40 Years of Pixar

It was February 3rd, 2026 at 6PM. Pixar Animation Studios has just celebrated their 40th anniversary party, and now, the staff was heading home for the day. Daniel Chong, director of their next film Hoppers, and Pete Docter were having small talk as they were leaving the Steve Jobs Building.

“Can’t you believe Pixar was founded 40 years ago today by Ed Catmull, Steve Jobs, and the one who shall not be named?” Asked Daniel.

“Yes, because we just had the celebration party.” Said Pete. “And I had the pleasure of meeting all three of them.” As the two left the lot, two toys, a cowboy doll and a space ranger action figure, were hiding underneath the windows of the main lobby.

“Are they gone?” Asked the cowboy.

“Affirmative, Woody.” Said the space ranger. “Round up the gang!” Woody turned around to face the lobby.

“Okay, everybody!” Said Woody. “The coast is clear!” Mabel Tanaka hops out of a painting, statues of the Parr family come to life, and 22, Wally B, and Gale popped out of computers.

“Wally B!” Said Woody. “Go search around the building to find everyone else. Tell them to meet outside the Steve Jobs building!” Wally B buzzed in agreement and flew around the studio to find other characters. As he flew around, other characters noticed that it was time.

“Can’t you believe it, guys?” Exclaimed Flik. “It’s been forty years since Pixar was founded today!”

“Forty years?” Said Emile. “Does that mean there’s been cheese lying around all this time? Remy told me that cheese gets better the more time has passed.” Soon, Gypsy, Manny, Dim (with Rosey on his back), Atta, and Francis flew off to head outside.

“You fired!” Said Tuck and Roll in unison.

“Sorry, but I have to get going.” Said Emile, as he scampered across the floor and down the stair railing.

“How are we supposed to get down?” Asked Heimlich. “I’m now a beautiful butterfly, but my wings are just too small!” As luck had it, a human boy with an egg-shaped head walked over and noticed the bugs.

“Look, bugs!” He said. “Good afternoon. My name is Russell, and I am a Wilderness Explorer. Do any of you need help?”

“Actually, yes.” Said Slim. “We need to get outside, but none of us can fly.”

“I could help you get outside.” Said Russell, looking around for something to carry the bugs with. “How about this clay sculpture?”

“Okay, but I don’t think that’s yours.” Said Flik.

“It’s alright.” Said Russell. “I promise that I’ll put it back where I found it. C’mon, hop on. A Wilderness Explorer is friends to all, make it plant, fish, or tiny mole!” The bugs hopped onto the clay sculpture, and Russell decided to bring the bugs down. While Russel was walking outside, Carl Frederickson and Geri were playing a heated game of chess, only to be interrupted by Mike Wazowski.

“What are you guys doing?!” He asked. “Don’t you know that today’s the day?”

“Alright, alright.” Said Carl. “Just let me and Geri finish our game. Checkmate!” This caught Geri by surprise, and he reluctantly gave Carl a vintage WW2 pin.

———————

Meanwhile, in the studio’s Brooklyn Building (which wasn’t in Brooklyn), the Finding Nemo characters gushed out of a painting, only to find out that most of them need water to survive. Luckily, Luca and Wade were walking by, with Nigel perched on Luca’s shoulder.

“Oh no.” Said Wade. “These fish are stranded on the floor with no water! This makes me want to…” He then started bawling.

“Don’t make a sinkhole out of a mole crab burrow.” Said Luca, getting a pitcher of water. “I can get you outside safely. Who wants to go in the bowl?”

“It’s technically a pitcher,” Said Hank. “But I call dibs! So long, suckers!” He jumped into the pitcher and made a big splash, literally turning Luca’s face green.

“Don’t worry, guys.” Said Nigel, flying off of Luca’s shoulder as the boy walked off. “I’ll carry as many of you down with my bill. Water Boy, fill me up.” Wade squirted water into Nigel’s bill, filling it up with water.

“It’s time to jump in, dudes!” Said Crush, who didn’t need to be put in water since he had lungs and could walk on land. Marlin, Dory, Nemo, and Gill hopped into Nigel’s bill, and he soon flew off.

“Guess that means you come with me.” Said Wade. “You can place anything inside me, but not sponges. I’m afraid of those!” He touched the characters with his hands, and they made it into Wade’s body.

“What about me and Bailey?” Asked Destiny. “We’re not chopped sushi, you know.”

“Sorry.” Said Wade. “But I have a limit. Maybe that elephant can help you.” He then walked off with fish, a shrimp, and a starfish inside his liquid body.

“Who are you?” Asked Bailey.

“I’m Bing-Bong, best friend of Riley Anderson!” Said the elephant-like creature. “And Wade got it wrong: I’m not all elephant. I’m also part cotton candy, cat, and dolphin! And if you’re wondering how I’ll get all of you down, I have a magic sack that can carry 100 jillion tons!” He scooped up Destiny and Bailey with his magic sack, and they magically disappeared.

“I think I’ll walk down.” Said Crush. “C’mon, Squirt! Time to join the jelly-man!”

“You got it, dude!” Said Squirt, and the two turtles scuttled over to the elevator, with Priya, Anton Ego, Barley, and JJ also inside.

—————-

Back inside the Steve Jobs Building, Hamm was on a skateboard with Mr. Potato Head.

“Alright, everyone!” Said Hamm. “You know the drill. All characters on wheels smaller than a station wagon must take the elevator, while everyone less than three feet tall who doesn’t have bones must be carried by someone larger! You don’t want to get stepped on!” WALL-E, Red the unicycle, and RC were waiting for the elevator to open, only for Guido to pop out. He rushed out and headed to the recording booth, where Joe Gardner, Miguel Rivera, and Giulia were all playing different instruments.

“Di' ai miei amici che è ora di prepararsi per la foto di gruppo! Stanno dormendo nel parcheggio.” Said the forklift.

“Do you have any idea of what he’s saying?” Asked Miguel.

“I do.” Said Giulia, since she was Italian herself. “He wants us to wake up his friends in the parking lot. Non preoccuparti, Guido. Ti aiuteremo.”

“Grazie mille!” Said the forklift.

“Sorry, but that’s a no.” Said Joe. “You two are only kids. I’m the only one of the bunch who can go out to the parking lot unsupervised. Let’s go, Guano.”

“E’Guido”. Corrected Guido.

——————

Meanwhile, outside the Steve Jobs building, Ember, BURN-E, Needleman, Smitty, and Rochelle have just finished working on a giant tank that would house the Finding Nemo characters. Wade, Luca, Bing-Bong, and Nigel have all walked/flew over to the tank. With the help of Hank, all but two of the Finding Nemo characters have been placed in the tank. Bing-Bong poured his sack into the tank, and Destiny and Bailey came out and made a big splash, turning Luca into a sea monster. Luckily, Questa flew by and protected BURN-E and Ember with her tail right before the water hit them. Crush and Squirt soon arrived at the area, and the older turtle noticed water on the ground.

“Did we miss something, dude?” Asked Crush.

“Just an elephant helping some fish, dear.” Said Ember.

“I’m a mammal!” Said Bailey. At the same time, Russel arrived with the bugs he carried.

“Now that you’re outside,” Said Russell. “Where do I put you all?”

“I can take them.” Said a Styracosaurus with a sandpiper, cat, raccoon, and some finches scattered all around his body. “They can rest on my horns with their friends.” Gypsy, Manny, Dim, Rosey, Atta, and Francis were all sitting on Forrest Woodbush’s left horns, with Hopper and Molt on the right horns.

“Hi, everyone!” Said Rosey. “If you’re wondering about Dot, she’s with that snow-globe near the giant log.” As Russell placed the bugs on Forrest's horn, Flik noticed an old human woman carving the word ‘Pixar’ out of the aforementioned log, along with other tools working by themselves. By the Witch’s feet, Dot was looking at a snowman in his snow-globe.

“You’re weird, but I like you.” She said.

—————-

Joe and Guido soon arrived at the parking lot, and the forklift was right: All the characters were sleeping.

“Ieri sera abbiamo fatto una grande festa e sono tutti esausti per il duro lavoro.” Guido explained.

“I have no idea what you said,” Said Joe. “But I know how to wake them up.” Joe got out his cellphone, put up the volume to the max, and played a familiar ring tone. This managed to wake up the Cars characters, starting with Mater.

“It’s the Ghost Light!” He shouted. “Drive for your life!” Mater took off like a bullet, and Lightning McQueen decided to follow him.

“I better follow Mater.” Said the race car. “Who knows what kind of mischief he’ll get into.” The other cars soon followed, with Chick Hicks nearly running over Joe! Luckily, Corey, the Manticore, swooped down to rescue Joe and bring him back to the group.

“A flying lion?” Asked Joe. “Now I’ve seen everything.”

“I’m a Manticore, actually.” Replied Corey. “Gotta exercise those wings every often.”

———————

Back at the front of the Steve Jobs building, Woody was with Buzz and Terry as they made sure that every Pixar character was available.

“Everything’s going great, guys!” Said Woody. “Witch, how’s the wooden letters going?”

“I’m a woodcarver, dear.” Said the Witch. “And it’s just about done.” She knocked on the log, and the sawdust fell to the ground to reveal ‘Pixar’ perfectly carved out of wood. Luxo Junior tried to jump on the ‘I’, but nothing happened, so Luxo Senior, Rocky Gibraltar, and Dim tried jumping along with LJ. Once again, nothing happened.

“I know how to solve this problem.” Said Violet, who also happened to be holding Jack-Jack. “Just make sure to get out of the way, first.” She grabbed a feather from Kevin, tickled Jack-Jack’s nose with it, and it caused him to sneeze. Jack-Jack fired a laser from his eyes, making the ‘I’ in Pixar disintegrate. Luxo Junior jumped on the ashy remains and proudly took the letter’s place.

“22!” Said Buzz. “Hold that piece of paper that says ‘of’!”

“This is so lame.” Said 22.

“Ian!” Said Woody. “Grab the blocks that Big Baby is holding.”

“What Big Baby?” Asked Ian.

“Look at your feet, dude!” Said Crush. Ian looked at the ground, and was mortified to see a creepy-looking baby doll holding alphabet blocks.

“What do you want me to do?” Asked the elf.

“Make them as big as doghouses!” Shouted Buzz.

“Alright.” Said Ian, grabbing the blocks from the baby. “Magnora Gantuan!” Ian aimed his staff at the blocks, and they slowly started to grow. After a minute, they were the size of doghouses, and they spelled ‘years’.

“Now, where do I put them?” Asked Ian.

“I got this covered, boy.” Said Lucius Best, or as you might know him, Frozone. “Bob! Panda girl! Lift these blocks while I make icicles to hold them up.”

“My name’s Meilin Lee.” Said a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl, turning into a red panda the size of a polar bear. She and Bob Parr grabbed the giant blocks while Lucius created the icicles.

“Are you sure they’ll support these blocks?” Asked Bob.

“They can withstand 5 tons!” Said Lucius. “Hurry up before it melts!” Bob and Mei walked over to the icicles and placed the giant blocks on them.

“Is that my cue, cowboy?” Asked Helen Parr, Bob’s loving wife.

“Not yet.” Said Woody. “Terry, do a head-count!”

“Let’s see.” Said Terry, pulling out an abacus from thin air. “Everyone seems to be accounted for... Wait!" She checks her abacus again. "That's weird. The count's off. THE COUNT'S OFF!!!"

“Who could be missing?” Asked Buzz.

“Let me see.” Said Terry, taking out a piece of paper. “It seems that the missing character is a sauropod named Arlo, from The Good Dinosaur. Does anyone know where Arlo is?” A feral human boy jumped off of Glordon and barked like a dog.

“Let me talk to him, Woody.” Said Jessie, sliding down Cruz Ramirez. “What is it, Spot?” Spot started growling and barking, but Jessie somehow understood.

“Arlo’s in the barn in the back of the studio!” Said Jessie.

“Great!” Said Woody. “Buzz, you’re in charge while I’m gone. Make sure that nothing goes wrong!”

“I got your back, Woody!” Replied Buzz, and Woody followed Spot to find Arlo.

————

The human boy and cowboy doll soon made it to a barn right behind the Pixar studios. Inside the barn was Arlo, who was sulking on a bale of hay.

“Arlo?” Asked Woody. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m the black sheep of Pixar films.” He said. “My film cost the company 85 million dollars, whatever that is. Anyway, I’m sulking in the barn because no one really cares about me.”

“That’s not true!” Said Woody. “I’m sure that there are lots of people who love The Good Dinosaur. Besides, our partner studio Disney has had lots of box-office failures in the past, and many of them have earned fans! In fact, Wish is recently huge in Japan! Besides, there has to be at least one Good Dinosaur fan out there. So, what do you say?”

“Alright.” Replied Arlo. “As long as Disney Publishing makes a book adaptation of The Good Dinosaur that stays closer to the original draft, as well as perhaps rerelease my movie.”

————-

When Woody, Spot, and Arlo made it back to the front of the Steve Jobs building, something was off: Giggles McDimples, Bo Peep’s pint-size best friend, was now human-sized!

“Giggles?” Asked Woody. “How did this happen?”

“Sorry, Woody.” Said Ian. “Your friend here insisted on making her larger with my magic. She was smaller than a newborn pixie, for crying out loud!”

“C’mon, Woodster!” Said Giggles. “The magic wears off in half an hour.”

“Pull my string!” Said Woody. “We need to hurry this up. Helen, spell out 40! The number, not the word!”

“Already on it, cowboy!” She said. “Mei-Mei, do you suppose you could hold me?”

“You got it, Elastigirl!” Replied Mei, poofing into her panda form to pick up Helen. The mom then stretched out to spell ‘40’, with Bob holding her head. It now spelt “40 Years of Pixar” with Helen spelling out ‘40’, the Giant blocks spelling ‘years’, 22 holding a sign that says ‘of’, and a wooden carving of ‘Pixar’ with Luxo Junior taking the place of the I.

“That’s great!” Said Woody. “Everyone in place, guys. Hector, did you bring the camera?”

“You got it, muñeco vaquero!” Said Hector, walking out from behind Embarrassment. He was just ready to take the picture, but then Buzz intervened.

“Wait!” He said. “What about Hector? He won’t be in the photo!”

“I got it covered, amigo.” Said Hector, ripping off his arms since he was a skeleton. Luckily, the dismembered arms still held the camera intact. The rest of Hector walked back into the crowd for the photo.

“Can you turn the Flash off?” Asked Ember. “I don’t want my family to look blurred.”

“Got you covered!” Said Hector, and the dismembered arm turned the flash off of the camera.

“Okay, everybody!” Said Woody. “Say Catmull!”

“Catmull!” Everyone said. Hector’s hands pressed the button on the camera, and it took a picture.

“Is it over?” Asked Helen.

“Wait for the photo to pop out.” Said Hector, and a photograph popped out of the camera.

“Now, let’s see how it went.” Said Hector, walking out of the crowd to take a closer look at the photo. “It looks great, almost as good as the one Goofy took three years ago.” Everyone cheered.

“Thank Jobs.” Said Helen, snapping back to her original shape with Arlo catching her with his neck. “You really are a good dinosaur.”

“Now to put this on the boss’s desk.” Said Woody.

——————

The next morning, Pete Docter went into his office and found a letter that said ‘To: Boss’. He opened the letter, and included was a photo of over 280 different Pixar characters throughout the years in front of the Steve Jobs Building.

“We sure have some dedicated fans.” Said Pete. “But why does it say ‘boss’?” Across the hall, Woody and Buzz were watching from inside a poster of Toy Story 2.

“Should we do this again when Pixar turns 50?” Asked Buzz.

“You got yourself a deal, partner." Replied Woody. “For infinity and beyond.”

THE END

Check tomorrow for Author's Notes! There are lots this time.

SpongeBob SquarePants- Rock-a-Bye Bivalve Rewrite

Seasons 1-3 of SpongeBob SquarePants are some of the best pieces of animated comedy alongside Looney Tunes and The Simpsons. However, every barrel has its bad apples: Rock-a-Bye Bivalve, which is about SpongeBob and Patrick raising a baby scallop, is one episode I don’t really like. It’s basically about Patrick abandoning his best friend and a child in need just so he can watch TV. Because of this, I decided to rewrite this episode so Patrick is more likable. I was also thinking to myself “What if Pet-Sitter Pat was actually good?” So, in this episode, Patrick has to watch over Junior and Gary while SpongeBob has the double-whammy: A shift at the Krusty Krab one day, and boating school the next day. I also sprinkled in references to older episodes throughout this story. Can you find them all?

One Sunday morning, SpongeBob and Patrick discover a baby scallop left behind and decide to raise it. After feeding it a worm, naming the scallop Junior, and changing its diaper, SpongeBob and Patrick decided to assign gender roles to each other, only for SpongeBob to realize something.

“Wait a minute!” He said. “Sponges and starfish don’t have genders!”

“What does that mean?” Asked Patrick.

“That means sponges and starfish can’t be boys or girls.” SpongeBob explained. “Sandy told me.”

“If that’s the case,” Patrick asked. “Why do we both have a mom and a dad?”

“It’s better not to think about it too much.” Replied SpongeBob. “Anyway, how about you take care of Junior whenever I’m not here? You handled Gary before.”

“But he only wanted the cookie in my pocket.” Responded Patrick. “But I do remember having a good time with Gary. But wait, if today’s Sunday, doesn’t that mean you’ll have to work tomorrow?”

“Yes.” Said SpongeBob. “But at least we have the rest of the day to play with Junior!” The scallop chirped in agreement. For the rest of the day, SpongeBob and Patrick spent a lot of time with Junior, such as taking him for a walk, playing in the park, buying him an ice cream cone filled with worms, and even riding a bicycle!

—-----------------------------------------------

The next day, Patrick arrived at SpongeBob’s house, only to realize Junior stinks.

“Boy, Junior, you stink.” Said the starfish. “Time to change your diaper!” He pulled a diaper out of his pocket and put it on Junior. SpongeBob then walked towards Patrick.

“Good morning Patrick!” He greeted. “Here’s a list of things to do while I’m gone.” He handed Patrick a piece of paper. “If Junior chirps, that means he’s hungry. If he cries, that means he needs a new diaper. As for Gary, he needs to be fed twice a day.” They walked over to the cupboard to reveal a lot of cans of snail food.

“But what if he gets bored?”

“Don’t worry, Patrick.” Said SpongeBob. “Snails are self-sufficient.” Patrick stood there with boredom. “That means he can take care of himself.”

“That’s a relief!” Said Patrick. “Good bye, SpongeBob!”

“Bye, Patrick!” SpongeBob replied back as he put on his Krusty Krab hat and left the house. Suddenly, Junior started chirping.

“Junior’s chirping!” Patrick exclaimed! “Let me look at the notes!” He then looked at the notes SpongeBob gave him. “‘If Junior chirps, that means he’s hungry.’ Scallops don’t eat Krabby Patties, doughnuts, or apples. They eat worms, and worms live in the backyard! Don’t worry, Junior! I’ll feed you in a minute!"

—-----------------------------

Meanwhile, SpongeBob made it to the Krusty Krab.

“Good morning, everyone!” He declared. “Today’s probably gonna be a typical run-of-the-mill day here.”

“I don’t think so, SpongeBob me boy.” Replied Mr. Krabs. “I smell something smelly.”

“Leftovers in the fridge?” SpongeBob asked.

“No.” Mr. Krabs answered.

“The garbage needs to be emptied?”

“No.”

“Davy Jones’ Locker?”

“No, me boy!” Shouted Mr. Krabs. “Anchovies!” A school of anchovies swam into the Krusty Krab and filled it up.

“Meep! Meep! Meep! Meep! Meep!” The anchovies shouted.

“This won’t be a problem, Mr. Krabs!” Said SpongeBob, pulling out his spatula.

—---------------------------------------

Back at 124 Conch Street, Patrick dug up a bucketful of worms and fed them to Junior. Gary then crawled over to Patrick’s feet.

“Meow.” He said.

“Hi, Gary.” Said Patrick. “What do you need?” The snail then pointed to his bowl with his tail.

“You’re hungry?” Asked Patrick. “Let me check the notes.” He looked at the notes SpongeBob wrote down. “‘Gary needs to be fed twice a day: Once in the morning and another time at night.’ Oh yeah, I remember! The cupboard!” Patrick walked over to the cupboard and grabbed two cans of snail food: One for Gary and another for himself.

—-----------------------------------------

Back at the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob just finished serving the last of the anchovies. After that, a shoal (a group of fish of different species) of fish entered the restaurant, one of whom was Bubble Bass, SpongeBob’s rival.

“Hey, SquarePants.” He commanded. “I dare you to make me a Krabby Patty with everything on it, including kelp fries, coral bits, oyster skins, and a teaspoon of chum.”

“Chum?” Asked SpongeBob.

“Chum?” Asked Squidward.

“Chum?” Asked Mr. Krabs as he opened his office door. “Are you sure you’re not affiliated with one Sheldon J Plankton?”

“Of course, not.” Replied Bubble Bass, secretly crossing his fingers.

“But chum is made from… fish.” Said SpongeBob. “If we serve fish to the customers, we’d be abominations!”

“Very well.” Said Bubble Bass. “I’ll go on TV, give a review of the Krusty Krab, and no one will visit this stupid restaurant again!” He then gave out his signature laugh.

“Alright!” Said Mr. Krabs. “You win. You’ll get a Krabby Patty with everything on it, including chum. Squidward! Head over to the Barg-N-Mart to buy some chum!”

“But who will take Squidward’s place, Mr. Krabs?” Asked SpongeBob.

“You will, me boy.” Answered Mr. Krabs, grabbing Squidward’s hat and placing it on SpongeBob’s head. “You’re gonna wear two hats again.” He then looked at Squidward. “Squidward! What are you still doing here? Go get some chum this minute! Otherwise, I’ll give Bubble Bass octopus soup.” Bubble Bass licked his lips upon hearing that.

“You got it, Mr. Krabs!” Squidward responded as he left the restaurant to buy chum.

“SpongeBob, me boy!” The crustacean told his fry cook. “Make a Krabby Patty with everything on it. If you please Bubble Bass, I’ll give you a pay bonus.”

“But I thought you were cheap, stingy, and greedy.” Said Harold.

“I can’t be avarice and greed all the time.” Mr. Krabs responded.

—-------------------------------------

Hours passed, and after lots of work caring for Junior and Gary, Patrick decided to just relax and watch TV. He started laughing at one of the shows.

“Ha ha ha ha!” He said. “That guy got hit in the head with a cocoanut!” Suddenly, the doorbell rang. The door opened, and it was SpongeBob.

“Hi, SpongeBob!” Greeted Patrick. “Gary and Junior were quite a handful today. How was work at the Krusty Krab?”

“Boy, it was eventful!” Said SpongeBob. “First, there was a school of ravenous anchovies! Then, Bubble Bass came back and ordered a Krabby Patty with everything on it, even chum! And if that wasn’t bad enough, Plankton came by and nearly got away with the Secret Formula! Contrary to popular belief, the Secret Formula for the Krabby Patty isn’t in the bottle, but in the patty itself. The bottle reveals the secret between Mr. Krabs and Pearl.” He then smelt something rank. “PU, Patrick! Was that a peanut onion sundae?”

“Oh, that?” Said Patrick. “Those are Junior’s diapers! They’re in the garbage.”

“Patrick.” SpongeBob replied with a stern tone. “You’re supposed to take the garbage can outside so the garbage fish will pick it up later!”

“Sorry.” Said Patrick. “I’ve been working with the pets all day! Does that mean you want me to throw it away?”

“No, I’ll do it for today.” SpongeBob responded. “Just make sure you do it tomorrow. I have to go to boating school tomorrow.”

“Want to play Eels and Escalators?"

—---------------------------------------------------

The next day came, and Patrick arrived at SpongeBob’s house.

“Good morning, SpongeBob, Gary, and Junior!” He greeted. “Are you gonna pass your boating exam today?”

“I honestly doubt it, Patrick.” Said SpongeBob. “Anyway, I added a new objective to your to-do list: Take out garbage whenever there’s a diaper in it.”

“Aye-aye, captain!” Said Patrick, grabbing the list from SpongeBob. “Good luck on your exam, and in case you fail, just remember you still have your unicycle!”

“Thanks, Patrick.” Said SpongeBob, and he left the house to go to school.

“Okay, Junior!” Said Patrick. “It’s just me, you, and Gary for the rest of the day!” Junior started chirping.

“You’re chirping!” Said Patrick. “Lucky for you, I have some worms in my pocket! I sleep in the dirt, you know.” He pulled a worm out of his pocket, but Junior wasn’t interested. Instead, he jumped out of the bed made from SpongeBob’s pants and tried to fly.

“Junior, no!” Said Patrick, placing the scallop back in the bed. “There, now stay here while I feed Gary.”

—----------------------------

Meanwhile, SpongeBob made it to Mrs. Puff’s Boating School. He was the first one there as usual, but Mrs. Puff was there too.

“Good morning, Mrs. Puff!” He greeted. “Where is everyone?”

“You know as well as I do that class doesn’t start until 9, SpongeBob.” Said the pufferfish. "It’s only 8 in the morning, but since you’re here, you might as well do the boating exam.” She shuddered upon saying that. The two sea creatures made it outside and got into a boat.

“Since you passed the oral report 38 times,” She began. “You don’t need to do it this time. “Anyway, how do you start the boat?”

—------------------------------

In SpongeBob’s brain, the mini SpongeBobs were still recovering from the Squilliam fiasco the other week.

“Okay, everyone!” Said one SpongeBob. “How do we start a boat?”

“1924?” Asked another SpongeBob.

“No!” Said the head SpongeBob. “You start the engine!”

—------------------------------

SpongeBob started the engine, and Mrs. Puff was surprised.

“We didn’t explode yet.” She said. “Now what?”

“Let me remember.” Said SpongeBob, and the mini SpongeBobs in his brain searched through the files. “Big toe on the pedal.” He took off his shoe and pressed the pedal with just one toe.

“Perfect!” Said Mrs. Puff as the boat started moving. “Do you have a walkie talkie hidden in your head again?”

“No!” Said SpongeBob. “Patrick’s watching over my pets. I wonder how he’s doing right now.”

—----------------------------

Back at 124 Conch Street, Patrick finished feeding Gary, only to hear chirping.

“Is it that stupid noise again?” He said, only to remember that Junior chirps. “Wait a minute, that’s Junior!” He walked over to the bed, and Junior was trying to jump again.

“Junior!” Patrick told the scallop. “How many times have I told you, no jumping off of stuff! You’d shatter like plastic.” He placed Junior back in his bed.

“Meow.” Said Gary.

“No, this won’t last all day.” Said Patrick.

—--------------------------------

Back at Mrs. Puff’s Boating School, after 45 failed attempts, SpongeBob managed to do the impossible: Pass his boating exam.

“Can you pinch me, SpongeBob?” She asked, and SpongeBob did so. “Ouch! What was that for?”

“You told me to do it, Mrs. Puff.” Said SpongeBob.

“I guess it’s not a dream, then.” She said. “How did you manage to pass the boating exam without outside assistance?”

“I guess it came from what happened last week.” Answered SpongeBob. “I was at the Krusty Krab, and I was told to forget everything I know except fine dining and breathing. When asked what my name was, I went berserk. Everything was a blank after that fiasco. Poor Squidward.”

“Is Squidward the one who’s actually an octopus?” Asked Mrs. Puff. “I had squid students before, and none of them look like him.”

“Yes, actually.” Answered SpongeBob. “Was he a student here, too?”

“Yes, and he passed 20 years ago.” Responded Mrs.Puff. Suddenly, the bell rang, and her students flooded into the school.

“Class started, Mrs. Puff.” SpongeBob pointed out. “Does that mean I can leave class early?”

“Not quite, SpongeBob.” Said the pufferfish. “I’d also like to see an 1,000 word essay on what happened to you in the last three seasons while also stating what you’d like a possible movie to be about.”

—------------------------------

It was now 2:58 PM, and Patrick decided to glue Junior to the bed, but don’t worry. Patrick gave the scallop five diapers just in case. There were also worms slithering around the bed in case Junior got hungry. The sea star was playing with Gary by throwing a boomerang pet ball at him.

“Catch, Gary!” He said as he threw the ball, only for it to come back.

“Meow.” Said Gary.

“How am I supposed to know that the ball is also a boomerang?” He asked. “What else can we play?” Unbeknownst to him, Junior was biting through the bed, trying to escape.

“You taught SpongeBob how to tie his shoes!” Said Patrick. “Maybe you could teach me!” He pulled a pair of blue sneakers out of his belly button.

“Meow!” Said Gary.

“I don’t have to watch Junior right now!” Said Patrick. “He’s glued to Spongebob’s spare pants!” Junior was then seen flying above Patrick’s head. “Oh, hi Junior.” He then realized something. “Junior!” He ran through the house to chase Junior, only to chase him outside and for the scallop to escape.

“Oh, no!” Said Patrick. “SpongeBob’s gonna be mad at me!” He started crying over ‘losing’ Junior, and as if on cue, SpongeBob arrived in a brand new boat mobile.

“Hi, Patrick!” He said. “Where’s Junior?”

“He flew away!” Moped Patrick.

“Patrick, that’s natural.” SpongeBob explained. “When scallops become old enough, they’ll fly back into the wild. That’s what happened with my scallop. Anyway, I got my driver’s license!” Unfortunately, Junior’s diaper fell off and landed on SpongeBob’s license.

“Bye, Junior!” Said Patrick. “Sorry for gluing you to the bed!”

“What?” SpongeBob asked with a concerned tone.

“Nothing!” Patrick responded back.

Well, that concludes my latest story. On February 3rd, I'll celebrate Pixar's 40th anniversary with a special story and collage!

Movie Review: Mr. Popper's Penguins

Movie Review: Mr. Popper's Penguins                                                                                         1-16-26

This movie is about a wealthy businessman named Thomas Popper Jr, who actually forgot about the value of family. One day, he receives a live Gentoo penguin in the mail! Unfortunately for Tom, the penguin’s a troublemaker who floods the bathroom. If that isn’t bad enough, another box arrives with five more penguins! Billy (Tom’s son), however, loves the penguins, so Tom decides to keep them as pets.

Before I actually begin reviewing this movie, I want to point out the book is very different from the movie: In the book, Mr. Popper is a house painter for only half the year, and because it was the Great Depression when the book was published, they don’t make that much money. Luckily, the Poppers make back the money by putting the penguins in a circus act. Also, most zoos and aquariums during this time didn’t have penguins yet, making the book feel rather dated.

On one hand, Mr. Popper’s Penguins (the movie) has great production design, a good score from Rolfe Brent, CGI that aged surprisingly well, and outstanding animal action. On the other hand, you have a cliched story, one-dimensional characters, dated jokes, and some unnecessary potty humor.

And then there’s the acting: Jim Carrey is Tom Hopper, but is family-friendly comedy routine is just no match for how he would be in the Sonic the Hedgehog movies. There’s also Carla Gugino as Tom’s wife Amanda, Madeline Carrol and Maxwell Perry-Cotton as their kids Janie and Billy, and the late Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Selma van Gundy. Given Lansbury’s legendary status, she probably gives the best performance in the whole movie, even if it is not that prominent.

Aside from that, Mr. Popper’s Penguins is your typical inoffensive kids movie. As Rotten Tomatoes put it, it could’ve been a lot worse, but it also could’ve been better.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Tomorrow, I will upload a rewrite of a classic SpongeBob episode that I’m actually not that fond of.

Animated Movies Coming in 2026

Man, 2025 was quite a year for animated movies: Even though this year's batch got mostly great reviews, only three of these movies proved to be profitable with Dog Man, The Bad Guys 2, and Zootopia 2. Hopefully, 2026's year's batch will fare better with all but four of these movies being made from pre-established brands. Let's see what we have!

First in February is Goat, from Sony Pictures Animation. This movie with an all-star voice cast and 2.5D style will be about a billygoat named Will Harris who joins a basketball league in order to become the greatest of all time. Let's just hope this movie doesn't use AI, since Sony announced they were doubling down on artificial intelligence back in 2024.

In March, Pixar will release their 30th animated movie with Hoppers. This movie will be about a 19-year-old girl named Mabel Tanaka who volunteers to have her brain transferred into a beaver robot so she can survey the local wildlife. I'm very excited for this movie and hope it does better at the box-office than Elio.

In April, the Mario Bros, Peach, and even Bowser will return with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which I must admit looks amazing. Let's just hope that lightning strikes twice critically speaking.

In June, the toys are back with Toy Story 5, which will pit toys against tech when Bonnie (who's now eight) gets a LilyPad to play with. I'll try to see Toy Story 5 in theaters, but after that, no more for me! I don't want this franchise to have as many sequels as The Land before Time.

Next in July is Minions 3, which I already dread. To quote Glen (Cody's brother) in Surf's Up, "Can I be the first in line not to see it?"

In August, the famous preschool pups will appear in another movie with Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie. In this movie, the Paw Patrol lands on a mysterious dinosaur island after a storm, where they meet Rex, a stranded pup. When Humdinger's reckless mining triggers a volcano, the team faces their biggest rescue mission yet to save the island.

In September, DreamWorks will release their next movie with Forgotten Island. This movie will be about a group of characters who get transported to a long-forgotten magical island rooted in Filipino mythology. Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, the same duo behind Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, will direct this movie.

In October, after 18 long years, the Gaang is back in an all-new 2D animated movie with The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender. Not much is known about this movie, but it will follow Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Zuko in their adult years. I know what my New Year's Resolution for 2026 is- to rewatch Avatar: The Last Airbender to see if it still holds up!

There will be two new animated movies in November. First on November 6th, from Warner Bros Pictures Animation (formally known as WAG) comes the first animated Cat in the Hat adaptation in 55 years, The Cat in the Hat. This movie will use the 2D/3D hybrid style popularized by Sony and DreamWorks, and Bill Hader, who had voice work before with Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Inside Out, and The Angry Birds Movie, will voice the cat in this movie.

And finally, on November 25th, Disney will release their first original animated film since 2023, Hexed. This movie will be about an awkward teenage boy and his Type-A mom, who discover that what makes him unusual, might just be magical powers that will turn their lives and a secret world of magic, upside down. Let's just hope that this movie is better than Strange World and Wish.

Of all these films, I'm most excited for Hoppers since I'm getting sick of so many sequels and remakes from all these studios: The only live-action remake of a Disney movie I'd like to see is Pocahontas, though that will happen when pigs fly.

Once again, there will be more movies than the ones listed here, but these were the ones I wanted to cover. I'm also sorry that I couldn't find posters or logos for Minions 3 or Forgotten Island: They'll take more time to show up.