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Could those original fans who laughed through the first SpongeBob escapades have predicted the series persisting for a 25 years, following absorbing the most lysergic of plotlines? Such staying power is partly attributed to its broad appeal, tickling the funny bones of grown-ups – perhaps even those now grown students – as well as the youngest viewers. Although it can't claim anything as surprising as the memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 film, this fourth feature has no qualms about making Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems anything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Zany Vibe

Kicking off with a holiday short featuring Paramount's alternative weathered babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film soon finds a comfortably goofy groove. Its script acts as a family-friendly treatise on the pros and cons of maturity. This version of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now stands a specific height, a fact that thrills him as it finally qualifies him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An initial, psychedelic gag: our overexcitable hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, as in the best modern American cartoons, the real thrill ride is the twisting plotting.

The Quest for Swashbuckling Credentials

SpongeBob's quest to secure the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ship adds a larger scale, the movie's aesthetic remains a delightful bricolage of digimation and hand-turned elements, forever showcasing satisfying, properly cartoonish effects.

If its freewheeling silliness will resonate after the credits is up for discussion, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.

Memorable scenes include SpongeBob squeezing himself into an AC unit and emerging somehow squarer than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a penalty guaranteed to resonate with the six-year-old crowd: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.

The Verdict

Ultimately, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable addition to the series – and arguably the funniest Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, including a robust Davy Jones gag and a saltily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those original fans will likely be chuckling anew.

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.