🔗 Share this article

Would the early viewers who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob escapades have envisioned the series persisting for a 25 years, following absorbing the most lysergic of narrative twists? This longevity is partly due to its wide-ranging charm, amusing the sense of humor of adults – perhaps even those former students – alongside the very young viewers. While it may not feature anything as unexpected as a certain memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this latest movie thinks nothing of having a veteran voice actor speak as a pirate while handing out royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Zany Groove

Starting with a holiday short starring Paramount's alternative long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film soon finds a recognizably goofy rhythm. Its script serves as a family-friendly exploration on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This version of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now stands 36 clams high, a detail that excites him as it at last allows him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An early, trippy gag: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, as in the finest modern American animation, the real rollercoaster is the corkscrew plotting.

The Quest for Pirate Credentials

SpongeBob's mission to secure the legendary swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into conflict with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a grander scope, the film's aesthetic remains a charming mix of digimation and hand-crafted components, consistently highlighting pleasing, properly animated visuals.

Whether its spitballing humor will linger when the lights come up is debatable, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.

Notable moments feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and emerging inexplicably squarer than before; a cameo 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 never-ending dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Search for SquarePants is a solid entry to the series – and perhaps the funniest pirate-themed movie in years, including a robust Davy Jones gag and a saltily innuendo-laden catchphrase for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is certain: those original students will probably be chuckling anew.

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