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Would the original fans who laughed through the first SpongeBob escapades have envisioned the series persisting for a 25 years, following experiencing the most lysergic of narrative twists? Such staying power is in part attributed to its broad appeal, tickling the funny bones of adults – perhaps even those now grown students – alongside the youngest viewers. Although it can't claim anything as unexpected as the memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this latest movie has no qualms about having a veteran voice actor speak as a pirate while handing out royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves everything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Zany Groove

Kicking off with a festive short starring Paramount's alternative long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob movie quickly settles into a comfortably goofy groove. Its script serves as a family-friendly treatise on the pros and cons of growing up. This version of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now stands a specific height, a fact that excites him as it at last allows him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An early, psychedelic laugh: our overexcitable hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, as in the finest contemporary American animation, the real rollercoaster is the twisting narrative.

The Adventure for Pirate Proof

SpongeBob's mission to secure 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. While the Dutchman's ship adds a grander scope, the movie's visual style remains a charming bricolage of digital animation and hand-turned elements, consistently highlighting satisfying, authentically cartoonish visuals.

If its freewheeling humor will linger after the credits is up for discussion, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.

Memorable moments feature SpongeBob squeezing himself into an air conditioner and emerging somehow more rectangular than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty guaranteed to delight the six-year-old audience: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable entry to the series – and arguably the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie in years, encompassing a robust Davy Jones gag and a saltily innuendo-laden catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is certain: those original students will probably be snickering anew.

Coming to Theaters: 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.