As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.
- A line from the intro stands out:Dib: (rendered in the most dramatic, JoJo-esque art style possible) My name is Dib Membrane. (echoing) I'm twelve years old!
- The intro's animesque style is a big source of this as well, but special points go to Minimoose's split second appearance as he appears as a realistically detailed moose... who is still tiny, floating and purple.
- In a Black Comedy way, Professor Membrane states that as a child he once believed that sharks were his friends. He then turns away from Gaz, ripping off one of his gloves revealing a robotic arm while ominously saying "I know better now..." before turning back to Gaz, resuming his talk with her in his normal voice.
- Wanna make it extra hilarious? In the show proper, Membrane was shown to have fully organic arms. It could just be seen as a retcon, or it could be seen as Membrane going his entire adult life believing sharks were his friend and only finding out otherwise during the Time Skip, which honestly fits Membrane's character perfectly.
- Later on during "Peace Is Nice" segment, at least two sharks are shown to have joined hands with the children in the middle of the ocean and are singing along with them. Meaning that, yes, sharks can be your friends. Just not Professor Membrane's.
- Gaz's reaction to Dib's speech, with her expression going from "Oh boy, not this shit again" to actual concern at her brother's crazed rambling and weird Prof. Membrane impersonation. This is then followed by her horror at Dib leaving his room, desperately trying to convince him to take a bath.
- Her protocol for interacting with Dib, which involves a "shoving stick" for food and a "Gazmat" suit.
- The very first piece of dialogue between Dib and Zim is an absolutely perfect return to form after years off the air.(Dib rolls up to Zim's house, now looking decidedly gross on multiple levels)
Dib: Zim!
Zim: (posing dramatically on the lawn, one foot on GIR) YES!! IT IS I!!! AND- Hm? Oh wait, sorry. You'll have to move along, hideous goblin; I'm posing dramatically for when the Dib shows up.
Dib: ...I am Dib.
Zim: What? (takes a closer look; his expression gets more and more disgusted) Ugh. Ugh! Ugh! AUGH!!
Dib: But-
Zim: Gimme a sec here.
Dib: W-We know each other.
Zim: Ahem. (Striking an even weirder pose) IIIIII'VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU, DIIIIIIB!!!
Dib: I can tell. You set up sprinklers and everything.
(Zoom out shows that Zim did set up special effects to make their reunion even more dramatic. Zim responds with a beat of awkward silence and then quickly kicking away the sound effect machine, detaches the sprinkler and feeds the strobe light machine to GIR)
Zim: YOU CAN'T PROVE ANYTHING!!- Just the sad look on Dib's face when he quietly says "I am Dib" is worth a chuckle. He just sounds so hurt.
- Zim generally Chewing the Scenery in this scene, and it's at its finest.Dib: Did you... have to sit in the toilet?
Zim: (pointing at Dib with both hands and his foot) DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOT TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE WAYS OF MY PEOPLE DIIIIB!!- And then he pops back into a normal pose with a sound like a deflating balloon.
- Another good moment from the first meeting between Dib and Zim.Dib: Where have you been, Zim?! I've been monitoring your house, the school, that taco place you love so much!
Zim: No, no, no, GIR loves that place. I think it's dirty.
GIR: I ate a baby there.
Zim: He did.
- Zim kicks off Phase Two of his plan with a bunch of minor acts of mischief, like shuffling peoples' mail and reading their newspapers without paying a subscription. And Dib still reacts to all of them as if they were heinous crimes.Dib: NobodyreadsnewspapersanymorebutNOOOOOOO, STOOOOOP!!!
- Zim tells Minimoose to get in on the action too, which causes it to float over to a car with a pizza sticker on it, telekinetically remove it, and place it onto its own body. All the while, a kid tells Minimoose his mom loves the sticker, and when Minimoose starts to steal it, the kid just yells at him to stop, but in a way that sounds like he's just disciplining a misbehaving child.
- GIR gets in on it too, running over to a neighbor's yard, eating their pug, and launching it out of his head into space.GIR: (walks over with his head smoking) I launched that pug into space!
Zim: I thought you liked that pig.
GIR: ...Why I do that? - Zim challenges Dib to stop him, and the out-of-shape Dib can only respond with this line:Dib: Can't... fight back! Sat... too long! Chair... fused to butt! More... chair than man now!
- After Dib confronts Zim, who's manipulated Dib into letting himself go by going into isolation, Zim reveals that he spent all of this time... sitting inside a toilet bowl doing nothing but laughing about how evil his plan was. For the entirety of his absence.
- Zim's computer in general has gotten even more tired of his crap over the years:Zim: Access the Tallest's computers and retrieve their flight plan.
Computer (in a mocking british accent): Oooooh, yes, right away, sir!
Zim: Are you doing an accent?
Computer: I get bored. - That said, it turns out that the computer shares its master's lack of subtlety. When it says it needs more power to properly track the Tallest's flight path, Zim tells it to get some more, but be sneaky about it. In response, it shoots cables around the neighborhood, draining power from the whole city, all while shouting the word "Sneaking!".
- The scene also makes the meta joke of Zim sitting there, in that toilet for the years his show had been off the air. Same goes for Dib, who was just watching him this entire time.
Computer: ACTIVATING "SNEAKING MODE"! - Zim's computer in general has gotten even more tired of his crap over the years:
- In Dib's attempts to get back into shape, one cut during his exercise montage involves him having gotten so muscular he reaches the ceiling of his room and roars while foaming at the mouth. The next cut has him looking completely normal and able to toss his hand weights straight into the walls. He then proceeds to dramatically suit up in his usual clothing and gear, and then farts the chair off his butt, again, straight through a wall.Dib: I was in bad shape, then I got too in-shape, and now I'm back to normal shape!
- During said montage, Gaz is providing the wailing guitar music. She appears to be really enjoying the shredding.
- Meanwhile, Zim is attempting to figure out what the next step of his plan was aside from "general mischief". Eventually, he wonders just when the Irken Armada will get here, convinced they're not far away, only to discover Earth is not in the immediate vicinity of the Armada. He asks the computer to zoom out until it can find Earth's presence relative to the fleet... and takes all day to do so, with Computer announcing each zoom out.
- Zim asks GIR if he remembers what Phase 2 was. His response is typical:
GIR: You gonna order a million pizzas. Then I gotta roll around in them pizzas. And that's the story about how I turn into a giant pizza! (Happy Squeak)Zim: (Death Glare) This isn't the time for the giant pizza story, GIR. AND THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN!- When Zim realizes he doesn't remember Phase 2, he tells the computer to put the Tallest on hold while he tries to recall his plan. It doesn't, and they watch his antics with boredom in the background. When Zim realizes this, he freaks out and blows up the screen. The hole left in the wall exposes them to the neighbors.GIR: Yes they diiiiid!
- Zim's antennae sink down in defeat after GIR calls him on his bullshit.
- Zim pulling up the sole video file on Phase 2.
Computer: Would you like me to record any and all mention of Phase 2?Zim: No thank you! Zim forgets nothing!- Zim's Imagine Spot where he sees himself being stripped of his rank by the Tallest and Control Brains for failing to conquer Earth is mostly dramatic, but at the end, Purple is in the middle of giving Zim a speech of how Zim will now live a meaningless life, only to be suddenly interrupted when a giant worm monster comes out of nowhere and eats Zim.
Purple: (completely casual) Wait, no, never mind.- You can also tell this is Zim's Imagine Spot since the Tallest speak highly of him (instead of with absolute contempt like they actually do).Red: Zim! You were once our best, most amazing Invader, but now you're dumb!Purple: Also, stupid!
- Purple's epic Spit Take when the Tallest find out that Zim is alive. He spits a stream of soda into Red's face, pauses to have a doughnut, and then spits more soda into a nearby service drone's face, eventually shoving them off the platform with the soda stream.
- Even better? Tallest Red was the one drinking the soda... Purple didn't drink anything. Which means the spit take literally came out of nowhere.
- There's also Zim's inexplicably hilarious delivery of his introductory line, coming right after the Tallest discuss Zim being supposedly gone for good:Tallest Purple: Anyhow, send that transmission through! I wonder who it could ever be...
Zim: It is I ZIIIIIIIIIM! - Tallest Red starting a Big "WHAT?!" that peters out when Purple's Spit Take hits his face.
- The goofy picture the Tallest bring up while discussing Zim before getting his call, which portrays him making the doofiest face and drooling.
- Purple bluntly stating he preferred Zim being dead.
- Zim doing a silly dance, with GIR and the Moose joining in in the background.Zim: Could a dead Zim do thiiiiiiiiis?
- "My earthly arch-nemesis is now a sad chair."
- The pile of random junk GIR brings out of storage at Zim's orders on the off-chance that any of them might be Phase 2. This includes a potato-powered lightbulb, a bazooka-like weapon that ejects waffles and chocolate syrup, a robot leprechaun cat that riverdances and shoots tiny missiles from it's paws, and what appears to be a Facehugger wearing a bowler hat. The Facehugger promptly attacks Zim.
- After Zim puts his Peace Day plan in motion, he has a brilliant Why Didn't I Think of That? moment:Zim: All this time spent trying to subjugate humanity, and all I had to do was charge them for it!
- "Hey, keep it down out here! 'M trying to be miserable in my cheesy cocoon of misery!"
- Before this, Dib comes for a visit and GIR performs his duties as best as he can:
GIR: INTRUDER! PREPARE TO- come on in!- Zim on the failure of Clembrane. Really, anything Zim says in his despondent drunken drawl.
Zim: I just couldn't get it to make pudding the way you love so much. IT RUINED THE ILLUSION!Dib: ...I don't love pudding. - Prof. Membrane's speech about Peace Day
:Prof. Membrane: As you know, tomorrow is Peace Day, and nobody is as excited for the big celebration as I am!Random guy in the crowd: I am!(Membrane instantly dashes through the crowd in a single frame, breaking the sound barrier and launching dozens of spectators into the air, to the guy and threateningly stands over the man with a finger forced into his face, causing him to have a comically exaggerated double-chin)Prof. Membrane: NOT SCIENTIFICALLY POSSIBLE!!! - The various comically over the top Death Glares Gaz gives Dib when he starts screwing up, culminating in the scene where - after he ignores her and gets Membrane kidnapped - the very last thing before the cut is him looking to his side to find her seething directly in his face.
- Dib immediately blacks out and wakes up back in his room, thinking it was all a dream. It gives the implication that Gaz was so pissed off she somehow broke out of her own restraints and punched Dib hard enough to cause him to black out.
- Her understated reaction later is pretty funny too. Dib wakes up and follows what he thinks is his father's voice, only to find a clone having replaced him, plunging the house into chaos and making pudding. And in the midst of it all, Gaz is just sitting here. Cursing him with her eyes.Dib: Gaz, I'm so sorry. Zim tricked me. I didn't mean for any of this to...
Gaz: (with her eyes popped as wide as they can possibly go) Whaaaaaaaaat? You didn't mean to ruin Dad's big show, get him kidnapped, and hand Zim the keys to Membrane Labs while you and I are held prisoner by something that looks like Dad having an allergic reaction to radioactive beeeeeeeeeees?
- Clembrane is a hilariously bad imitation of Membrane, and it's even funnier that the only thing Zim saw as off was that he couldn't make pudding right (which Dib doesn't even like). He can barely string a coherent statement together, and mostly just babbles about science and pudding while literally walking through walls.Clembrane: Breakfast is da scienciest meal of da day!
- Gaz, as always, shows herself as capable of being resigned to anything by just going along with whatever Clembrane says, no matter how ridiculous. Dib, meanwhile, keeps making Clembrane freak out because he can't stop with the heroic declarations. At one point, Clembrane ends up crying in the ceiling.
- After Zim takes over Membrane Labs and starts selling his modified Membracelets to all the people on Earth, he moves his headquarters right on the lawn of the Membrane house, leading to this hilarious conversation between Dib and Zim, in which Dib shouts to Zim from atop the tall building while Zim can barely hear him.Dib: ZIM!! GET OFF MY LAWN!!
Zim: HI DIB! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!
Dib: I LIVE HERE!
Zim: YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO SPEAK UP!
Dib: YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!
Zim: WHAAAAAT?!
Dib: YOU WON'T GET A—
Zim: WHAAAAAT?!
Dib: YOU WON'T GET AWA—
Zim: WHAAAAAT?!
Dib: YOU WON'T GET AWAY—
Zim: WHAAAAAT?!
Dib: YOU—
Zim: WHAAAAAAAAAT?!- And then the scene cuts to Gaz looking startled at the TV, hurriedly asking Dib to see how huge his head looks on TV, and Dib's head is somehow five times larger and rounder than it normally is.
- The news ticker during Zim's broadcast chimes in with some hilarious asides, as well.New Membracelet a hit with ravenous consumer zombies.Professor Zim laughs maniacally for peace, is Human.Children sing. People rejoice. Fatalities minimal.M-Labs clerks say number of tramplings "Normal".Professor Zim: So HumanProfessor Zim: He's not an alien, guys. Pshhh.
- Dib summarizes Invader Zim in one line:Dib: So... this show is just Zim laughing the whole time?
- The obstacles to the children of the world joining hands include an active volcano, man-eating sharks and... a really ornery housecat that keeps trying to scratch everyone.News Ticker: Neighbourhood cat hates peace, children sad.
- GIR's song about peace. Even better, it somehow actually works to inspire people."Peace is nice! Peace is nice! Peace is better than CHICKEN AND RICE!!!"
- The children who couldn't link hands due to the sharks, after hearing GIR's song, are seen holding hands with the sharks for some singing and swaying. A second after, it cuts to the housecat being arrested and driven away in handcuffs by the police.
- Gaz reminds Dib that Zim's evil plan is probably going to fail disastrously because, well, it's Zim. Her reaction to the teleporting Earth is almost comically understated:Gaz: Look at me being wrong.
- Zim notes all of the running and screaming humans with smug satisfaction, claiming it's because they fear him so much. When GIR points out none of them are even looking at him, Zim says it's a sign of respect, asking who wouldn't run in fear at the sight of "all THIS!". The frantic up and down sweeping motions of his arms, coupled with GIR's screaming and pointing, and further added to the fact that it's over as quickly as it started makes the moment hilarious.
- Zim reveals he sent Professor Membrane to the planet Moo-Ping 10, which is a giant space prison, and mocks Dib and Gaz for being unable to rescue him. The animation of Zim's gloating makes it even funnier.Zim (with puppy dog eyes): Why don't you hop in your space ship and go rescue him- OH WAIT YOU DON'T HAAAAVE A SPACE SHIP!!!!
- Gaz's plan to get her and Dib to Moo-Ping 10 and rescue their father. She takes out a ham and shoves it in Dib's mouth, saying that he and Clembrane need more bonding time. It works, and they use the excuse to repair Tak's ship.
- Also, right before she shoves the ham into Dib's mouth, a narrator (which was never heard up until this point) says not to forget it as it will appear again in the movie.Narrator: Now pay close attention to that ham. Cause it's not the last time you're gonna see that ham in the story.
- Also, right before she shoves the ham into Dib's mouth, a narrator (which was never heard up until this point) says not to forget it as it will appear again in the movie.
- Tak's ship is oddly obsessed with the butts of the people riding it.
- Dib and Gaz listening to the ship radio and getting super into an alien pop song. Dib rocks out so hard he goes cross eyed, while Gaz looks like she's just nodding along but then gets just as pissed when Tak cuts them off.
Dib, happily singing: Swibbidy doo, shmibbidy doo, honky donk shmip shmoop, flibbidy nee~! Dink bleep bloop, scribbidy scwoo-
(The radio is cut off)
Dib & Gaz: Hey!
Tak's Ship: YOUR NOISES ARE BAD! Also, we're here. - Dib chases after Zim and Minimoose, so he can stop the Earth from being sucked into the Florpus:Dib: Stop! We're running out of time!
Zim: You're ugly when you lie, Dib!
Dib: I'm not lying!
Zim: Then why are you ugly?!- The best part is that rather than some weird non-sequitur, the previous line was just a great burn by Zim.
- The Chase-Scene Obstacle Course between Dib and Zim as they race across the planets drawn in by the Florpus, such as one small planetoid, where a tiny alien race is having a birthday party, complete with humming out an alien version of the Happy Birthday song. Well, apparently it's called "happy Blorfday" on their planet, judging by the banner hanging above the cake, but still. Unfortunately, Dib runs on the planet while trying to catch up with Zim, causing it to spin rapidly, sending all the tiny aliens flying, except for Gloinky, the birthday boy, who hangs on to the table and stuffs his face with cake in between screaming in terror.
- Zim uses Minimoose to fly away, leaving Dib behind. Fortunately, he lands on a planet inhabited by an odd, bee-like alien race that can fly...
Alien: *talking with another alien in a buzzing language, until Dib suddenly crashlands nearby* Bzzz?Dib: *points dramatically at the alien*Alien: *points to himself* BZZZ?! *cut to Dib riding the bee alien, hot on Zim's trail. The alien is smiling, clearly enjoying the surprise turn his day took.*- The return of the riverdancing leprechaun robot cat as one of the obstacles Zim throws at Dib.
- As the robots swarm on Dib, Zim breaks into mocking laughter before suddenly saying "Well, he's dead."Zim: GIR, all this evil is doing a number on my throat! Fetch me a sooooooothing LOZEEEENGE!
- Zim going Say My Name with his destroyed robots, where Richard Horvitz practically channels Armin Shimerman screaming "Lawrence".
- GIR's attempt to "avenge [his] robot brothers! And Maria!" involves him going Serious Mode, pulling out a wooden sword and riding on the tiny donkey from earlier in the movie. The donkey takes three steps and then both are knocked down by the wind, at which point both of them are slowly blown away due to low gravity as Zim just stares after him.Zim: (Calling out) You're terrible, GIR~!
- He walks up later when Zim is captured, then ignorantly states "I did my best."
- Dib and Membrane fighting off Zim's robot army. On the one hand, Membrane's absolutely demolishing the army with ease like the badass he is. On the other...Dib spends most of the time either taking cover or wacking an already-taken-down mook.
- Just about everything about Clembrane, Zim's failed clone of Membrane — his generally derpy attitude, his obsession with pudding, his tantrum when Dib claims he's not really Membrane, and the confusion he elicits in Membrane when they meet.
- There's also this Failed Attempt at Drama when Dib explains to Membrane that Clembrane is a clone:
- Gaz's contribution to getting Clembrane to hand over Minimoose is to praise the clone's pudding as being the best she's ever had in her life... using a fake British accent.
- At the end of the film, Clembrane is shown to now be living with the Membranes.
Dib: So does he just live here now?Membrane: I'm still very confused. - After Gaz crashlands during the fight, she reminds Dib of the ham she gave him. Right before he throws it towards her, the narrator returns.Narrator: See? There's that ham again!
- And when she grabs it, there's a dramatic moment of her holding it to the sky as lightning strikes it with her shouting "HAAAAMMM!!!!" ...And then she lightly throws it at Zim's head, making him drop Minimoose.
- Just before the Earth hits the Florpus, Dib commands Membrane to "Use the moose!"Membrane:(Hesitantly) Uhhhh, right. "Use the moose", ummm... okay.
- And shortly after they enter the Florpus, as Membrane struggles to make Minimoose work:
Dib: No pressure, Dad, but AAHHHH!Membrane: Cut me some slack! This is my first moose! - As Earth collides with the Florpus, it rapidly cycles through a series of alternate realities, some of which are very silly. These include one where everyone is drawn as crude stick figures, one where everyone is inexplicably a flaming skeleton, one where Dib and Gaz are Irkens, Zim and Clembrane are humans, and GIR is an ordinary dog, one where everyone is drawn in a super-cutesy style, one where everyone is a puppet, and one where everyone is a live-action French bulldog in a costume.
- Dib's Flat "What" when Prof. Membrane states that he still believes that most of the film's events were an odd hallucination.
- Throughout the crisis, the Tallest are entirely dismissive of their Navigator's warnings about the Florpus hole, instead bemoaning about the fact that Zim is in front of them and that they might have to turn the Armada from its straight path if they don't blow up the Earth. When the Earth is returned, they are in celebration of the fact they no longer have to turn! And as for their response to their Navigator when he tries to remind them of the Florpus:Navigator: Sirs, there's still the horrifying space hole, straight ahead!"(Beat)Tallest Purple: Why are you so negative?(cut to outside of the Florpus, where the Massive is about to drive straight into it)Tallests Red and Purple: Yeah! Woohoo! Yeah— (the Massive vanishes into the Florpus, cutting them off)
- Towards the end of the film, Minimoose arrives home in a car. No explanation given for how he was able to drive it. Zim initially accuses Minimoose of working with the enemy, but with a single cute squeak Zim instantly forgives him.
- In the end as a last hit of Black Comedy;Zim: My Tallest, I am pleased to report my plan was a success and I now have Dib's puppy clown thing, which was my plan all along. Does this please you?
(Cue the screen revealing the Tallest as puppets, screaming in agony as flames rise behind them)
Zim: That sounded like a yes to me. (Makes a nerdy pose.)- And then Zim gets squished by the pug that GIR launched into space at the beginning of the movie. And then GIR promptly launches it back into space.
- Amusingly enough, the fact that the Tallest are screaming in a hellscape of fire in puppet form, becomes extra amusing, when one remembers that the Tallest used to order a pummeling for Invaders who failed to incorporate puppet shows in their Probing Day presentations.
