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Could those early viewers who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob escapades have envisioned the series persisting for a 25 years, even after experiencing the most lysergic of narrative twists? Such staying power is partly attributed to its broad charm, amusing the funny bones of grown-ups – possibly even those now grown students – alongside the youngest viewers. Although it may not feature anything as unexpected as the memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 movie, this fourth feature has no qualms about making a veteran voice actor talk like a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Zany Vibe

Kicking off with a festive short featuring Paramount's alternative long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film quickly settles into a comfortably silly rhythm. Its storyline serves as a PG-rated treatise on the pros and cons of growing up. This version of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a detail that thrills him as it at last qualifies him to experience his dream rollercoaster. (An initial, trippy gag: our overexcitable hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) Yet, as in the finest modern American animation, the real rollercoaster is the twisting plotting.

The Quest for Pirate Proof

SpongeBob's mission to secure the legendary swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” leads him into conflict with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, voiced by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a grander scope, the movie's visual style remains a charming mix of digimation and hand-crafted elements, consistently showcasing satisfying, properly cartoonish visuals.

Whether its freewheeling silliness 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 emerging somehow more rectangular than ever; a cameo from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a penalty guaranteed to delight the six-year-old crowd: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.

The Verdict

In the end, Search for SquarePants is a solid entry to the series – and arguably the most humorous pirate-themed movie recently, encompassing a robust Davy Jones gag and a saltily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is clear: those early fans will likely be chuckling all over again.

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