🔗 Share this article

Could those original fans who laughed through the initial SpongeBob escapades have predicted the franchise enduring for a 25 years, even after absorbing the most surreal of plotlines? This staying power is in part attributed to its wide-ranging appeal, amusing the funny bones of grown-ups – possibly even those former students – as well as the very young viewers. While it may not feature anything quite as surprising as the memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 movie, this latest movie thinks nothing of having Clancy Brown speak as a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems anything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

A Familiar Goofy Groove

Kicking off with a festive short starring Paramount's alternative weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob movie soon settles into a comfortably goofy groove. Its script acts as a PG-rated treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This version of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now stands 36 clams high, a detail that excites him as it finally qualifies him to experience his fantasy coaster. (An initial, trippy laugh: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) Yet, as in the finest contemporary American cartoons, the real rollercoaster is the twisting narrative.

The Quest for Pirate Proof

SpongeBob's quest to obtain the fabled pirate license that will declare 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 delightful mix of digimation and hand-crafted components, forever showcasing pleasing, authentically cartoonish visuals.

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

Memorable moments include SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and emerging inexplicably squarer than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment guaranteed to resonate with the six-year-old audience: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.

The Verdict

Ultimately, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable addition to the series – and perhaps the most humorous pirate-themed movie recently, encompassing a robust Davy Jones joke and a saltily innuendo-laden catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is certain: those early students will likely be snickering 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.