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Could those early viewers who chuckled through the first SpongeBob adventures have predicted the series enduring for a quarter-century, even after absorbing the most lysergic of plotlines? This staying power is partly attributed to its wide-ranging charm, tickling the sense of humor of grown-ups – possibly even those former students – alongside the youngest viewers. Although it may not feature anything quite as unexpected as the memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this fourth feature thinks nothing of making Clancy Brown speak as a pirate while handing out royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves everything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Goofy Vibe

Kicking off with a festive short starring Paramount's other long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob movie quickly finds a comfortably silly groove. Its storyline acts as a PG-rated exploration on the pros and cons of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a fact that thrills him as it finally allows him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An early, psychedelic gag: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, as in the finest contemporary American cartoons, the true thrill ride is the twisting narrative.

The Quest for Swashbuckling Proof

SpongeBob's quest to secure the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a grander scope, the film's visual style remains a delightful bricolage of digimation and hand-turned elements, forever highlighting pleasing, authentically animated effects.

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

Notable moments feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and coming out inexplicably squarer than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a punishment guaranteed to resonate with the younger audience: our hero being subjected to endless dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable addition to the series – and arguably the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie in years, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones gag and a saltily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's pal 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 arrives on 19 December in the US, 20 December in Ireland, and 26 December in Australia and the UK.