🔗 Share this article

Would the early viewers who laughed through the first SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the franchise persisting for a 25 years, even after absorbing the most surreal of plotlines? Such longevity is in part attributed to its broad charm, tickling the funny bones of adults – possibly even those former students – alongside the youngest viewers. Although it may not feature anything as unexpected as the legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 film, this latest movie has no qualms about having a veteran voice actor speak as a pirate while handing out payments to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves everything can still in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.

A Familiar Zany Vibe

Kicking off with a festive short starring Paramount's other long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob movie quickly settles into a comfortably goofy rhythm. Its script serves as a family-friendly exploration on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a detail that excites him as it at last allows him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An initial, trippy laugh: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, as in the finest modern American cartoons, the real rollercoaster is the twisting narrative.

The Quest for Swashbuckling Credentials

SpongeBob's quest to secure the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will prove him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ship adds a grander scope, the movie's aesthetic remains a charming mix of digital animation and hand-turned elements, forever highlighting satisfying, authentically cartoonish effects.

If its freewheeling humor will linger when the lights come up is debatable, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.

Memorable scenes feature SpongeBob squeezing himself into an AC unit and emerging somehow more rectangular than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty sure to resonate with the six-year-old crowd: our hero being subjected to endless dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a solid addition to the series – and perhaps the most humorous pirate-themed movie recently, encompassing a robust Davy Jones joke and a saltily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those original fans will likely be chuckling all over again.

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