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Would the original fans who laughed through the first SpongeBob escapades have envisioned the franchise persisting for a 25 years, even after experiencing the most lysergic of narrative twists? Such staying power is in part due to its wide-ranging charm, amusing the sense of humor of adults – perhaps even those now grown students – alongside the very young viewers. While it can't claim anything quite as surprising as a certain memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this fourth feature thinks nothing of having Clancy Brown speak as a pirate while handing out royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything can still in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Goofy Groove

Kicking off with a festive short starring Paramount's alternative long-running family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film quickly settles into a comfortably goofy rhythm. Its script serves as a family-friendly treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a detail that excites him as it at last allows him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An initial, psychedelic laugh: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) Yet, like the finest contemporary American animation, the real rollercoaster is the corkscrew narrative.

The Quest for Swashbuckling Proof

SpongeBob's quest to secure the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will prove him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, voiced by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a grander scope, the movie's visual style remains a delightful bricolage of digital animation and hand-turned elements, forever highlighting pleasing, properly animated visuals.

If its freewheeling silliness will resonate after the credits is debatable, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.

Memorable moments include SpongeBob squeezing himself into an AC unit and emerging inexplicably squarer than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty sure to delight the younger crowd: our hero being subjected to never-ending dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, Search for SquarePants stands as a solid entry to the franchise – and perhaps the funniest pirate-themed movie recently, including a hearty Davy Jones joke and a saltily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is certain: those early students will likely be chuckling all over again.

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