Richard Crouse

SYNOPSIS: In “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” the new animated comedy based on the popular kid’s show, and now playing in theatres, SpongeBob tries to prove his bravery by embarking on a perilous marine journey. “The Dutchman’s taken SpongeBob to the deepest, most dangerous part of the sea…” says Mr. Krabs (voiced by Clancy Brown), “the Underworld.”

CAST: Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence, Mr. Lawrence, George Lopez, Isis “Ice Spice” Gaston, Arturo Castro, Sherry Cola, Regina Hall, Mark Hamill. Directed by Derek Drymon.

REVIEW: Packed to the gills with silly visual gags and absurdist wordplay, “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” is aimed at kids and stoned adults.

The movie starts as many good stories do. “Once Upon a time,” says The Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill), “the most pants wettingly pirate to ever roam the seven seas, “a long, long time ago…” With that the tale of how a curse doomed him to 500 years in an oceanic nightmare realm called The Underworld. The only way he can beat the curse, and return to his dry land home of Santa Monica, is to transfer the hex to someone pure of heart and innocent in mind. “Does such a soul even exist?” he asks.

Meanwhile, in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob (voice of Tom Kenny) has grown half a barnacle taller, and now thinks he’s a “big guy.”

“I’ve never felt so respected before,” he says.

That feeling quickly fades when his boss, Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown) tells him he’s not ready to be a Swashbuckler. To prove he’s not SpongeBob ScaredyPants, the innocent, kind-hearted SpongeBob embarks on a quest that puts him directly in The Flying Dutchman’s territory. But is SpongeBob brave enough to accept the Dutchman’s Deal?

Set at breakneck speed, “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” wastes no time in unfurling its hero’s surreal journey.

It’s whiplash fast and frenetic but never loses the underlying theme that has made the Nickelodeon show such a favorite for a quarter of a century, and that’s SpongeBob’s optimism, kindness and joyfulness.

The odd little character, originally designed as a tool to teach marine biology at California’s Ocean Institute, has the playful whimsey of Pee Wee Jerman, the energy of Jerry Lewis and naïveté of Stan Laurel, all wrapped up in a spongey, kid-friendly package. That’s been the bedrock of the television series and the other half dozen theatrical and streaming movies in the franchise, and that sweetness and comedic unpredictability remain at the core of “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.”

So don’t expect the new movie to break new ground. Like The Three Stooges, SpongeBob and Company deliver an easily identifiable brand of silliness all their own. From visual gags—like Mr. Krabs entering the Dutchman’s undersea world through Davey Jones’s Gym Locker or a literal showing of intestinal fortitude—to the dense ratio of jokes—it seems like every line is a laugh line—and hidden references to older movies—including a splendid tribute to Ray Harryhausen—it doesn’t feel new exactly, but is a welcome return to SpongeBob’s strange world.