Working out of Hacienda Post in Los Angeles, Jeff Hutchins created a constant bubbling soundscape for the Spongebob Squarepants TV series and has reimagined it for theaters – in surround. "We have to remind the viewer that this all takes place underwater," says Hutchins of the show’s sonic canvas. "When there’s a lull, we’ll insert the sound of bubbles gurgling. Or when there’s a sharp movement on screen we’ll put in a water pass"- water stirred by hand and recorded in a tank or tub at the studio and edited on a Digidesign Pro Tools|24 MIXplus system with a HUI interface. To add new details, Hutchins recorded waves pounding the rocks on the jetties at Marina del Ray using a four-track, 24-bit Zaxcom DEVA direct-to-hard-drive recorder and an Audio-Technica AT825A stereo mic.

"We use characters to weave depth in," says Hutchins. "Mister Crab has an exoskeleton and a peg leg, so we have sounds for those. Squidward has a rubbery sound when he moves." When Spongebob himself gets really animated, his sneakers take on a waterlogged effect: "We squished chicken livers and miked them in stereo to make that sound," reveals Hutchins.