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Would the early viewers who laughed through the first SpongeBob escapades have predicted the series persisting for a 25 years, even after experiencing the most lysergic of plotlines? Such longevity is partly due to its wide-ranging charm, amusing the sense of humor of grown-ups – perhaps even those now grown students – alongside the very young viewers. While it can't claim anything quite as unexpected as a certain legendary David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this latest movie has no qualms about having a veteran voice actor talk like a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. It seems anything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

A Familiar Goofy Vibe

Starting with a holiday short featuring Paramount's other long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film soon settles into a comfortably goofy groove. Its script acts as a family-friendly exploration on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This version of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures a specific height, a detail that thrills him as it at last allows him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An initial, psychedelic gag: our overexcitable hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, as in the finest modern American animation, the true rollercoaster is the twisting plotting.

The Adventure for Pirate Proof

SpongeBob's quest to obtain the fabled pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ship introduces a grander scope, the movie's visual style remains a delightful mix of digimation and hand-crafted components, forever highlighting satisfying, properly cartoonish visuals.

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

Notable moments feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and coming out somehow squarer than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty guaranteed to delight the younger crowd: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.

The Verdict

In the end, Search for SquarePants is a reliable addition to the franchise – and arguably the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie in years, including a robust Davy Jones joke and a saltily suggestive saying for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those original students will likely be chuckling all over again.

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