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Could those early viewers who laughed through the initial SpongeBob adventures have predicted the franchise persisting for a 25 years, even after experiencing the most surreal of plotlines? This longevity is in part attributed to its wide-ranging charm, amusing the sense of humor of grown-ups – perhaps even those now grown students – alongside the youngest viewers. While it can't claim 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 handing out royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. This proves everything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

A Familiar Goofy Vibe

Starting with a holiday short featuring Paramount's alternative long-running family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film soon finds a comfortably silly groove. Its script acts as a family-friendly treatise on the pros and cons of growing up. This iteration of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now measures a specific height, a fact that excites him as it at last qualifies him to experience his dream rollercoaster. (An initial, psychedelic gag: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, as in the finest modern American animation, the true rollercoaster is the twisting plotting.

The Quest for Pirate Credentials

SpongeBob's quest to secure the legendary pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ship introduces a larger scale, the movie's visual style remains a delightful mix of digital animation and hand-crafted components, consistently highlighting satisfying, properly cartoonish effects.

If its spitballing humor will resonate after the credits is up for discussion, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.

Notable moments feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and coming out inexplicably more rectangular than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty guaranteed to delight the younger crowd: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable entry to the franchise – and perhaps the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones joke and a saltily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's pal 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 debuts on 19 December in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.