According to the official Twitter release of the Nick International Children's Channel, Stephen Hillenburg, an American cartoonist and creator of "SpongeBob SquarePants", died on November 26, local time, at the age of 57. He revealed last year that he had muscular atrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but he issued a statement saying: "Anyone who knows me knows that I will continue to work spongebob squarepants and follow my other passions as long as I can." ”
Hillenburg graduated from Humboldt State University in 1984 with a degree in Natural Resource Planning, specializing in marine resources. After graduating, he became a biology teacher at an oceanographic research institute in California. With his interest, artistic flair, and love of the ocean and its life, he uses storytelling methods to teach, which allows him to create wonderful worlds in Beechburg. According to Hellenberg before his death, "SpongeBob SquarePants" was inspired by his commission to produce a children's picture book of marine knowledge, determined to promote oceanography to children.
Hillenberg began his animation career in 1987, studying experimental animation at the California Institute of the Arts, where he received his Master of Fine Arts degree in 1992. This year, he won the Best Animated Concept Award at the Ottawa International Animation Festival for his animated short wormholes. From 1993 to 1996, he was the writer and director of Rocko's Modern Life on nickelodeon's International Children's Channel. While working at Rocko's Modern Life, Hillenburg met Tom Kenny, who would later become the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants, partners Doug Lawrence and Paul Tibbit.
With the end of Rocko's Modern Life in 1996, Hillenburg developed a new concept for a program about marine life, drawing on the comics he created in 1989 at the California College of the Arts Comic Book about puddles, with a focus on representing a sponge. Originally he wanted to draw a natural sponge, but because of the funny, he changed it to a square sponge. In 1997, Hillenburg's former Rocko's Modern Life colleague helped design the settings and characters.
On May 1, 1999, the first episode of SpongeBob SquarePants aired on nickelodeon kids and began airing in full on July 17. So far, "SpongeBob SquarePants" has aired 11 seasons and nearly 250 episodes, which attracts not only children, but also many adults. SpongeBob SquarePants has won several awards, including Emmys and Annie Awards, and has been broadcast in more than 60 languages.
The story of "SpongeBob SquarePants" is set in a city called Beachburg at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, and the storyline mainly revolves around the protagonist SpongeBob SquarePants and his good friend Pai Daxing, neighbor Octopus Brother, boss Crab boss and other people. SpongeBob can always cause trouble for the calm world, and although he makes some jokes, he can always get out of trouble and then create new troubles. The animated series has won two Emmy Awards and twelve children's voting awards. At the same time, it also won the national children's television animation ratings championship, ranking first in the American cable network for eight consecutive years.
The Movie The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, from the Douban movie
In addition, the cartoon has been adapted into two live-action films, "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" and "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water". The third film in the series is scheduled to air in July 2020. This year, a Broadway musical, SpongeBob SquarePants, won the Tony Award for Best Musical Scene Design. Steven Hillenburg also donated his winning prize money in the name spongeBob SquarePants to set up a fund to encourage young people who struggle for animation. The merchandise derived from SpongeBob SquarePants generated more than $12 billion (about 84 billion yuan) of revenue for Nickelodeon's Children's Channel.
On "Why do so many people love SpongeBob SquarePants?" Zhihu netizens who have watched the "SpongeBob SquarePants" animation four times from beginning to end said: "He always has a pure heart, kind and optimistic, and Pai Daxing is silly but has a sincere heart for SpongeBob SquarePants, and sometimes he can even say very philosophical words... SpongeBob taught me optimism, kindness, imagination, sincerity, it reminds me to stay childlike, positive, happy every day when I see him, and start the day like a child. ”
Nickelodeon International said in a statement: "We are very saddened by the news that Steven Hillenburg has died after battling alzheimer's disease. Hellenberg is our dearest friend and long-term creative partner, and our hearts will always be with his family. He has energized the SpongeBob SquarePants series with a unique sense of humor and innocence, bringing joy to a generation of children and families. The characters he created in Beechburg will always be a reminder of the value of optimism, friendship and unlimited imagination. ”
Title map Douban movie