🔗 Share this article

Would the original fans who laughed through the initial SpongeBob escapades have envisioned the series persisting for a 25 years, even after absorbing the most surreal of narrative twists? Such longevity is in part attributed to its broad appeal, amusing the funny bones of adults – perhaps even those now grown students – as well as the youngest viewers. Although it can't claim anything as surprising as the memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this fourth feature thinks nothing of making Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Zany Vibe

Kicking off with a holiday short featuring Paramount's alternative weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob movie quickly settles into a comfortably goofy groove. Its script acts as a PG-rated treatise on the pros and cons of growing up. This version of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a fact that thrills him as it at last allows him to experience his fantasy coaster. (An initial, trippy laugh: our overexcitable hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, like the finest contemporary American animation, the real rollercoaster is the corkscrew narrative.

The Adventure for Swashbuckling Proof

SpongeBob's quest to secure the legendary swashbuckler certificate that will prove him a “big guy” brings him into conflict with the spectral Flying Dutchman, voiced by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ship introduces a larger scale, the movie's aesthetic remains a charming mix of digimation and hand-turned components, forever showcasing satisfying, authentically cartoonish effects.

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

Notable moments feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and emerging inexplicably squarer than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment guaranteed to delight the six-year-old audience: our hero being subjected to endless dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, Search for SquarePants is a reliable entry to the series – and perhaps the most humorous pirate-themed movie in years, including a hearty Davy Jones gag and a cheekily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is clear: those original students will probably be chuckling anew.

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