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Could those original fans who laughed through the initial SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the series enduring for a 25 years, following experiencing the most lysergic of plotlines? This longevity is partly due to its wide-ranging charm, tickling the sense of humor of adults – possibly even those former students – as well as the very young viewers. Although it can't claim anything quite as surprising as the memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 movie, this latest movie thinks nothing of having a veteran voice actor talk like a pirate while dispensing payments to music icons like Barbra Streisand. It seems anything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Zany Groove

Starting with a festive short starring Paramount's alternative long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film quickly settles into a recognizably silly rhythm. Its script acts as a family-friendly treatise on the pros and cons of growing up. This version 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 experience his dream rollercoaster. (An early, trippy gag: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, as in the finest modern American cartoons, the true rollercoaster is the twisting narrative.

The Quest for Pirate Proof

SpongeBob's quest to secure the legendary pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” leads him into conflict with the spectral Flying Dutchman, voiced by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ship introduces a larger scale, the film's aesthetic remains a delightful bricolage of digimation and hand-crafted components, forever highlighting satisfying, authentically cartoonish visuals.

If its spitballing humor will resonate after the credits 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 before; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment sure to resonate with the younger audience: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.

The Verdict

In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable entry to the series – and perhaps the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, including a hearty Davy Jones joke and a saltily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is 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.