The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Review – An Adventurous Dose of Giggle-Provoking Silliness
Could those original fans who laughed through the first SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the franchise enduring for a 25 years, following experiencing the most lysergic of plotlines? This longevity is partly attributed to its wide-ranging charm, tickling the sense of humor of adults – possibly even those now grown students – as well as the youngest viewers. Although it can't claim anything as surprising as a certain memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 film, this fourth feature has no qualms about having Clancy Brown speak as a pirate while handing out payments to stars like Barbra Streisand. This proves everything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Zany Vibe
Kicking off with a holiday short starring Paramount's other weathered babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film soon finds a recognizably silly rhythm. Its storyline acts as a PG-rated treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of growing up. This version of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a detail that thrills him as it finally allows him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An early, psychedelic laugh: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, like the best modern American cartoons, the real rollercoaster is the twisting plotting.
The Adventure for Swashbuckling Proof
SpongeBob's quest to secure the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will prove him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, voiced by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a grander scope, the film's aesthetic remains a delightful mix of digimation and hand-turned components, forever showcasing pleasing, authentically cartoonish effects.
If its freewheeling humor will linger after the credits is debatable, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.
Notable scenes feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and coming out inexplicably more rectangular than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment guaranteed to resonate with the six-year-old crowd: our hero being subjected to endless dishwashing.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Search for SquarePants is a reliable addition to the franchise – and perhaps the funniest pirate-themed movie recently, including a hearty Davy Jones gag and a saltily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is certain: those original students will probably be chuckling all over again.
Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on 19 December in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and 26 December in Australia and the UK.