The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants (PG)
Cast: Rodger Bumpass, Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence, Clancy Brown, Regina Hall, Mark HamillGenre: Comedy
Author(s): Matt Lieberman, Pam Brady
Director: Derek Drymon
Release Date: 20/12/2025
Running Time: 96mins
Country: US
Year: 2025
SpongeBob SquarePants is finally tall enough to ride the Shipwreck rollercoaster at the local amusement park but he chickens out at the last minute. Every hero's journey starts with one squish so SpongeBob resolves to prove his intestinal fortitude by earning a coveted Swashbuckler's Certificate. He accidentally summons The Flying Dutchman and feisty sidekick Barb, who set the whippersnapper a series of challenges that are a cunning ruse to get SpongeBob to break the pirate's curse.
LondonNet Film Review
The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants (PG) Film Review from LondonNet
An accursed salty seadog, who has been condemned to languish in ghostly form beneath the waves, exploits the delightful naivete of Bikini Bottom’s most trusting resident in the fourth big screen adventure for characters from Nickelodeon’s long-running animated TV series. It’s a big day for SpongeBob SquarePants (voiced by Tom Kenny). He is finally tall enough to ride the Shipwreck rollercoaster at the local amusement park with best friend Patrick Star (Bill Fagerbakke) – a nerve-racking rite-of-passage to finally disprove Mr Krabs’ (Clancy Brown) assertion that SpongeBob is a “bubble-blowing baby boy”…
The mere sight of the white-knuckle attraction overwhelms SpongeBob and he pulls out at the last minute, making up an excuse that he promised to ride with Mr Krabs. Thankfully, the fast food restaurateur perpetuates the lie to spare SpongeBob’s blushes and discloses his own proud seafaring history with The Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill) that led him to be awarded a coveted Swashbucklers Certificate. Every hero’s journey starts with one squish so SpongeBob resolves to earn a certificate too.
He accidentally summons The Flying Dutchman and feisty sidekick Barb (Regina Hall), who set the whippersnapper a series of challenges to demonstrate his intestinal fortitude, panache, daring and bravery. However, this is a cunning ruse to get SpongeBob to unwittingly break the pirate’s curse. Once Mr Krabs learns that SpongeBob and Patrick are in peril, he leads a daredevil rescue mission flanked by Squidward Tentacles (Rodger Bumpass) and, of course, Gary the snail (Kenny again).
Directed at a brisk pace by Derek Drymon, The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants sidelines many series regulars including Plankton (Mr Lawrence) and Sandy Cheeks (voiced by Carolyn Lawrence) to gleefully contrive a mission-based escapade for the perpetually optimistic yellow protagonist, who excretes a brick every times he gets nervous. Kenny, Fagerbakke and co embrace their familiar roles with fizzing energy while Hamill shivers his timbers and blesses his barnacles as the wonderfully deranged pirate, who believes SpongeBob is his unlikely salvation.
Hall has comparatively little to do besides underscore the onscreen pantomime villainy. Visuals go into retina-searing overdrive when characters descend into the watery underworld. A script co-written by Pam Brady and Matt Lieberman trades in sniggering, family-friendly humour and childlike lunacy that will be familiar to fans of the TV show, like a gleeful play fight between SpongeBob and Patrick, slapping each other back and forth with their spilled intestines while Barb stares aghast and splutters, “What is happening?!” Catchy original song Big Guy performed by rapper Ice Spice aka Isis Gaston, who provides the voice of an amusement park ticket taker, is a bona fide ear worm to accompany SpongeBob’s transformation from absorbent zero to adorably hapless hero.
– Sarah Lee
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London Cinemas Showing The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants
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UK and Irish Cinemas Showing The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants
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