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Would the early viewers who laughed through the first SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the series enduring for a 25 years, following absorbing the most surreal of narrative twists? This longevity is in part attributed to its broad charm, amusing the funny bones of grown-ups – perhaps even those now grown students – as well as the very young viewers. While it can't claim anything quite as surprising as a certain memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 movie, this fourth feature thinks nothing of having Clancy Brown speak as a pirate while handing out payments to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything can still in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Goofy Vibe

Kicking off with a festive short starring Paramount's other long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob movie quickly finds a comfortably goofy rhythm. Its script acts as a family-friendly treatise on the pros and cons of maturity. This version of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures a specific height, a detail that thrills him as it at last allows him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An initial, psychedelic laugh: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, like the finest modern American cartoons, the real rollercoaster is the twisting plotting.

The Adventure for Swashbuckling Credentials

SpongeBob's quest to obtain the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will prove him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, voiced by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ship introduces a grander scope, the movie's aesthetic remains a delightful mix of digimation and hand-turned elements, forever highlighting satisfying, properly cartoonish effects.

Whether its spitballing humor will linger after the credits is up for discussion, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.

Memorable scenes feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and coming out inexplicably squarer than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty sure to resonate with the younger audience: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable addition to the franchise – and perhaps the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie in years, including a hearty Davy Jones gag and a saltily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those early fans will probably be snickering anew.

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