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Would the original fans who laughed through the initial SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the franchise persisting for a quarter-century, following absorbing the most lysergic of narrative twists? This staying power is in part due to its broad charm, amusing the sense of humor of adults – perhaps even those former students – as well as the youngest viewers. While it may not feature anything quite as surprising as the legendary David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 movie, this latest movie thinks nothing of having a veteran voice actor talk like a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems anything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

A Familiar Zany Vibe

Starting with a holiday short starring Paramount's alternative long-running family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob movie quickly settles into a recognizably silly rhythm. Its script acts as a family-friendly treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of growing up. This iteration of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now stands a specific height, a detail that excites him as it finally allows him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An initial, trippy gag: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, like the finest contemporary American cartoons, the true rollercoaster is the twisting narrative.

The Quest for Swashbuckling Proof

SpongeBob's quest to secure the fabled pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into conflict with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ubiquitous Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ship adds a larger scale, the film's aesthetic remains a delightful bricolage of digital animation and hand-turned elements, forever highlighting satisfying, properly cartoonish visuals.

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

Notable scenes include SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and coming out somehow more rectangular than ever; a cameo from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a punishment sure to resonate with the six-year-old audience: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.

The Verdict

Ultimately, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable entry to the series – and perhaps the most humorous pirate-themed movie in years, including 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 early students will probably be chuckling anew.

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