SpongeBob's Latest: Search for SquarePants Review – An Adventurous Helping of Giggle-Provoking Silliness

Would the original fans who chuckled through the first SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the franchise persisting for a quarter-century, following absorbing the most surreal of narrative twists? This staying power is in part due to its wide-ranging appeal, amusing the sense of humor of grown-ups – possibly even those now grown students – alongside the youngest viewers. Although it may not feature anything as unexpected as a certain memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 movie, this latest movie has no qualms about making Clancy Brown speak as a pirate while dispensing payments to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything remains possible in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Zany Groove

Kicking off with a festive short starring Paramount's other long-running family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob movie quickly settles into a comfortably goofy groove. Its storyline acts as a family-friendly exploration on the pros and cons of growing up. This version of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now measures a specific height, a fact that thrills him as it at last qualifies him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An initial, psychedelic laugh: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, like the finest modern American cartoons, the true rollercoaster is the twisting plotting.

The Quest for Swashbuckling Credentials

SpongeBob's quest to secure the legendary swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a grander scope, the film's aesthetic remains a delightful bricolage of digital animation and hand-crafted elements, forever highlighting satisfying, authentically animated effects.

If its spitballing humor will linger when the lights come up is up for discussion, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.

Memorable moments include SpongeBob squeezing himself into an air conditioner and coming out inexplicably more rectangular than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment sure to delight the six-year-old crowd: our hero being subjected to endless dishwashing.

The Verdict

In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a solid entry to the series – and arguably the funniest pirate-themed movie in years, including a robust Davy Jones joke and a saltily innuendo-laden catchphrase for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is certain: those early fans will probably be snickering anew.

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