The Wasteland Reviewer

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025) Written Review

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? This is one of the most popular questions to ask over the last 20 years or so amongst younger audiences. SpongeBob SquarePants has been a cultural phenomenon for over two decades with its weird humor, great voice cast, and undersea shenanigans. The popularity of this Nickelodeon show has brought this porous pal to the big screen a few times before. Paramount is going back to the well once again (after a few stinkers over on Netflix) and bringing SpongeBob and his pals back to theaters with The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants. 

What does this new film have up its sleeves for our silly protagonist? From the opening exposition dump by a live-action cameo of cast member Clancy Brown, we get a renewed backstory and lore for The Flying Dutchman (a beloved recurring character from the show). This sets the stage for his quest for the purest soul to set him free from his spooky curse. Of course, SpongeBob would be the target for such a need. But our sea sponge protagonist has his own mission…be a Big Guy and get to go on a rollercoaster! But he is soon taken by The Flying Dutchman (along with Patrick) as Mr. Krabs and Squidward go on the hunt to save them. The story takes our characters into the Underworld of the sea (full of crazy, terrifying creatures) as well onto the shore (of course…this feels like a requirement for SpongeBob films at this point). The story is loose and random for sure. There is plenty of random, weird humor that lands in that sweet spot but there are too many butt and groin jokes that just fall flat. This is not the sharpest of the SpongeBob films, but it is hard to ignore how much fun this romp is. 

Does director Derek Drymon deliver as the captain of this animated ship? First off, the animation will be controversial for some who just want the classic 2D animation that SpongeBob used to exemplify. This 3D approach works well with its goofy vibes and vibrant colors. The film looks so rich and gorgeous as well as creepy and Drymon means it too. There are some legitimately unnerving elements in the film, especially with the nightmare fuel that is the Underworld. There is even a moment when SpongeBob first sees the rollercoaster of his dreams. “Oh Fortuna” sets the nightmarish tone from Drymon who delivers some great laughs with the foreboding shenanigans of this wild ride. The film keeps things either creepy or light due to the overall silliness of the experience. Some of Drymon’s choices fall flat including the new song from Ice Spice that just doesn’t match the vibes of the film or franchise. There is plenty of energy as Drymon creates a manic energy that is infectious. That is what you get when you bring in one of the original writers of the show.

What does the voice cast do to bring this film to life? The core cast delivers as always. Tom Kenny brings that classic high energy and manic performance you are used to as SpongeBob. Clancy Brown (outside of his live action cameo) gets a lot of space to play around as he tells swashbuckling adventures of Mr. Krabs previous life. Bill Fagerbakke is so committed as Patrick no matter how dumb or silly the material is given to him. Few people can craft a grumpy character quite like Rodger Bumpass as Squidward. The big addition is Mark Hamill as The Flying Dutchman as he chews up the scenery in both animation and live action. There are some fun additions in minor roles as well with Arturo Castro, Sherry Cola, and Regina Hall all making their presence felt. This wild crew will always make SpongeBob adventures worth watching. 

Is Search for SquarePants a worthwhile experience? This might not land all its humor or gags, but there are plenty to get you there. There are too many body jokes that just lack and bite but at least that irreverent humor of this beloved series does shine through. There are plenty of funny, creepy, and bonkers moments sprinkled throughout the film. Drymon understands what works most as he was there during the series’ peak. This is a vibrant film full of color and visual gags. The voice cast just nails it like they always do. There are enough swashbuckling adventure and silly gags to make this romp worthwhile.