonger - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob tries to mimic the jellyfish's actions.]
‣ Waltzing from the Sleeping Beauty - Peter Tchaikovsky [The jellyfish accept SpongeBob.]
‣ A Jolly Jaunt (c) - Dick Walter [The jellyfish laugh at SpongeBob.]
‣ The Great White (D) - Gregor F. Narholz [Patrick moving in the grass.]
‣ Daring Escape - Kenneth Essex [Patrick laughs menacingly.]
‣ Big City Sidewalks - Sam Spence [Patrick chases SpongeBob.]
• Gator - Steve Belfer [Patrick catches SpongeBob.]
‣ Another Spring - Tommy Reilly, James Moody [The jellyfish comfort SpongeBob.]
‣ Starlight Flight - Magnum Opus [SpongeBob understands the jellyfish.]
‣ Island Stories (a) - Robert Foster [Sensei Buzz Buzz.]
‣ Komekani - Yoofu [SpongeBob trying to sting.]
‣ Adventure - Ronald Hanmer [SpongeBob returns to Kamp Koral.]
‣ Drum Roll (c) - Dick Walter [Drum roll.]
‣ Triumphant Fanfare - Paul Hart, David Arnold [Red carpet rolled out for SpongeBob.]
‣ Hawaii Hawaii - Lionel Wendling, Lisa Doby [SpongeBob dances on the red carpet.]
‣ Triumphant Fanfare - Paul Hart, David Arnold ["Campers of Kamp Koral."/"Uh, no, but they taught me many profound lessons."]
‣ Hawaiian Breeze - Jon Jelmer [SpongeBob stings Squidward.]
‣ Killer Birds - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob stings the other campers.]
‣ Beauty Queen - Tommy Reilly, James Moody ["I have become an outcast, from jelly and camp society."]
‣ Jungle Journey (A) - Nigel Martinez, Graham De Wilde ["You! Your tentacles are mine!"]
‣ Big City Sidewalks - Sam Spence [Patrick attacks SpongeBob.]
‣ Busy Life - Cedric Palmer [Sandy explains how SpongeBob was able to zap everyone at camp.]
‣ Evening Stroll - Tommy Reilly, James Moody ["Sorry I tried to zap ya."]
‣ Tales From The Swamp (B) - Ron Goodwin [Patrick screams.]
‣ Alley Cat - Tommy Reily, James Moody [Ending.]
Release[]
- This episode is available on the Kamp Koral Season 1, Volume 2 DVD.
Trivia[]
General[]
- This episode was originally titled "A Jelly Life," before "A" was changed to "The."[8]
- This episode was originally scheduled to premiere on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 on Nickelodeon in the United States at 5:00 PM, before being replaced with a rerun of the SpongeBob SquarePants episodes "Hot Crossed Nuts" and "Ride Patrick Ride."[12]
- This episode was then scheduled to premiere on Thursday, August 3, 2023 at 1:00 PM, later moved to 5:00 PM, but was removed off the schedule again.
- The episode's premise is similar to "Nature Pants," from the main series, as both episodes involve SpongeBob pretending to be a jellyfish.
Episode references[]
Patrick with his net in "Nature Pants."
Patrick with his net in "The Jelly Life."
- A shot of Patrick trying to catch SpongeBob directly mirrors a scene from "Nature Pants," going as far to use a nearly identical background design for the shot.
- When SpongeBob shows Sandy his jellyfish comics, one of them has the giant jellyfish from "Squirrel Jelly" on the cover.
Cultural references[]
- When SpongeBob says that his knowledge of jellyfish only come from comic books, it references how fictional media can often unintentionally cause one to shape their knowledge of, or alter the reputation of something.
- Super Jelly is a parody of Superman.
- Attack of the Killer Jellies is a spoof on the title of the 1978 sci-fi horror film Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.
- Jelly from the Jam Lagoon is a spoof on the title of the 1954 sci-fi horror film Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Errors[]
The Jelly Meadows sign being recovered.
- In the beginning of the episode, a jellyfish zaps the Jelly Meadows sign and lights it on fire. In the ending for the episode, the sign can be seen again all bandaged up. However, during the middle of the episode there is a scene where the sign is not bandaged up and appears normal despite it being bandaged in the ending and it being zapped and lit on fire in the beginning.
Video[]
References[]
- ^ a b c Kamp Koral 01 - Jordan Koch | SpeakerDeck
- ^ a b c Kamp Koral 02 - Jordan Koch | SpeakerDeck
- ^ a b c Kamp Koral 03 - Jordan Koch | SpeakerDeck
- ^ a b c Kamp Koral 04 - Jordan Koch | SpeakerDeck
- ^ a b c d Kamp Koral - JORDAN KOCH
- ^ a b Kamp Koral Animation Director Notes - YouTube
- ^ a b Maddie C. - Illustration
- ^ a b KAMP KORAL: SPONGEBOB'S KINDERJAHRE - EPISODE GUIDE | Cartoonlounge.de
- ^ a b Jordan Koch on Instagram - "Throwback to a Kamp..."
- ^ Yeardley Wells on Twitter - "Finally made an animatic..."
- ^ Brandon Warren on Twitter - "I had the pleasure of..."
- ^ Nickstory - June 20, 2023