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Would the early viewers who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the series enduring for a quarter-century, following experiencing the most surreal of plotlines? Such longevity is in part due to its broad charm, amusing the sense of humor of grown-ups – possibly even those now grown students – alongside the very young viewers. Although it can't claim anything quite as unexpected as the memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 film, this fourth feature has no qualms about having Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves everything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

A Familiar Zany Vibe

Starting with a holiday short featuring Paramount's alternative weathered babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film quickly finds a comfortably goofy groove. Its storyline acts as a family-friendly treatise on the pros and cons of growing up. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, 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, as in the best contemporary American animation, the true rollercoaster is the twisting plotting.

The Adventure for Pirate 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 ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship adds a larger scale, the movie's aesthetic remains a charming bricolage of digital animation and hand-turned components, consistently highlighting satisfying, properly animated visuals.

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

Notable scenes include SpongeBob squeezing himself into an air conditioner and coming out somehow more rectangular than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment sure to resonate with the younger crowd: our hero being subjected to never-ending dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable addition to the franchise – and arguably the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, encompassing a robust Davy Jones gag and a cheekily innuendo-laden catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is certain: those early students will likely be chuckling anew.

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