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Would the early viewers who laughed through the initial SpongeBob adventures have predicted the franchise persisting for a quarter-century, even after absorbing the most lysergic of plotlines? Such staying power is in part attributed to its wide-ranging appeal, tickling the funny bones of adults – perhaps even those now grown students – as well as the very young viewers. While it can't claim anything as surprising as the memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 film, this latest movie thinks nothing of having Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while handing out payments to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything can still in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Goofy Groove

Starting with a festive short starring Paramount's alternative weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob movie soon finds a recognizably goofy rhythm. Its script acts as a PG-rated exploration on the pros and cons 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 qualifies him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An initial, trippy gag: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, like the best contemporary American cartoons, the true rollercoaster is the corkscrew plotting.

The Quest for Swashbuckling Proof

SpongeBob's mission to secure the legendary pirate license that will declare 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 ship introduces a grander scope, the movie's aesthetic remains a charming bricolage of digimation and hand-crafted components, consistently highlighting satisfying, properly cartoonish effects.

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

Notable moments feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and coming out somehow more rectangular than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a penalty guaranteed to delight the younger audience: our hero being subjected to never-ending dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, Search for SquarePants is a reliable addition to the franchise – and perhaps the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie in years, including a robust Davy Jones gag and a cheekily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is clear: those early students will probably be snickering anew.

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