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Could those original fans who laughed through the initial SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the franchise persisting for a 25 years, even after absorbing the most surreal of plotlines? Such staying power is partly attributed to its wide-ranging charm, amusing the funny bones of grown-ups – perhaps even those now grown students – as well as the very young viewers. Although it can't claim anything quite as surprising as a certain legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this fourth feature has no qualms about having Clancy Brown speak as a pirate while dispensing payments to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything remains possible in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.

A Familiar Zany Groove

Kicking off with a festive short starring Paramount's alternative long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film quickly finds a recognizably goofy groove. Its storyline serves as a family-friendly treatise on the pros and cons of growing up. This version of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a detail that thrills him as it at last allows him to experience his dream rollercoaster. (An early, psychedelic laugh: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) Yet, as in the finest contemporary American animation, the true rollercoaster is the twisting narrative.

The Adventure for Swashbuckling Proof

SpongeBob's mission to obtain the fabled pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, voiced by the suddenly ubiquitous Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a larger scale, the film's visual style remains a delightful bricolage of digimation and hand-turned components, consistently showcasing satisfying, authentically animated effects.

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

Memorable scenes feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and emerging somehow squarer than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment sure to delight the six-year-old crowd: our hero being subjected to never-ending dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Search for SquarePants is a solid entry to the franchise – and arguably the most humorous pirate-themed movie recently, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones gag and a cheekily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is certain: those original fans will probably be chuckling anew.

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.