Would the original fans who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the franchise persisting for a quarter-century, even after absorbing the most lysergic of narrative twists? This longevity is partly due to its broad appeal, tickling the funny bones of grown-ups – possibly even those former students – as well as the very young viewers. While it can't claim anything quite as surprising as a certain memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 movie, this latest movie thinks nothing of making Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Goofy Groove
Starting with a festive short featuring Paramount's alternative long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film soon finds a recognizably silly groove. Its script serves as a PG-rated treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of growing up. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now stands a specific height, a detail that thrills him as it finally qualifies him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An early, trippy gag: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) Yet, like the finest modern American cartoons, the real rollercoaster is the corkscrew narrative.
The Adventure for Pirate Credentials
SpongeBob's mission to secure the fabled pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” leads him into conflict with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a grander scope, the film's visual style remains a charming mix of digimation and hand-crafted elements, forever highlighting pleasing, properly cartoonish effects.
Whether its freewheeling humor will resonate after the credits is up for discussion, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.
Memorable scenes include SpongeBob squeezing himself into an AC unit and emerging somehow more rectangular than ever; a cameo from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a punishment sure to delight the six-year-old crowd: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable addition to the series – and arguably the funniest pirate-themed movie recently, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones joke and a cheekily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those original students will probably be snickering anew.
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.
