The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Review – An Adventurous Helping of Giggle-Provoking Fun
Could those original fans who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob escapades have envisioned the franchise persisting for a 25 years, following experiencing the most lysergic of plotlines? This 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 youngest viewers. Although it can't claim anything quite as unexpected as a certain memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 movie, this fourth feature has no qualms about making Clancy Brown speak as a pirate while handing out payments to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves everything remains possible in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Goofy Vibe
Starting with a holiday short featuring Paramount's other weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film soon settles into a comfortably goofy rhythm. Its script acts as a family-friendly exploration on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a fact that thrills him as it finally qualifies him to experience his fantasy coaster. (An initial, trippy gag: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, like the best modern American cartoons, the true thrill ride is the twisting plotting.
The Adventure for Pirate Proof
SpongeBob's quest to secure the legendary pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, voiced by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a larger scale, the movie's aesthetic remains a charming mix of digital animation and hand-turned components, forever highlighting satisfying, properly animated visuals.
Whether its spitballing humor will resonate after the credits is debatable, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.
Memorable scenes include SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and coming out somehow squarer than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment sure to resonate with the six-year-old 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 arguably the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie in years, including a hearty Davy Jones gag and a cheekily innuendo-laden catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those original fans will likely be chuckling anew.
Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants debuts on 19 December in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.
