SpongeBob's Latest: Search for SquarePants Review – An Adventurous Dose of Giggle-Provoking Fun
Would the original fans who chuckled through the first SpongeBob escapades have envisioned the franchise enduring for a 25 years, following experiencing the most lysergic of narrative twists? Such longevity is partly due to its broad appeal, amusing the sense of humor of grown-ups – possibly even those now grown students – alongside the youngest viewers. While it can't claim anything as surprising as the memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this latest movie has no qualms about making Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while dispensing payments to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
A Familiar Goofy Vibe
Kicking off with a festive short featuring Paramount's other weathered babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob movie soon finds a comfortably goofy groove. Its storyline acts as a PG-rated exploration 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 at last qualifies him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An early, trippy gag: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, like the finest contemporary American cartoons, the true thrill ride is the corkscrew plotting.
The Adventure for Pirate Credentials
SpongeBob's mission to obtain the legendary pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, voiced by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a grander scope, the movie's visual style remains a delightful mix of digital animation and hand-turned components, consistently highlighting satisfying, authentically animated effects.
Whether its spitballing silliness will linger when the lights come up is debatable, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.
Notable scenes feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and emerging inexplicably squarer than ever; a cameo from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a punishment guaranteed to resonate with the younger crowd: our hero being subjected to endless dishwashing.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Search for SquarePants is a solid addition to the series – and arguably the most humorous pirate-themed movie in years, encompassing a robust Davy Jones gag and a cheekily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is clear: those early fans will probably be snickering anew.
Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants debuts on December 19th in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and 26 December in Australia and the UK.
