🔗 Share this article

Would the early viewers who laughed through the first SpongeBob escapades have predicted the franchise enduring for a 25 years, even after experiencing the most lysergic of plotlines? Such staying power is in part attributed to its broad charm, tickling the sense of humor of grown-ups – possibly even those now grown students – alongside the very young viewers. While it may not feature anything quite as surprising as the legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this fourth feature thinks nothing of having a veteran voice actor talk like a pirate while handing out royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. It seems anything remains possible in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Zany Groove

Starting with a holiday short starring Paramount's other long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film soon settles into a recognizably goofy rhythm. Its storyline acts as a family-friendly exploration on the pros and cons of growing up. This version of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now stands 36 clams high, a detail that thrills him as it finally qualifies him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An early, psychedelic laugh: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, like the best modern American cartoons, the real thrill ride is the twisting narrative.

The Adventure for Swashbuckling Proof

SpongeBob's mission to secure the legendary swashbuckler certificate that will prove him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, voiced by the suddenly ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship adds a larger scale, the film's visual style remains a delightful bricolage of digital animation and hand-crafted elements, forever highlighting pleasing, properly animated visuals.

Whether its freewheeling humor will resonate after the credits is up for discussion, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.

Notable scenes include SpongeBob squeezing himself into an AC unit and coming out inexplicably squarer than ever; a cameo from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a punishment sure to resonate with the younger audience: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, Search for SquarePants is a reliable entry to the series – and perhaps the funniest pirate-themed movie in years, encompassing a robust Davy Jones gag and a saltily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those early students will probably be chuckling all over again.

Release Dates: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants debuts on December 19th in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and 26 December in Australia and the UK.