It seemed just a tad strange that I would end up being the one to review The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants. Like I said in my review of SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide, while I’ve always had a fondness for the absorbent, yellow and porous little fellow, I had long felt like the time when the show would’ve been for me had long since passed.
But all of the SpongeBob SquarePants movies have been pretty consistent in terms of quality, and this newest release is no exception. It’s a serviceable family flick that both parents and children can enjoy—providing a lighthearted and comedic experience that doesn’t really leave a lasting impression, but doesn’t overstay its welcome either.
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants opens with our beloved yellow hero having grown a whole half a clam, officially elevating him from a shrimp to a “big guy.” Like every big guy dreams, he’s now tall enough to ride the big roller coasters at the amusement park, but he soon realizes that possessing stature doesn’t mean gaining guts.
After hearing stories about Mr. Krabs’ adventures on the high seas, SpongeBob becomes determined to get his Swashbuckler’s license and prove once and for all that he’s a big guy. But a dark fate intervenes when the Flying Dutchman appears and makes a deal with SpongeBob, promising him that he can get said license if he journeys with him to the Underworld and reaches the end of Challenge Cove.
Unbeknownst to SpongeBob, the Dutchman needs a “pure heart” to free him from his ancient curse. The titular Search for SquarePants begins when Mr. Krabs, Squidward and Gary go after SpongeBob and Patrick in order to rescue them from a grizzly fate. It’s a pretty fun story that may tread pretty familiar ground—learning to be yourself, what really makes a hero, etc—but makes great use of its characters and ghastly setting.
“The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants doesn’t have the same sense of scale or pacing as The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie…”
To its benefit, the movie pairs SpongeBob and The Flying Dutchman together for a pretty large portion, and even in the show has always resulted in pretty comical situations. While I still think Brian Doyle-Murray is the Flying Dutchman, Mark Hamill is having a lot of fun with the character, playing him both silly and serious—since he needs SpongeBob to go along with his plan, but is immediately fed up with his antics.
The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants doesn’t have the same sense of scale or pacing as The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, feeling much less like a film and more like an extended episode. But it does a good job with its moment-to-moment storytelling, keeping the pace constant and snappy. As such, while the film does have a consistent narrative structure, it allows itself room for a few silly asides that are thematically cohesive but feel better suited to the more random nature of the SpongeBob SquarePants series.
At its core, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is a comedy, and it certainly achieves this with aplomb. The film consistently utilized both well-written jokes and visual gags that got more laughs from me than I thought a SpongeBob SquarePants movie in 2025 would. While it’s definitely silly in a more childlike way, it never felt particularly pandering to kids, nor was it trying too hard for the adults.
Furthermore, I really enjoyed The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants from a visual perspective. Similar to my thoughts in SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide, the shift from hand-drawn animation to 3D has come a long way, and the studio seems exceptionally confident in translating the fluidity of rubber-hose animation to 3D characters.
Despite the shift in visuals, it still felt very authentic to SpongeBob SquarePants and was a lot of fun to watch. The Flying Dutchman is particularly well-animated, utilizing his large stature, more human-like features and incredibly expressive face to some genuinely wacky effect. Naturally, the visuals are backed by a voice cast that has been playing these characters for so long they could do the voices in their sleep—but they all bring their A-game and are clearly having a lot of fun.
Like I said at the top of this review, The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants doesn’t really hit any notable highs, but doesn’t sink to any lows either. It’s a solid enough popcorn pleaser that is sure to entertain kids and the parents watching with them. Obviously, no SpongeBob Squarepants movie is going to be better than the first, but this was a fun time nonetheless.
