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Would the original fans who chuckled through the first SpongeBob escapades have predicted the franchise persisting for a quarter-century, following experiencing the most lysergic of narrative twists? This staying power is in part due to its wide-ranging charm, tickling the sense of humor of grown-ups – possibly even those former students – alongside the youngest viewers. While it can't claim anything quite as surprising as the legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this fourth feature thinks nothing of having Clancy Brown speak as a pirate while dispensing payments to music icons like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Goofy Vibe

Kicking off with a holiday short featuring Paramount's alternative weathered babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob movie quickly finds a comfortably silly groove. Its script acts as a PG-rated exploration on the pros and cons of growing up. This iteration of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now stands 36 clams high, a fact that excites him as it at last qualifies him to experience his dream rollercoaster. (An early, psychedelic gag: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, as in the best contemporary American cartoons, the true thrill ride is the corkscrew plotting.

The Quest for Pirate Credentials

SpongeBob's mission to obtain the fabled pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ubiquitous Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a larger scale, the film's visual style remains a charming mix of digimation and hand-crafted elements, forever showcasing satisfying, authentically animated effects.

If its freewheeling silliness will resonate when the lights come up is debatable, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.

Memorable scenes include SpongeBob squeezing himself into an AC unit and coming out inexplicably more rectangular than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty sure to resonate with the six-year-old audience: our hero being subjected to endless dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, Search for SquarePants is a reliable entry to the series – and perhaps the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie in years, encompassing a robust Davy Jones joke and a saltily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those early fans will likely be chuckling all over again.

Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on December 19th in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.