🔗 Share this article

Would the early viewers who laughed through the first SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the franchise enduring for a 25 years, following absorbing the most surreal of plotlines? Such longevity is in part attributed to its wide-ranging appeal, tickling the sense of humor of adults – possibly even those now grown students – as well as the very young viewers. While it may not feature anything as unexpected as a certain legendary David Hasselhoff appearance 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 can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

A Familiar Zany Vibe

Kicking off with a holiday short featuring Paramount's other long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob movie quickly finds a comfortably goofy groove. Its script serves as a family-friendly exploration on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now measures a specific height, a detail that excites him as it finally qualifies him to experience his fantasy coaster. (An initial, trippy gag: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, like the best contemporary American animation, the real thrill ride is the twisting narrative.

The Quest for Swashbuckling Credentials

SpongeBob's quest to secure the fabled pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ghost ship adds a larger scale, the movie's aesthetic remains a charming mix of digimation and hand-crafted components, forever highlighting satisfying, properly cartoonish effects.

Whether its spitballing silliness will resonate after the credits is up for discussion, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.

Notable scenes include SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and coming out inexplicably more rectangular than ever; 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 forced into never-ending dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, Search for SquarePants is a solid entry to the franchise – and arguably the most humorous pirate-themed movie in years, including a robust Davy Jones joke and a cheekily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those original students will probably be chuckling anew.

Release Dates: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants debuts on 19 December in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and 26 December in Australia and the UK.