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Could those early viewers who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob escapades have predicted the franchise persisting for a 25 years, even after experiencing the most surreal of plotlines? This staying power is partly attributed to its broad charm, tickling the funny bones of adults – perhaps even those former students – as well as the youngest viewers. While it may not feature anything as unexpected as a certain legendary David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this latest movie has no qualms about having a veteran voice actor speak as a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

A Familiar Goofy Groove

Starting with a holiday short starring Paramount's other long-running family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob movie soon finds a comfortably goofy rhythm. Its storyline serves as a PG-rated exploration on the pros and cons of maturity. This version of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now stands a specific height, a fact that thrills him as it at last qualifies him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An initial, psychedelic laugh: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, like the finest contemporary American animation, the real rollercoaster is the twisting plotting.

The Quest for Swashbuckling Credentials

SpongeBob's mission to obtain the legendary pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” leads 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 movie's visual style remains a charming bricolage of digimation and hand-crafted elements, consistently highlighting satisfying, authentically animated effects.

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

Notable scenes include SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and coming out somehow squarer than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a penalty guaranteed to delight the six-year-old crowd: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a solid entry to the series – and perhaps the funniest Pirates of the Caribbean movie in years, including a robust Davy Jones gag and a saltily suggestive saying for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those original fans will likely be snickering all over again.

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