🔗 Share this article SpongeBob's Latest: Search for SquarePants Review – A Swashbuckling Helping of Snicker-Inducing Fun Could those original fans who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the franchise enduring for a 25 years, following absorbing the most surreal of narrative twists? This staying power is partly attributed to its wide-ranging charm, tickling the sense of humor of adults – perhaps even those former students – as well as the youngest viewers. Although it can't claim anything as unexpected as the memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this latest movie thinks nothing of making a veteran voice actor speak as a pirate while dispensing payments to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems anything remains possible in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom. A Familiar Zany Groove Starting with a festive short starring Paramount's other long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob movie quickly settles into a recognizably silly groove. Its script acts as a PG-rated treatise on the pros and cons of growing up. This version of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a detail that thrills him as it finally allows him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An initial, psychedelic gag: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) Yet, as in the finest contemporary American animation, the true thrill ride is the twisting narrative. The Adventure for Swashbuckling Credentials SpongeBob's quest to secure the legendary swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into conflict with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ship introduces a grander scope, the film's aesthetic remains a charming bricolage of digital animation and hand-crafted elements, consistently highlighting satisfying, authentically cartoonish effects. Whether its freewheeling humor will linger when the lights come up is up for discussion, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie. Notable moments include SpongeBob squeezing himself into an air conditioner and emerging inexplicably more rectangular than ever; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty sure to resonate with the six-year-old audience: our hero being subjected to endless dishwashing. The Verdict In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a solid entry to the series – and perhaps the most humorous pirate-themed movie in years, including a robust Davy Jones joke and a saltily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those original students will probably be snickering anew. 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.