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Would the original fans who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob escapades have envisioned the series persisting for a quarter-century, following experiencing the most surreal of narrative twists? Such staying power is partly attributed to its broad charm, amusing the sense of humor of adults – perhaps even those former students – as well as the very young viewers. While it may not feature anything quite as unexpected as the legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 film, this fourth feature thinks nothing of having a veteran voice actor speak as a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves everything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Goofy Groove

Starting with a festive short starring Paramount's other long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film quickly finds a comfortably goofy rhythm. Its storyline acts as a PG-rated treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures a specific height, a detail that excites him as it finally allows him to experience his dream rollercoaster. (An early, trippy laugh: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) Yet, as in the finest modern American cartoons, the true rollercoaster is the corkscrew plotting.

The Quest for Pirate Proof

SpongeBob's quest to secure the legendary pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a grander scope, the film's visual style remains a delightful bricolage of digimation and hand-crafted elements, consistently showcasing satisfying, authentically animated effects.

Whether its freewheeling humor will resonate when the lights come up is up for discussion, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.

Memorable scenes feature SpongeBob squeezing himself into an air conditioner and coming out inexplicably more rectangular than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment guaranteed to delight the younger crowd: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.

The Verdict

Ultimately, Search for SquarePants stands as a solid entry to the franchise – and arguably the funniest Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, including a robust Davy Jones gag and a cheekily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those original fans will likely be chuckling all over again.

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