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Would the early viewers who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob adventures have predicted the franchise persisting for a 25 years, even after experiencing the most lysergic of narrative twists? Such longevity is in part due to its wide-ranging appeal, amusing the funny bones of grown-ups – possibly even those now grown students – as well as the very young viewers. Although it may not feature anything quite as surprising as a certain memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this latest movie has no qualms about making Clancy Brown speak as a pirate while handing out royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems anything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

A Familiar Goofy Groove

Kicking off with a holiday short starring Paramount's other long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob movie soon finds a recognizably goofy rhythm. Its script serves as a PG-rated 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 excites him as it finally qualifies him to experience his dream rollercoaster. (An initial, trippy gag: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, like the best modern American cartoons, the true thrill ride is the corkscrew narrative.

The Quest for Pirate Credentials

SpongeBob's quest to secure the fabled pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” brings him into conflict with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the suddenly ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a grander scope, the movie's aesthetic remains a charming bricolage of digital animation and hand-crafted elements, consistently showcasing satisfying, authentically cartoonish effects.

If its spitballing humor will resonate after the credits is debatable, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.

Memorable scenes feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit 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 crowd: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.

The Verdict

In the end, Search for SquarePants is a reliable entry to the series – and arguably the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie in years, including a robust Davy Jones gag and a cheekily innuendo-laden catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those original students will likely be snickering 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.