The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants – A Fun Family Adventure

The adventures of the titular tiny yellow sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea have dazzled countless generations of young television audiences for over 25 years. Becoming a worldwide phenomenon ever since, one of the extensions of the IP has been animated feature films and The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is the latest. Regardless, throughout the years, be it film or television, the franchise has maintained a fairly consistent style and humor, adapting over time. Fans or not, it is difficult to argue with its success but, that being said, it is the same formula. When it comes to this installment, this continues to be the case, for better or worse. As far as the audiences who really matter, young audiences, the film is sure to be a winner. Meanwhile, it offers just enough for adults to also be entertained by the proceedings. Being around for so long, the series inevitably played a role in the lives of those adults when they were children themselves. To that point, there is admittedly some nostalgia there, as the original cast, starting with Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke as SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star, all return to deliver the kind of humor that still hits and will undoubtedly illicit some chuckles. Running at only 90-minutes, the film won’t set anyone back too long, making for a perfect choice for distractionary programming for parents.

Search for SquarePants sees a growing SpongeBob (Kenny) rejoicing about the fact that he was a big guy and could now ride the roller coaster he always wanted to ride. However, the first chance he got, taking it all in, he was scared and quickly chickened out. Be that as it may, desperate to prove to others that he was the big guy he believed himself to now be, SpongeBob sought the approval of the only real father figure in his life, and also his boss, Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown). Outright dismissed for not being bog boy material, SpongeBob and Patrick had to grow up and start taking things a lot more seriously, but, adamant to prove Mr. Krabs wrong, he set out to prove his worth by becoming a real swashbuckler. Hearing about his stories about his experience sailing the high seas with the ghost of the legendary pirate known as The Flying Dutchman (Hamill), SpongeBob believed that, through the Dutchman, he could earn his own swashbuckling certificate to prove that he was a big guy. Getting the attention of the Dutchman, SpongeBob and Patrick (Fagerbakke) set out on their own adventure on the high seas, alongside he and his crew.

Clearly not cut out for the high seas, their purpose on board was for other devious reasons. Enamored by being on a pirate ship, SpongeBob and Patrick were their trademark easily amused and oblivious of their surroundings, as the ship set sail for the Underworld, a dark and mysterious land located at the deepest depths of the sea. Simply stringing them along while they were useful to him, the Dutchman needed the soul of an innocent in the hopes of breaking his curse and returning to the real world above the water. Trying to steer SpongeBob down the right path, Patrick, however, kept getting in the way of his plan the only way he knew how, distraction. Frustrating for the Dutchman of course, the silliness that he kept instigating could be considered repetitive, but that kind of humor still works. Meanwhile, Mr. Krabs, realizing what he had done, put a team together to save SpongeBob before it was too late. Made up of Mr. Krabs, Squidward (Rodger Bumpass), and Garry (Kenny), they made for another entertaining dynamic, this one primarily built on dysfunction. From there, the matter boiled down to a race against time as each side faced their own set of challenges, in the increasingly difficult series of challenges SpongeBob faced or Mr. Krabs, Squidward, and Gary all facing the unpredictable waters of the Underworld and the various supernatural oddities within it. Though fun to watch, the outcome was never in doubt, as stopping the Dutchman would take an unexpected turn. Above all else, the key to the lesson is to look inward and be yourself, instead of trying to be who other people think we should be.

On the animation side, it stays true to the essence of the television series, minus some enhancements for the big screen. Offering up sharper looking 3D characters and environments, the film looks good as they interact with one another across scenes both big and small. Aside from Mark Hamill as The Flying Dutchman, Search for SquarePants boasts a diverse supporting voice cast, including Regina Hall, Sherry Cola, Ice Spice, and George Lopez. On the other hand, the original voice cast give stellar performances in their own right. Playing these characters for so long, they know what they are doing. Kenny and Fagerbakke are an absolute delight as SpongeBob and Patrick, as are Brown and Bumpass as Mr. Krabs and Squidward. Whether or not this story deserved the big screen treatment is debatable, but witnessing them in their element once again is just as entertaining as it has always been.

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants delivers a new SpongeBob adventure that essentially sticks to the formula, to decent results.

still courtesy of Paramount Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.