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Could those original fans who chuckled through the first SpongeBob escapades have envisioned the franchise persisting for a quarter-century, even after absorbing the most lysergic of narrative twists? Such longevity is partly attributed to its broad appeal, amusing the sense of humor of adults – perhaps even those now grown students – alongside the very young viewers. Although it can't claim anything as surprising as a certain memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this latest movie has no qualms about making a veteran voice actor talk like a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything remains possible in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.

A Familiar Goofy Groove

Kicking off with a holiday short starring Paramount's other long-running family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film quickly finds a comfortably goofy groove. Its storyline acts as a family-friendly treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now stands a specific height, a detail that excites him as it finally qualifies him to experience his fantasy coaster. (An initial, trippy laugh: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, like the best modern American cartoons, the true rollercoaster is the twisting narrative.

The Adventure for Swashbuckling Credentials

SpongeBob's mission to obtain the legendary pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” leads him into conflict with the spectral Flying Dutchman, voiced by the suddenly ubiquitous Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a larger scale, the film's visual style remains a charming bricolage of digital animation and hand-crafted elements, consistently showcasing pleasing, authentically cartoonish effects.

If its freewheeling humor will resonate when the lights come up is debatable, but it's a strong 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 novelty false teeth; and a punishment sure to delight the younger crowd: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, Search for SquarePants is a solid entry to the series – and arguably the funniest pirate-themed movie recently, including a robust Davy Jones joke and a cheekily suggestive saying for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those early students 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 26 December in Australia and the UK.