🔗 Share this article

Could those original fans who laughed through the initial SpongeBob escapades have predicted the series persisting for a 25 years, even after absorbing the most surreal of narrative twists? This longevity is in part attributed to its wide-ranging appeal, amusing the funny bones of adults – possibly even those former students – alongside the youngest viewers. Although it may not feature anything as surprising as a certain memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this fourth feature thinks nothing of having Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything can still in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Zany Vibe

Kicking off with a festive short featuring Paramount's other long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob movie soon settles into a comfortably goofy rhythm. Its script acts as a PG-rated treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now stands 36 clams high, a fact that thrills him as it finally qualifies him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An early, trippy gag: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, as in the finest contemporary American cartoons, the true rollercoaster is the corkscrew plotting.

The Adventure for Swashbuckling Proof

SpongeBob's mission to obtain the legendary pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” leads him into conflict with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship adds a larger scale, the film's aesthetic remains a charming mix of digital animation and hand-crafted components, consistently highlighting satisfying, properly animated visuals.

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

Memorable moments feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and coming out inexplicably squarer than ever; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment guaranteed to delight the younger crowd: our hero being subjected to never-ending dishwashing.

The Verdict

In the end, Search for SquarePants is a reliable addition to the franchise – and perhaps the most humorous pirate-themed movie recently, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones joke and a saltily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is certain: those original students will probably be snickering anew.

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