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Could those original fans who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the series enduring for a quarter-century, even after absorbing the most lysergic of narrative twists? This longevity is in part due to its wide-ranging appeal, tickling the funny bones of adults – possibly even those now grown students – alongside the youngest viewers. While it can't claim anything quite as unexpected as a certain legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this latest movie thinks nothing of having Clancy Brown speak as a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything remains possible in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Zany Groove

Kicking off with a holiday short featuring Paramount's alternative weathered babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob movie soon settles into a recognizably silly rhythm. Its script acts as a family-friendly exploration on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This version of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now stands a specific height, a detail that excites him as it at last qualifies him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An initial, trippy gag: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, as in the finest contemporary American animation, the real thrill ride is the corkscrew plotting.

The Adventure for Swashbuckling Credentials

SpongeBob's quest to obtain the fabled pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a larger scale, the film's aesthetic remains a delightful bricolage of digimation 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 strong SpongeBob movie.

Memorable scenes include SpongeBob squeezing himself into an AC unit and coming out somehow more rectangular than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a penalty guaranteed to resonate with the younger audience: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Search for SquarePants is a solid addition to the franchise – and perhaps the funniest pirate-themed movie in years, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones joke and a cheekily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is clear: those early students will probably be chuckling anew.

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