‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants’ review: The aquatic hero returns in joyful animation

Dir: Derek Drymon. US. 2025. 96mins

SpongeBob SquarePants has been on television for over 25 years, but thankfully he hasn’t lost an ounce of his boyish silliness. The beloved animated character’s latest big-screen adventure is an amusing romp full of the expected horrible puns, dopey slapstick and generally cheerful vibe. Director and franchise stalwart Derek Drymon confidently guides this hit-or-miss animated comedy as SpongeBob receives gentle life lessons about what being a grownup really entails — lessons that, of course, are also geared toward his young fans.

The character remains such an important role model for young audiences

After premiering Search For SquarePants at AFI Fest, Paramount releases the film in US theatres on December 19, with the UK opening scheduled for a week later. This is the fourth SpongeBob picture (not including two spinoff films that aired recently on Netflix), and the most lucrative theatrically was the second instalment, 2014’s The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water, which collected $325 million worldwide. Created by the late animator and educator Stephen Hillenburg, the television series remains popular — its 16th season debuted on Paramount+ this summer — and Search For SquarePants should be a solid holiday option for family crowds.

As usual, Tom Kenny voices Bikini Bottom’s most adorable resident, SpongeBob, who is tired of being treated like a kid. He undertakes a mission to meet The Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill), a mysterious ghost pirate who brings him to The Underworld, where SpongeBob must complete a series of tests to prove his maturity. But little does SpongeBob realise that The Flying Dutchman has ulterior motives for sending him on this quest.

Drymon, the show’s original creative director, co-wrote 2004’s The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, but Search For SquarePants represents his first feature-length SpongeBob directorial effort. (He previously co-directed 2022’s Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania.) Working with a screenplay credited to Pam Brady and Matt Lieberman, Drymon focuses on keeping the jokes flying at a steady clip, much of the humour stemming from SpongeBob’s bond with his loyal but clueless best friend Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke). While there are some very mildly chilling moments during SpongeBob and Patrick’s voyage to the spooky Underworld, the filmmakers take care not to traumatise younger viewers, ensuring the stakes remain relatively low until a twist near the end that is resolved in pleasing ways.

Search For SquarePants sports bright animation with a richness that surpasses the look of the TV series. That shiny sheen extends to Drymon’s overall storytelling approach, which adopts SpongeBob’s innocent, joyful spirit. If some of the jokes can get a bit tedious, the film’s adolescent tone is never cruel or obnoxious. Instead it radiates a sense of play as it chronicles SpongeBob’s enthusiastic desire to be viewed as a “big guy” – which in the world of Bikini Bottom means he’s tall enough/old enough to ride the city’s scary rollercoaster.

Eventually, however, SpongeBob will have misgivings about this new phase of life if it means he can’t keep blowing bubbles with Patrick – a hobby they love but is regarded by others as immature. In the process, the filmmakers nicely examine children’s universal desire to be considered grown-up when they’re actually not quite ready to give up childish things.

Veteran voice actor Hamill is delightful as The Flying Dutchman, who clearly has nefarious intentions. The role requires Hamill to be the straight man to SpongeBob and Patrick’s gleeful waves of hilarity and stupidity, and he plays it just right, giving us a villain who consistently is taken aback by how dumb these two happy fools are. Also engaging is Regina Hall, who stars as The Flying Dutchman’s long-suffering sidekick Barb, both actors wielding exaggerated accents that are attuned to the film’s sunny irreverence.

Longtime SpongeBob fans will be cheered to know that the show’s crucial supporting characters Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown), Squidward (Rodger Bumpass) and Gary (also Kenny) are part of the plot, each of them getting their own funny moments. But Search For SquarePants is primarily concerned with SpongeBob’s quest to demonstrate that he is as brave as any adult — although his journey risks alienating Patrick, whom he starts taking for granted. The character remains such an important role model for young audiences, encouraging them to be kind and unashamed of the goofy things that bring them joy.