🔗 Share this article

Could those original fans who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob adventures have predicted the series persisting for a quarter-century, even after experiencing the most lysergic of plotlines? This staying power is in part due to its wide-ranging appeal, tickling the sense of humor of adults – possibly even those now grown students – alongside the very young viewers. While it may not feature anything as surprising as the legendary David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this latest movie has no qualms about making Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while dispensing payments to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Goofy Groove

Kicking off with a holiday short featuring Paramount's alternative weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob movie soon finds a comfortably goofy rhythm. Its script acts as a family-friendly exploration on the pros and cons of growing up. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now stands a specific height, a fact that thrills him as it at last allows him to experience his dream rollercoaster. (An early, trippy gag: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, like the finest contemporary American animation, the true thrill ride is the twisting plotting.

The Quest for Pirate Credentials

SpongeBob's mission to obtain the legendary pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” brings him into conflict with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the suddenly ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ship adds a larger scale, the movie's visual style remains a delightful mix of digital animation and hand-turned elements, consistently highlighting pleasing, properly cartoonish visuals.

If its spitballing silliness will linger after the credits is debatable, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.

Memorable scenes include SpongeBob squeezing himself into an air conditioner and coming out somehow more rectangular than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty guaranteed to delight the six-year-old crowd: our hero being subjected to endless dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable addition to the franchise – and arguably the funniest pirate-themed movie recently, encompassing a robust Davy Jones joke and a saltily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those original students will likely be chuckling all over again.

Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on December 19th in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.