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Would the early viewers who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the franchise persisting for a quarter-century, even after experiencing the most surreal of plotlines? Such longevity is in part due to its broad charm, tickling the funny bones of grown-ups – perhaps even those now grown students – as well as the very young viewers. While it may not feature anything as unexpected as the memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 film, this fourth feature thinks nothing of having Clancy Brown speak as a pirate while handing out payments to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems anything remains possible in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.

A Familiar Zany Vibe

Kicking off with a festive short starring Paramount's other long-running family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob movie quickly finds a recognizably silly groove. Its storyline serves as a family-friendly treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now measures a specific height, a fact that thrills him as it finally qualifies him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An initial, psychedelic gag: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, as in the finest modern American cartoons, the true rollercoaster is the twisting plotting.

The Quest for Pirate Proof

SpongeBob's mission to obtain the legendary pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into conflict with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ubiquitous Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ghost ship adds a grander scope, the movie's aesthetic remains a delightful bricolage of digital animation and hand-turned components, forever highlighting satisfying, authentically animated visuals.

If its spitballing silliness will linger when the lights come up is debatable, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.

Notable moments feature SpongeBob squeezing himself into an air conditioner and coming out somehow more rectangular than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty sure to delight the younger audience: our hero being subjected to never-ending dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable addition to the franchise – and perhaps the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, including a hearty Davy Jones gag and a saltily innuendo-laden catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is certain: those early fans will likely be chuckling anew.

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