You don’t have to be a huge “SpongeBob SquarePants” fan to admire “Atlantis SquarePantis” (7 p.m., Nickelodeon), a TV mini movie special arriving at the tail end of a 12-hour “SpongeBob” marathon (7 a.m.).

As the title implies, the special follows SpongeBob and his pals from Bikini Bottom as they travel to the Lost City of Atlantis, a bus trip made possible when our hero stumbles upon the missing half on an enchanted amulet, a talisman that looks very much like an old subway token.

Singer David Bowie provides the voice of the Lord Royal Highness of the underwater realm.

The animators really have fun with the treasures of Atlantis, and characters get their own silly songs as they marvel at the wonders of a vastly superior culture.

The snobby Squidward delights in an art gallery where he gets to appear in paintings by Van Gogh, Dali and Miro.

The mischievous microscopic Plankton goes on a military power trip in the hall of abandoned weaponry, a scene clearly inspired by old Soviet propaganda posters.

My favorite visual reverie involves the scientific Sandy Cheeks who battles germs in a fantasy animated in the style of an “ancient” video game, circa 1991.

The folks at Nickelodeon are justly proud of “Atlantis SquarePantis” and have dedicated the last 15 minutes of the special to the documentary short “Behind the Pantis: How We Made Atlantis SquarePantis” (7:45 p.m.).

Tonight’s highlights

¢ A girl seems smitten with the nerdy side of Chuck on “Chuck” (7 p.m., NBC).

¢ Greg becomes a houseguest on “Everybody Hates Chris” (7 p.m., CW).

¢ Four months of mysteries explained on “Heroes” (8 p.m., NBC).

¢ “Billy Crystal: The Mark Twain Prize” (8 p.m., PBS, check local listings) celebrates the star of “City Slickers.”

¢ A killer vacation on “CSI: Miami” (9 p.m., CBS).

¢ Frisky antics at parties long past on “Journeyman” (9 p.m., NBC).