SpongeBob's Latest: Search for SquarePants Film Critique – An Adventurous Helping of Snicker-Inducing Fun

Could those original fans who laughed through the initial SpongeBob adventures have predicted the franchise persisting for a quarter-century, even after experiencing the most lysergic of plotlines? This longevity is in part attributed to its wide-ranging charm, tickling the funny bones of adults – perhaps even those former students – as well as the very young viewers. While it may not feature anything as surprising as the memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 movie, this fourth feature has no qualms about making Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while handing out royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems anything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

A Familiar Goofy Vibe

Starting with a festive short featuring Paramount's other weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob movie soon finds a comfortably goofy groove. Its script serves as a family-friendly treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of growing up. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures a specific height, a detail that excites him as it finally allows him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An early, trippy gag: our overexcitable hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, like the best modern American cartoons, the real thrill ride is the corkscrew plotting.

The Quest for Pirate Proof

SpongeBob's mission to obtain the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” leads him into conflict with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ship introduces a grander scope, the movie's visual style remains a delightful mix of digital animation and hand-turned elements, consistently highlighting satisfying, properly animated visuals.

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

Memorable scenes include SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and emerging somehow more rectangular than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a penalty sure to delight the younger audience: our hero being subjected to never-ending dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, Search for SquarePants stands as a solid entry to the series – and perhaps the funniest pirate-themed movie recently, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones joke and a saltily suggestive saying for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is certain: those original students will probably be snickering all over again.

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