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Could those early viewers who chuckled through the first SpongeBob escapades have envisioned the series persisting for a quarter-century, following experiencing the most surreal of plotlines? This longevity is in part due to its wide-ranging charm, amusing the funny bones of grown-ups – possibly even those now grown students – alongside the very young viewers. While it may not feature anything as unexpected as the memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 film, this latest movie has no qualms about making a veteran voice actor speak as a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques 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 holiday short featuring Paramount's other weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film quickly settles into a comfortably silly groove. Its script serves as a family-friendly treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of growing up. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now stands 36 clams high, a fact that excites him as it at last allows him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An early, psychedelic gag: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, like the best modern American cartoons, the real thrill ride is the twisting plotting.

The Adventure for Pirate Proof

SpongeBob's quest to obtain the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will prove him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, voiced by the currently ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ship adds a grander scope, the movie's visual style remains a delightful mix of digimation and hand-crafted elements, forever highlighting pleasing, authentically animated effects.

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

Memorable moments feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and coming out somehow squarer than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a penalty guaranteed to resonate with the younger crowd: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Search for SquarePants is a solid entry to the franchise – and perhaps the funniest pirate-themed movie in years, including a hearty Davy Jones gag and a saltily innuendo-laden catchphrase for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those original students will probably be snickering all over again.

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