The SpongeBob Movie already adapted Homer's Odyssey

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, due July 17, adapts the ancient Greek epic attributed to Homer and has become one of 2026’s most anticipated films. Homer's poem has rarely been filmed, and Nolan’s version is widely expected to make a major impact. Fewer viewers realize that 2004’s The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie already borrows liberally from the same source.

SpongeBob and Patrick set off on their own odyssey to Shell City, encounter figures who echo characters from the epic, and receive a bag of wind that echoes Homeric detail. Princess Mindy functions as a kind of Athena, warning of a Cyclops that turns out to be a scuba diver, and the bag of wind is lost when Patrick opens it—an episode that ends with the unlikely rescue by David Hasselhoff.

On rewatch, the number of overlaps between the animated feature and Homer’s tale becomes striking.

christopher nolan, the odyssey, homer, spongebob, patrick, shell city, david hasselhoff, princess mindy, cyclops, athena