Happy Halloween, my good friends.

Today, for my second analysis on an installment of the Spongebob franchise, I'm gonna give you guys my take of "Spongebob Squarepants: The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom".

Here's the rundown of it:

It's Halloween in Bikini Bottom, and Spongebob and Patrick are excited to join in on the festivities and go trick-or-treating.

However, when the mischievous Flying Dutchman decides to go on a scare spree, his eyes are particularly set on Spongebob and his friends.

After I reviewed "It's A Spongebob Christmas" last year, I had no trouble at all deciding what individual installment of the Spongebob Squarepants franchise I wanted to review next. I particularly chose this one since it was the second Spongebob special to be stop-motion animated.

The first time I saw this one was quite a long time ago, although I wasn't able to remember how things exactly went afterwards. I did remember enjoying it, though.

Having finally watched it again recently in preparation for reviewing it, I really must say that I had a blast watching this special. It was loads more fun than "It's A Spongebob Christmas", that's for sure.

For instance, the direction by Mark Caballero and Seamus Walsh, and the story by Mr. Lawrence, were outstanding!

Unlike "It's A Spongebob Christmas", the jokes throughout the episode had a greater sense of wit and timing that made them hysterical to watch. The special also didn't restrain itself too much, because it contained a feeling of ambition and risk that didn't feel lost in translation. It carried wonderful appeal for all ages too, and the concept as a whole was very unique and didn't feel like it was retreading another story in any way.

The animation was amazing as well. Even though it still felt strange to see Spongebob in stop-motion form instead of being hand-drawn animated, the change in style actually wasn't as jarring as before. It literally looked like the animators got a better handle on doing everything in a stop-motion format, and they weren't afraid of taking risks and extending themselves creatively either. Plus, the puppet and pinball game moments during "The Scare Song" sequence were awesome to watch, and the computer-animation used to create the Flying Dutchman and the ghost forms of Spongebob's friends were terrific. The hand-drawn animation used for the scene where the Flying Dutchman was inside Spongebob's brain was likewise incredible, and I deeply believe it was the best of the animated elements.

Finally, the vocal performances, characters, and character development were absolutely delightful. Every performer involved in the project sounded like they were having a ball portraying their characters, and the characters themselves were not only fun to hang with in this special but had dynamic development. Especially Spongebob and the Flying Dutchman.

In conclusion, "Spongebob Squarepants: The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom" was a significant improvement over "It's A Spongebob Christmas". The jokes were hilarious, it was visually accomplished, everything!

So, I rate "Spongebob Squarepants: The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom" five out of five stars.