The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Review – A Swashbuckling Dose of Giggle-Provoking Fun
Could those early viewers who laughed through the first SpongeBob escapades have predicted the series persisting for a 25 years, even after absorbing the most lysergic of plotlines? This longevity is in part attributed to its broad charm, tickling the funny bones of grown-ups – perhaps even those now grown students – alongside the youngest viewers. Although it can't claim anything quite as surprising as a certain memorable 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 payments to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems anything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
A Familiar Goofy Vibe
Kicking off with a festive short featuring Paramount's other weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film soon finds a recognizably goofy rhythm. Its script acts as a PG-rated exploration on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This version 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 fantasy coaster. (An initial, trippy laugh: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, like the finest contemporary American cartoons, the real thrill ride is the corkscrew plotting.
The Adventure for Swashbuckling Proof
SpongeBob's mission to secure the legendary pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” leads him into conflict with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, voiced by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ship introduces a larger scale, the movie's aesthetic remains a delightful mix of digimation and hand-crafted components, forever showcasing satisfying, authentically cartoonish visuals.
If its freewheeling silliness will resonate after the credits is debatable, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.
Notable moments feature SpongeBob squeezing himself into an air conditioner and coming out somehow more rectangular than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a penalty sure to delight the younger crowd: our hero being subjected to never-ending dishwashing.
Final Thoughts
In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable entry to the series – and arguably the most humorous pirate-themed movie in years, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones joke and a cheekily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is clear: those original fans will probably be chuckling all over again.
Coming to Theaters: 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.
