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Could those early viewers who laughed through the initial SpongeBob escapades have predicted the series enduring for a 25 years, following absorbing the most lysergic of narrative twists? This longevity is partly due to its wide-ranging appeal, tickling the funny bones of grown-ups – perhaps even those former students – as well as the youngest viewers. Although it can't claim anything quite as unexpected as a certain memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 movie, this fourth feature has no qualms about making Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. It seems anything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Goofy Vibe

Starting with a festive short starring Paramount's alternative weathered babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film quickly finds a comfortably silly groove. Its script acts as a PG-rated treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of growing up. This version of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a fact that excites him as it at last allows him to experience his fantasy coaster. (An early, psychedelic laugh: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, like the best contemporary American cartoons, the real thrill ride is the twisting narrative.

The Adventure for Pirate Proof

SpongeBob's quest to secure the fabled pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, voiced by the suddenly ubiquitous Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a grander scope, the movie's visual style remains a delightful mix of digimation and hand-crafted elements, consistently showcasing pleasing, properly cartoonish visuals.

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

Memorable scenes include SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and emerging somehow squarer than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a penalty sure to delight the younger audience: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.

The Verdict

Ultimately, Search for SquarePants stands as a solid addition to the franchise – and arguably the funniest pirate-themed movie in years, including a robust Davy Jones joke and a saltily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those early students will probably be chuckling anew.

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