The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Review – An Adventurous Helping of Snicker-Inducing Fun
Would the early viewers who chuckled through the first SpongeBob adventures have predicted the series enduring for a 25 years, following absorbing the most lysergic of narrative twists? Such staying power is in part attributed to its wide-ranging appeal, tickling the sense of humor of adults – perhaps even those former students – as well as the very young viewers. Although it can't claim anything quite as unexpected as the legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this latest movie thinks nothing of having a veteran voice actor speak as a pirate while dispensing payments to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Zany Groove
Starting with a festive short starring Paramount's other weathered babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film soon finds a recognizably silly rhythm. Its storyline acts as a family-friendly treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This version of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now measures a specific height, a fact that thrills him as it at last allows him to experience his fantasy coaster. (An early, trippy gag: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, like the finest contemporary American cartoons, the real thrill ride is the corkscrew narrative.
The Adventure for Swashbuckling Proof
SpongeBob's mission to secure the legendary pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into conflict with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ship introduces a larger scale, the film's aesthetic remains a charming mix of digimation and hand-turned components, forever highlighting pleasing, authentically animated effects.
Whether its spitballing silliness will resonate when the lights come up is up for discussion, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.
Memorable moments include SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and coming out inexplicably squarer than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a punishment guaranteed 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 most humorous pirate-themed movie recently, including a robust Davy Jones gag and a saltily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those original students will probably be chuckling anew.
Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants debuts on 19 December in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.
