In additional news, Microsoft will be adding PAW Patrol Rescue Wheels: Championship (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) to its Xbox Game Pass (Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, PC Game Pass) on Thursday, February 5!
PAW Patrol fans can stream full PAW Patrol episodes and movies, including The Mighty Movie, on Paramount+. Try it FREE today at ParamountPlus.com.
Shop all things PAW Patrol on the official Paramount Shop.
Classic Rugrats Comic Strip for February 3, 2026 | Nickelodeon
Stream the classic Rugrats series on Paramount+! Try it at ParamountPlus.com!
Rugrats, provided to Creators Syndicate by Nickelodeon, based off the popular animated television series has been created for children and family's to laugh and enjoy together.
Follow these comics and their take on real episodes of the show and their own spin on hilarious adventures.
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants took the evergreen Nickelodeon 2D toon into a new dimension with a fresh 3D CG makeover for SpongeBob and his Bikini Bottom friends. It also brought the undersea scamp into the live-action surface world and provided plenty of opportunities for ghostly effects as SpongeBob sets out to prove to Mr. Krabs that he’s a “big guy” by facing the Flying Dutchman’s briny trials.
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants [c/o Cinesite, Nickelodeon Movies / Paramount Animation]
Produced by Nickelodeon for Paramount and directed by Derek Drymon, the latest feature film in the beloved SpongeBob SquarePants franchise called more hands to the deck, including the Canadian team at Cinesite. The studio had previously delivered hybrid VFX and animation for The Smurfs movie earlier in 2025, as well as Space Jam: A New Legacy in 2021.
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants [c/o Cinesite, Nickelodeon Movies / Paramount Animation]
Cinesite delivered three main sequences for Search for SquarePants, which involved a crossover between live action and the popular animated characters. The prologue, where we first meet the villainous Flying Dutchman (voiced by Mark Hamill) at sea, and two sequences on Santa Monica’s “Paradise” beaches, where a crazy rollercoaster ride leads to the film’s climax. The sequences required a quick integration with the production team and a speedy turnaround, with work beginning in July 2024 and delivering in May 2025.
Animation for the main body of the movie was delivered by Reel FX, so an initial onboarding session with that team established the film’s overall look and feel. Cinesite’s work would need to fit seamlessly in terms of style, and production designer Pablo Mayer was closely involved in establishing the consistency of the look. In reference to the original show, the work’s 2D graphic style featured strong silhouettes and little perspective shift — which presented a challenge when rendered in 3D amidst real world footage.
Cinesite was tasked with effects and animation for the Flying Dutchman’s pirate ship and the surrounding sea, ghostly green effects on the characters, elements like mist and bubbles, a three-headed seagull (previously seen in the fully animated series), building a digital roller coaster around Mark Hamill’s live-action performance in a full-sized car, and dynamic cartoon-style effects for the climactic, slaptsticky showdown on the Twisting Totem.
You can read more about Cinesite’s work on the film in their case study at cinesite.com.
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is now available to buy or rent on Digital.
Paramount Skydance has hired Ted Lehman, who has more than 20 years of experience on Capitol Hill and the private sector, as Senior Vice President, head of U.S. public policy and government affairs.
Courtesy of Paramount Skydance
Lehman will lead the media company’s Washington, D.C., office, in charge of all aspects of Paramount’s U.S. public policy. He starts Monday, February 2 and reports to chief legal officer Makan Delrahim, who joined the company last fall, along with the international policy and government affairs team.
Lehman joins the company after the departure of DeDe Lea, the longtime head of global public policy and government relations. When Delrahim was named chief legal officer in September, his responsibilities included oversight of Paramount’s government relations and lobbying team.
Lehman will “ensure we continue to be a proactive voice with U.S. lawmakers, regulators and other important stakeholders,” Delrahim wrote in a memo to staff Friday, January 30. Most recently, Lehman served as a partner at Todd Strategy Group, described as a bipartisan public policy and advocacy firm, where he advised media and technology companies as well as clients in other sectors. He had served as a strategic adviser to Paramount over the past few months.
Paramount’s hiring of Lehman comes as the company, led by chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) David Ellison, is waging a hostile takeover bid of Warner Bros. Discovery. Ellison and Paramount are looking to derail Netflix’s $83 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. and HBO Max, and has been pushing the narrative that the Netflix-WB deal would face a high bar for regulatory clearance in the U.S. and abroad.
“I have known Ted for nearly 25 years and know first-hand he is respected by Republicans and Democrats alike,” Delrahim write in the memo. “His well-earned reputation stems from adopting a strategic and creative approach to complex problems – and always with professionalism, respect and integrity… His experience and leadership will serve Paramount incredibly well as we advance our policy objectives.”
Lehman is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he also played collegiate soccer. He received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center, while working for the late Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. After graduating from law school, Lehman clerked for Judge Thomas F. Hogan, who was chief judge of the D.C. District Court, before practicing law in the D.C. office of an international law firm. Lehman also previously served as chief of staff to Sen. Thom Tillis (R-SC); chief counsel on nominations for then-Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA); and counsel to the Judiciary Committee, among other experience.
Delrahim, before joining the company, had advised Skydance on its takeover of Paramount Global (a deal that closed in August). He was formerly an assistant attorney general overseeing the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division during President Trump’s first term.
PARAMOUNT+ TO PREMIERE TRUE-CRIME DOCUMENTARY WILD BOYS: STRANGERS IN TOWN ON FEBRUARY 18
The Gripping Two-Part Documentary from See It Now Studios Explores Small Town Mystery
January 29, 2026 - Paramount+ announced today that the gripping two-part documentary from See It Now Studios, WILD BOYS: STRANGERS IN TOWN will premiere exclusively on the platform on February 18.
WILD BOYS: STRANGERS IN TOWN chronicles the astonishing true story of two young brothers who emerged from the forests of British Columbia in the summer of 2003, claiming they had been raised entirely off the grid—without schools, doctors or any record of their existence. When a local mother takes them in hoping to help the brothers build a new life, a small-town obsession is ignited with journalists and authorities digging deeper and raising unsettling questions about how far people are willing to go to believe a story they want to be true.
Roen Horn (aka “Will Green”) in Wild Boys: Strangers In Town, episode 1, season 1, streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: CBS/Paramount+
A decade in the making, the project gained additional traction following the release of the hit podcast Wild Boys, produced by Campside.
Tami Ryder in Wild Boys: Strangers In Town, episode 1, season 1, streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: CBS/Paramount+
WILD BOYS: STRANGERS IN TOWN is produced by See It Now Studios, Candle True Stories, Vox Media Studios, Campside Media and Endless Eye and is directed and executive produced by Jeremiah Hammerling and Rita Baghdadi. James Goldston and Max Heckman serve as executive producers for Candle True Stories, with Adam Hoff and Matthew Shaer executive producing for Campside Media, and Dana J. Olkkonen, Marina Stadler and Arun Gulati for Vox Media Studios. For See It Now Studios, Susan Zirinsky and Terence Wrong are executive producers, with Aysu Saliba and Cara Tortora serving as supervising producers. Trent Johnson serves as Producer.
Henry Proce, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in Wild Boys: Strangers In Town, episode 1, season 1, streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: CBS/Paramount+
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About Paramount+
Paramount+ is a premium streaming subscription service delivering live sports, breaking news, and a Mountain of Entertainment™, and is a cornerstone of the Direct-to-Consumer division of Paramount, a Skydance Corporation (Nasdaq: PSKY), a leading, next‑generation global media and entertainment company. The Company’s portfolio unites legendary brands, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Television, CBS – America’s most‑watched broadcast network, CBS News, CBS Sports, Nickelodeon, MTV, BET, Comedy Central, SHOWTIME®, Paramount+, Pluto TV, and Skydance’s Animation, Film, Television, Interactive/Games, and Sports divisions. For more information, please visit www.paramount.com.
