Could those original fans who laughed through the first SpongeBob escapades have predicted the series enduring for a quarter-century, even after absorbing the most lysergic of narrative twists? Such staying power is in part due to its broad charm, tickling the sense of humor of grown-ups – perhaps even those former students – alongside the youngest viewers. Although it may not feature anything quite as unexpected as the legendary David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this fourth feature thinks nothing of having Clancy Brown speak as a pirate while dispensing payments to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything can still in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Goofy Groove
Starting with a festive short starring Paramount's alternative weathered babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob movie quickly settles into a comfortably silly rhythm. Its script acts as a PG-rated treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of growing up. This iteration of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now stands 36 clams high, a detail that excites him as it at last allows him to experience his dream rollercoaster. (An early, psychedelic gag: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, like the best contemporary American animation, the real rollercoaster is the corkscrew plotting.
The Quest for Swashbuckling Proof
SpongeBob's mission to secure the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will prove him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the suddenly ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a grander scope, the movie's aesthetic remains a delightful bricolage of digimation and hand-turned elements, consistently showcasing pleasing, authentically animated visuals.
If its spitballing silliness will resonate when the lights come up is up for discussion, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.
Notable moments include SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and emerging inexplicably more rectangular than ever; a cameo from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a punishment sure to resonate with the younger audience: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Search for SquarePants is a reliable entry to the series – and perhaps the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, including a robust Davy Jones joke and a saltily suggestive saying for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those early fans will probably be chuckling all over again.
Release Dates: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants debuts on 19 December in the US, 20 December in Ireland, and 26 December in Australia and the UK.
