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Would the early viewers who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob escapades have predicted the franchise persisting for a quarter-century, even after experiencing the most lysergic of narrative twists? This longevity is in part due to its wide-ranging appeal, tickling the funny bones of adults – possibly even those now grown students – as well as the youngest viewers. While it may not feature anything as surprising as the memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this fourth feature has no qualms about having a veteran voice actor talk like a pirate while handing out royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything remains possible in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Zany Groove

Kicking off with a holiday short featuring Paramount's alternative weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob movie soon finds a comfortably goofy groove. Its storyline acts as a family-friendly treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of growing up. This version of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now stands 36 clams high, a detail that excites him as it finally qualifies him to experience his dream rollercoaster. (An initial, trippy gag: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, as in the finest contemporary American cartoons, the real rollercoaster is the twisting narrative.

The Adventure for Swashbuckling Proof

SpongeBob's mission to obtain the legendary pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, voiced by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a larger scale, the movie's visual style remains a charming bricolage of digimation and hand-turned elements, consistently showcasing satisfying, authentically cartoonish effects.

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

Memorable moments feature SpongeBob squeezing himself into an AC unit and emerging somehow more rectangular than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty sure to delight the six-year-old audience: our hero being subjected to endless dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable addition to the series – and perhaps the funniest pirate-themed movie in years, including a hearty Davy Jones gag and a cheekily innuendo-laden catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is clear: those early fans will likely be snickering anew.

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