The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Review – An Adventurous Dose of Giggle-Provoking Fun
Would the original fans who laughed through the first SpongeBob escapades have predicted the series enduring for a quarter-century, even after experiencing the most surreal of narrative twists? This longevity is in part attributed to its broad charm, amusing the sense of humor of grown-ups – possibly even those former students – as well as the youngest viewers. While it may not feature anything quite as surprising as the legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this fourth feature thinks nothing of making a veteran voice actor speak as a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
A Familiar Zany Vibe
Starting with a festive short featuring Paramount's other long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film soon finds a recognizably silly groove. Its storyline acts as a PG-rated treatise on the pros and cons of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now stands 36 clams high, a detail that thrills him as it finally allows him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An initial, psychedelic laugh: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, like the best contemporary American cartoons, the true rollercoaster is the corkscrew plotting.
The Quest for Swashbuckling Proof
SpongeBob's mission to secure the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ghost ship adds a grander scope, the movie's visual style remains a delightful bricolage of digimation and hand-turned elements, forever showcasing satisfying, authentically cartoonish effects.
If its freewheeling humor will resonate when the lights come up is up for discussion, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.
Notable moments feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and coming out inexplicably more rectangular than before; 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 endless dishwashing.
The Verdict
In the end, Search for SquarePants is a reliable entry to the series – and perhaps the most humorous pirate-themed movie in years, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones joke and a cheekily innuendo-laden catchphrase for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those early students will likely be snickering anew.
Release Dates: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on December 19th in the US, 20 December in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.
