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Would the early viewers who laughed through the first SpongeBob escapades have envisioned the series enduring for a 25 years, following experiencing the most surreal of plotlines? This longevity is partly due to its broad appeal, amusing the sense of humor of grown-ups – possibly even those former students – as well as the very young viewers. While it can't claim anything quite as unexpected as the legendary David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this fourth feature has no qualms about making a veteran voice actor speak as a pirate while handing out royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything can still in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Goofy Groove

Starting with a festive short featuring Paramount's other weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film quickly finds a comfortably silly groove. Its script acts as a family-friendly exploration on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This version of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures a specific height, a fact that excites him as it finally allows him to experience his dream rollercoaster. (An initial, trippy laugh: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, like the finest contemporary American cartoons, the real rollercoaster is the corkscrew narrative.

The Quest for Pirate Credentials

SpongeBob's quest to obtain the legendary swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the suddenly ubiquitous Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ship adds a grander scope, the movie's aesthetic remains a delightful bricolage of digital animation and hand-turned elements, consistently showcasing pleasing, authentically animated visuals.

Whether its spitballing humor will linger when the lights come up is up for discussion, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.

Notable scenes feature SpongeBob squeezing himself into an AC unit and emerging inexplicably squarer than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment guaranteed to delight the six-year-old audience: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.

The Verdict

In the end, Search for SquarePants is a reliable entry to the franchise – and arguably the funniest Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, encompassing a robust Davy Jones gag and a saltily suggestive saying for SpongeBob's friend 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 debuts on December 19th in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and 26 December in Australia and the UK.