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Would the early viewers who laughed through the first SpongeBob adventures have predicted the franchise persisting for a 25 years, even after experiencing the most lysergic of plotlines? Such staying power is in part attributed to its broad appeal, amusing the funny bones of grown-ups – possibly even those now grown students – alongside the very young viewers. Although it may not feature anything as unexpected as the memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this fourth feature thinks nothing of making a veteran voice actor talk like a pirate while handing out payments to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Zany Vibe

Starting with a holiday short starring Paramount's other long-running family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob movie soon settles into a comfortably goofy groove. Its script serves as a PG-rated treatise on the pros and cons of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a fact that excites him as it at last qualifies him to experience his dream rollercoaster. (An early, trippy laugh: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, like the finest contemporary American cartoons, the real thrill ride is the twisting plotting.

The Quest for Swashbuckling Proof

SpongeBob's mission to obtain the legendary swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” leads him into conflict with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship adds a grander scope, the movie's visual style remains a charming bricolage of digimation and hand-turned elements, forever highlighting satisfying, properly animated visuals.

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

Memorable scenes include SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and emerging inexplicably squarer than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment guaranteed to resonate with the six-year-old audience: our hero being subjected to endless dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Search for SquarePants is a solid addition to the franchise – and arguably the funniest Pirates of the Caribbean movie in years, including 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 original students 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.