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Would the early viewers who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the franchise enduring for a 25 years, even after experiencing the most lysergic of narrative twists? This longevity is partly attributed to its wide-ranging charm, amusing the funny bones of adults – perhaps even those former students – alongside the very young viewers. While it may not feature anything as surprising as the legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this fourth feature thinks nothing of making Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

A Familiar Goofy Groove

Starting with a festive short featuring Paramount's alternative weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob movie quickly finds a recognizably goofy rhythm. Its storyline acts as a family-friendly exploration on the pros and cons of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures a specific height, a fact that thrills him as it at last qualifies him to experience his dream rollercoaster. (An early, trippy laugh: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) Yet, like the finest modern American animation, the true rollercoaster is the corkscrew plotting.

The Adventure for Swashbuckling Credentials

SpongeBob's quest to secure the legendary swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into conflict with the spectral Flying Dutchman, voiced by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ghost ship adds a grander scope, the movie's visual style remains a charming bricolage of digital animation and hand-crafted components, forever showcasing pleasing, properly animated effects.

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

Notable moments feature SpongeBob squeezing himself into an AC unit and coming out inexplicably squarer than ever; a cameo from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a punishment guaranteed to resonate with the younger crowd: our hero being subjected to never-ending dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, Search for SquarePants stands as a solid entry to the franchise – and arguably the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie in years, encompassing 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 clear: those early fans will likely be snickering all over again.

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