After more than two decades of dominating both television and the big screen, SpongeBob SquarePants returns in The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, a joyful, silly undersea romp that proves our porous pal is still capable of delivering belly laughs and pure family fun. In his fourth theatrical adventure, SpongeBob invites audiences, kids and grown-ups alike, to join him and his best bud, Patrick Star, on a haunted journey deep beneath the sea, chasing after a ghostly legend.
At its heart, this film is a classic SpongeBob story: earnest, absurd, bright and packed with jokes that land at a breakneck pace. The story centers on SpongeBob’s yearning to prove his bravery after a comically disastrous encounter with a roller coaster that he really wanted to ride. Simultaneous to his existential crisis is the infamous Flying Dutchman’s hunt for the yellow character so he can take him on a suspicious quest to parts of Bikini Bottom that even fans haven’t seen before.
SpongeBob SquarePants (Tom Kenny) and Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill) in The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants from Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon.
Despite my being a 30-something viewer, one of the things I loved about this movie is the humour, reminiscent of my childhood obsession with the series. Search for SquarePants had all the classic and chaotic, quick-fire one-liners blended with the self-aware tone of the cartoon. Twenty years later, SpongeBob – though for a newer, younger audience – is still the same and just as I remembered him. The film is a comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and why should it? The world of Bikini Bottom is ridiculous, and this movie celebrates that with gusto.
Visually, the film adopts a bright and buoyant 3D animation style that I found soulless. While it maintains the franchise’s zany aesthetic, I would have preferred seeing this story told in the old 2D animation style. I believe capturing every corner of the deep sea with colourful detail could have been just as good and impactful, and supportive of the film’s visual gags. Alas, this film is for a new generation of kids who (during my screening) loved every minute of their experience, so I accept the visual upgrades, but they were entirely unnecessary.
Gary (Tom Kenny), Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown) and Squidward (Rodger Bumpass) in The Spongebob Movie: Search For Squarepants from Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon.
While the film doesn’t reinvent the animated comedy wheel, I left the theatre confidently believing it doesn’t need to. The experience was infectious humour, roaring laughter and cheers from children and a digestible lesson about the importance of integrity, friendship and bravery in the face of the unknown. Whether you’re introducing your kids to SpongeBob for the first time or revisiting a childhood staple, this film delivers joy from beginning to end and that signature Nickelodeon whimsy that made our yellow friend the pop-culture icon he is today. Grab your popcorn, brace for giggles and dive in, Bikini Bottom awaits!
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is available in theatres on Friday, December 19th, 2025.
