Determined to make this the king's happiest birthday ever and save the day, SpongeBob goes to set out and find Triton and bring him back to the party.

The episode was written by Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas, Aaron Springer, Steven Banks, and Paul Tibbitt, and the animation was directed by Andrew Overtoom and supervising director, Alan Smart.

Despite the party itself, the king's spirits are brought down in despondency by the absence of his estranged son, Triton, spoiling the festivities for everyone, especially his wife, Queen Amphitrite.

Triton was banished to a cage on the deserted Island in the Sky, until he was ready to be a "proper" god, having displeased his father with his growing interests in the mortal world and his desire to benefit them.

Determined to make this the king's happiest birthday ever and save the day, SpongeBob sets out to find Triton and bring him to the party.

Noticing that something is wrong at the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob and Patrick enter the building from the back, discovering the guests and staff locked in a cage.

King Neptune is angered that he can't tolerate his son's wrongdoings and is about to punish him, but on seeing how Triton destroyed Bikini Bottom, he explains that he's finally using his powers and causing havoc among mortals at last and pleads with his father not to send him back to the cage.

[6][7] In addition to the regular cast, English singer Victoria Beckham guest starred in the episode as the wife of King Neptune, Queen Amphitrite.

[17][18][19] Other guests including Seinfeld actor John O'Hurley also made a vocal cameo in the episode as King Neptune, and Skid Row heavy metal vocalist Sebastian Bach as the voice of Triton.

"[5] Nickelodeon animation president Brown Johnson said "We're happy to have such a talented and eclectic group of celebrities lend their voices to this SpongeBob special[...] Victoria [Beckham], John [O'Hurley] and Sebastian [Bach] truly brought Bikini Bottom's royal family to life.

The script’s rapid-fire gags, the show's wildly bright color palette, and the series' resolute avoidance of heavy-handed messages combine to give Stephen Hillenburg's SpongeBob its adventurous energy."

"[38] Paul Mavis of DVD Talk said: "'The Clash of Triton' spends way too much time on exposition, setting up the short's premise, while skimping on what should have been a priority: the jokes.