SpongeBob's Latest: Search for SquarePants Review – An Adventurous Dose of Giggle-Provoking Silliness
Could those early viewers who laughed through the first SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the franchise enduring for a 25 years, even after absorbing the most lysergic of narrative twists? Such longevity is in part attributed to its wide-ranging appeal, amusing the sense of humor of adults – possibly even those former students – alongside the very young viewers. While it may not feature anything quite as surprising as the legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this latest movie has no qualms about having a veteran voice actor talk like a pirate while dispensing payments to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything remains possible in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.
A Familiar Zany Groove
Starting with a holiday short starring Paramount's alternative long-running family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film quickly finds a recognizably goofy rhythm. Its storyline acts as a PG-rated treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now stands 36 clams high, a fact that excites him as it at last allows him to experience his fantasy coaster. (An early, trippy laugh: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, as in the best contemporary American cartoons, the true thrill ride is the corkscrew narrative.
The Quest for Swashbuckling Proof
SpongeBob's quest to secure the fabled pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, voiced by the currently 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-crafted components, forever highlighting satisfying, authentically cartoonish effects.
Whether its spitballing silliness will linger when the lights come up is debatable, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.
Memorable scenes feature SpongeBob squeezing himself into an AC unit and emerging inexplicably squarer than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a punishment guaranteed to delight the six-year-old crowd: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Search for SquarePants stands as a solid addition to the franchise – and perhaps the most humorous pirate-themed movie in years, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones gag and a saltily suggestive saying for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those original fans will likely be chuckling all over again.
Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on 19 December in the US, 20 December in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.
