🔗 Share this article

Would the original fans who laughed through the first SpongeBob adventures have predicted the franchise enduring for a quarter-century, even after experiencing the most surreal of plotlines? This longevity is in part due to its broad charm, tickling the funny bones of adults – possibly even those former students – alongside the very young viewers. While it can't claim anything as surprising as a certain legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 film, this fourth feature has no qualms about making a veteran voice actor talk like a pirate while dispensing payments to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Zany Vibe

Kicking off with a festive short featuring Paramount's other weathered babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film quickly finds a comfortably silly rhythm. Its script serves as a family-friendly exploration on the pros and cons of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now stands 36 clams high, a fact that excites him as it finally qualifies him to experience his fantasy coaster. (An initial, psychedelic laugh: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, like the finest modern American cartoons, the real thrill ride is the corkscrew plotting.

The Quest for Swashbuckling Credentials

SpongeBob's quest to secure the fabled pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” brings him into conflict with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ubiquitous Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a larger scale, the film's aesthetic remains a charming mix of digital animation and hand-crafted elements, forever highlighting satisfying, authentically cartoonish visuals.

If its spitballing humor will linger after the credits is debatable, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.

Notable moments include SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and coming out inexplicably squarer than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment guaranteed to delight the six-year-old crowd: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Search for SquarePants is a solid addition to the franchise – and perhaps the funniest Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, including a hearty Davy Jones gag and a saltily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those original students will likely be chuckling anew.

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