The “SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” is a SpongeBob film that follows SpongeBob SquarePants’ exciting journey to become a swashbuckling pirate. The movie maintains the style and feel of the original television show while using a different animation style.
This movie starts in Bikini Bottom, where SpongeBob is living his life. SpongeBob works at the Krusty Krab, and he spends time with Patrick, SpongeBob’s best friend. When SpongeBob learns he is 36 clams tall, he realizes he has become a big guy, and he is able to ride the roller coaster he has been wanting to ride, though this never ends up happening.
Soon, Mr. Krabs tells SpongeBob about being a swashbuckler. SpongeBob decides he needs to become a swashbuckler aswell to become a big guy. SpongeBob finds Mr. Krabs’ swashbuckler pirate map, which leads him to the Flying Dutchman. The Flying Dutchman offers to take SpongeBob and Patrick aboard his ship to become swashbucklers. They agree and sign a contract, but the Flying Dutchman really plans for them to break his curse. The Flying Dutchman says blowing his horn will make SpongeBob a swashbuckler, but it actually transfers the curse to SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs. After realizing this, Mr. Krabs becomes worried and sets out with Squidward to find SpongeBob, starting the main plot.
The Flying Dutchman puts SpongeBob through many challenges as SpongeBob needs to earn the title of swashbuckler to become a big guy. These challenges make SpongeBob feel scared and unsure of himself, as he does not think he has what it really takes to be a swashbuckling pirate. This differs from the TV show where SpongeBob is usually confident and cheerful. I think this is good character development for SpongeBob and shows that he isn’t as immature as he was before he grew taller. Throughout the completion of challenges, SpongeBob is able to gain some confidence and complete the challenges.
The animation in the movie looks similar to the newer movies, and I quite like the style. It seems to be sort of a claymation style 3D animation. Bikini Bottom looks great, just like it does in the show. The Flying Dutchman areas of the movie have a great, spooky atmosphere that helps draw the watcher into the movie. I am a big fan of the scenes with the Flying Dutchman because of the scenery. Even with the new animation style and the spookier atmospheres at times, the movie never stops feeling like a SpongeBob movie.
The movie also has some catchy music. One of these songs is “Big Guy” by Ice Spice. This song plays whenever SpongeBob realizes he is 36 clams tall. The song helps the scene feel more exciting and lively, which is important as this is a very important scene to the plot of the movie. The artist behind the song “Big Guy,” named Ice Spice, also has a cameo in this movie, which was cool to see when I first watched the movie.
At the end of all the challenges, SpongeBob ends up blowing the horn to transfer the curse to himself and Mr. Krabs. The Flying Dutchman has his curse lifted, and he then becomes human. SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs learn that if they destroy the horn by sundown, they can reverse the curse. SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs try to steal the horn back to destroy it and lift the curse, but the Flying Dutchman catches them and goes onto a roller coaster to flee. Mr. Krabs gives SpongeBob the confidence to finally go on the roller coaster, and they trap the horn as a bubble and destroy it, reverting the curse.
The movie is not perfect. Some parts of the movie feel like they move too fast, especially towards the end of the movie. Characters like Sandy are not properly shown in the movie. I personally was not a fan of how Sandy was included in the movie as just something to throw into the movie somewhere. Some of the jokes are very childish, with a lot of jokes about butts and potty humor. However, these problems do not make the movie bad. The plot of the movie is still interesting and easy to follow.
Overall, “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” is a great addition to the SpongeBob movie saga. It keeps the style beloved from the original TV show while telling a deeper story about growing up and finding yourself. The movie tells us that you can face challenges in your life without losing who you are. The movie is a good watch for first time SpongeBob viewers and longtime TV show fans.
