Nickelodeon released a first look image of its upcoming “SpongeBob SquarePants” prequel, “Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years,” set to premiere in 2021. The series will debut exclusively on the newly rebranded Paramount Plus streaming service and air on Nickelodeon later in the year.
“Kamp Koral” is a CG-animated series which introduces viewers to a 10-year-old SpongeBob at a sleepaway camp. SpongeBob meets Patrick, Sandy, Squidward, Plankton and Mr. Krabs, and the new friends spend the summer building underwater campfires, catching wild jellyfish and swimming in Lake Yuckymuck at the craziest camp in the kelp forest.
The voice cast of Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), Bill Fagerbakke (Patrick), Rodger Bumpass (Squidward), Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs), Carolyn Lawrence (Sandy) and Mr. Lawrence (Plankton) reprise their roles in the 13-episode series. They are joined by Carlos Alazraqui and Kate Higgins who will voice new characters Nobby and Narlene, narwhal siblings who live in the woods surrounding the camp.
Marc Ceccarelli, Vincent Waller and Jennie Monica executive produce the spin-off series. The production is overseen by Kelley Gardner, vice president of current series animation at Nickelodeon.
Variety had exclusively reported last year that Nickelodeon was eyeing an expansion to the “SpongeBob SquarePants” franchise, and was exploring an original story about SpongeBob and Patrick, or a Sandy stand-alone story, among other options. “Kamp Koral” becomes the network’s first original spinoff of its beloved series.
The original series, which has been a staple of Nickelodeon since 1999, was created by Stephen Hillenburg who died of ALS in November 2018.