The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Review – A Swashbuckling Dose of Giggle-Provoking Fun
Would the original fans who chuckled through the first SpongeBob adventures have predicted the franchise enduring for a 25 years, even after experiencing the most lysergic of plotlines? Such staying power is partly attributed to its wide-ranging appeal, amusing the sense of humor of adults – perhaps even those now grown students – alongside the youngest viewers. Although it may not feature anything as surprising as a certain memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this latest movie thinks nothing of having Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while handing out royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Goofy Vibe
Starting with a holiday short featuring Paramount's other weathered babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film soon finds a comfortably goofy groove. Its script serves as a family-friendly treatise 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 dream rollercoaster. (An early, psychedelic gag: our overexcitable hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) Yet, as in the best modern American animation, the true rollercoaster is the twisting plotting.
The Quest for Pirate Proof
SpongeBob's mission to secure the fabled pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, voiced by the suddenly ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ship introduces a larger scale, the film's aesthetic remains a charming mix of digimation and hand-crafted elements, consistently highlighting pleasing, properly animated effects.
Whether its spitballing humor will linger after the credits is up for discussion, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.
Notable moments feature SpongeBob squeezing himself into an air conditioner and emerging inexplicably squarer than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a penalty sure to resonate with the younger crowd: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.
The Verdict
Ultimately, Search for SquarePants is a reliable addition to the franchise – and arguably the funniest pirate-themed movie recently, including a hearty Davy Jones gag and a cheekily suggestive saying for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those early students will likely be snickering anew.
Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants debuts on December 19th in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.
