SpongeBob SquarePants season 5

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SpongeBob SquarePants Season 5 is the part of the popular animated series that aired on Nickelodeon from February 19, 2007 to July 19, 2009. It includes 20 half-hour episodes, made up of 41 short segments. The season was created by Stephen Hillenburg, with Paul Tibbitt as showrunner and a producer. It was overseen by Hillenburg and Tibbitt.

Production and style
- The animation was done by Rough Draft Studios in South Korea.
- This season marked a shift from pencil drawings to digital drawing with Wacom Cintiqs, starting with the episode Pest of the West. The team noted this change allowed easier edits but kept the signature SpongeBob look intact.
- Episodes are mostly two 11-minute shorts per half-hour, though some are a single 11-minute story with two shorter pieces.

Cast
- Tom Kenny voices SpongeBob SquarePants. Other regulars include Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick Star, Rodger Bumpass as Squidward Tentacles, Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs, Mr. Lawrence as Plankton, Jill Talley as Karen, Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy Cheeks, Mary Jo Catlett as Mrs. Puff, and Lori Alan as Pearl.

Guest stars
- The season features many guest voices. Notable guests include Patton Oswalt (The Original Fry Cook), Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway (Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy in Night Light), and later guests like David Bowie (in the special SpongeBob’s Atlantis SquarePantis), Gene Simmons, Mark Hamill, John DiMaggio, Christopher Guest, and Marion Ross.

Awards and reception
- The season earned Emmy nominations for The Inmates of Summer and The Two Faces of Squidward.
- It won the BAFTA Children’s Award for International.
- Tom Kenny received an Annie Award nomination for his performance in Spy Buddies.
- SpongeBob SquarePants won Kids’ Choice Awards for Favorite Cartoon in 2007, 2009, and 2010, and a Teen Choice Award in 2009. It also picked up various other nominations and regional awards.
- Critics and fans gave the season generally positive reviews.

Home media
- The first 20 half-hour episodes were released on DVD as SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 5, Volume 1 on September 4, 2007 (Region 1). The remaining 21 segments were released as Volume 2 on November 18, 2008.
- A complete fifth season DVD set followed in Region 1 on November 13, 2012. Region 2 and Region 4 released complete season sets around 2008.

Representative episodes
- The Original Fry Cook: Jim, a former Krusty Krab cook, visits and stirs up feelings of being replaceable.
- Rise and Shine, Spy Buddies, New Digs, and Money Talks show off the season’s humor and zany plots.
- The Inmates of Summer and 20,000 Patties Under the Sea feature wilder adventures, while The Two Faces of Squidward and Banned in Bikini Bottom explore character changes and funny social chaos.

Overall, Season 5 kept the show’s mix of humor, heart, and imaginative undersea adventures, while moving toward more digital animation and continuing the series’ tradition of guest stars and memorable episodes.