The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Review – An Adventurous Dose of Snicker-Inducing Fun

Could those early viewers who chuckled through the first SpongeBob adventures have predicted the series enduring for a quarter-century, even after absorbing the most lysergic of narrative twists? This longevity is partly attributed to its broad appeal, tickling the funny bones of grown-ups – perhaps even those former students – alongside the very young viewers. Although it may not feature anything quite as unexpected as the legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 film, this latest movie thinks nothing of having a veteran voice actor talk like a pirate while handing out payments to stars like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

A Familiar Zany Vibe

Kicking off with a festive short starring Paramount's alternative weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film soon finds a recognizably goofy groove. Its script serves as a family-friendly treatise on the pros and cons of maturity. This version of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a fact that thrills him as it finally qualifies him to experience his fantasy coaster. (An initial, trippy laugh: our overexcitable hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) Yet, as in the best modern American cartoons, the real thrill ride is the corkscrew plotting.

The Quest for Pirate Proof

SpongeBob's quest to secure the legendary 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 movie's visual style remains a delightful bricolage of digital animation and hand-turned components, forever highlighting satisfying, properly cartoonish visuals.

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

Notable moments include SpongeBob squeezing himself into an air conditioner and coming out somehow more rectangular than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a punishment sure to delight the six-year-old crowd: our hero being subjected to never-ending dishwashing.

The Verdict

In the end, Search for SquarePants is a solid entry to the series – and perhaps the funniest Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones gag and a cheekily suggestive saying for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those early fans will probably be snickering all over again.

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