YMMV / SpongeBob SquarePants S5E12 "Atlantis SquarePantis"

• Critical Backlash: This special has often been called one of the worst if not the worst SpongeBob episode, especially in the early days of the fandom. But while few fans will defend this special as being an underappreciated gem, more and more viewers are starting to admit that they don't find it anywhere near as bad as some people made it out to be, and just find it mediocre and uninspired with some good bits. The same is true for the songs themselves, which were subjected to a lot of harsh criticisms, but many think that while the songs have lackluster lyrics and aren't sung all that well, they are not the out-and-out torture some hyperbolic critics made them out to be.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: In "Sandy's Rocket", SpongeBob made a throwaway line about aliens being behind Atlantis. Four seasons later, this is actually the case.
• Padding: The musical numbers, which slow down the pacing, bog down the episode, and serve as filler to meet the 45 minute runtime. All of the major characters (except, ironically, Lord Royal Highness) get a musical number, even Patchy (whose segments are padding in it of itself).
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: Though explainable by the fact that his voice actor was retired from music at the time, the fact that Lord Royal Highness, voiced by David Bowie, is the only character who doesn't sing in this musical is a fact often bemoaned by both SpongeBob fans and Bowie fans alike.
• So Okay, It's Average: General opinions started shifting towards this. The plot is repetitive and paper thin, the songs are pretty lackluster and suffer from forced rhymes, Atlantis itself isn't very interesting, and Plankton's subplot is ultimately just Padding that results in a lame Anti-Climax. But at the same time, all the main characters remain in character (especially in a season that's often argued about whether or not it's the first one where the characters went through Flanderization), the various alternative art forms used keep it visually interesting, it has some funny jokes sprinkled throughout, and it's ultimately pretty inoffensive.
• Vindicated by History: For the longest time, "Atlantis SquarePantis" was seen as a cheap ratings trap with very little redeeming qualities, thanks to its semi-unfocused plot progression and rather nonsensical song numbers; the revelation that Executive Meddling forced it into its format only amplified this sentiment. In more recent times, however, fan opinions have lightened up on the special, with some finding the songs to be enjoyable and recognizing the positive aspects of the special for what they are, including some bits of clever humor, the ambitious shifts in art style, and of course, David Bowie's guest performance.

---