This year has been a pretty good one for family friendly movies, with options like The Minecraft Movie, KPop Demon Hunters and the SpongeBob spinoff Plankton (streaming with a Netflix subscription), to name a few. But before we flip over to the 2026 movie calendar, there’s one more animated option — and it’s one that might appeal to viewers of all ages — The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants. Critics have seen the latest movie based on the popular Nicktoon, and they say we’re in for some “nautical nonsense.”
The previous SpongeBob SquarePants movies have been a lot of fun, and in his latest adventure, the titular sea sponge goes on an adventure through The Underworld with ghost pirate The Flying Dutchman in order to prove he’s a “big guy.” Hold on to your lucky bricks, because Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert rates the movie a perfect 4 out of 4 stars, calling it “sublimely silly” and writing:
Butts are funny. Everything about them. Even the word ‘butt’ is funny. In comedy, slapstick especially, the butt is the origin and, har-de-har, end-point of everything. There is no such thing as too many butt jokes. Somehow, the more butt jokes there are, the funnier the next butt joke becomes. The makers of SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Search for SquarePants understand this, which is why the movie averages one butt joke every five minutes. … This movie is a classic of silliness—no ifs, ands, or butts.
Rachel Leishman of The Mary Sue is equally delighted with the movie, giving it 4 out of 5 bubbles. More than just a cash grab, Search for SquarePants feels like a warm hug and even sneaks a meaningful message into the adventure. Leishman writes:
The film is a fun adventure for Spongebob but what made it something special, to me, was the way that Spongebob’s friendships were explored. He was trying to prove himself to Mr. Krabs and that meant allowing himself to listen to The Dutchman and it challenged his friendship with Patrick. He needed to try to protect his own peace and happiness but, in the process, was losing so much of what made Spongebob special. And Search for Squarepants is an important reminder to stay true to yourself.
Soren Andersen of the Seattle Times rates it 3 out of 4 stars, writing that audiences of all ages will appreciate its nonstop action and giggle at the below-the-belt rudeness. In Anderson’s words:
The pacing is lickety-split. Director Derek Drymon, who helped develop the character of SpongeBob for TV with the late Stephen Hillenburg back in the 1990s, knows this material inside out and knows how to make it appeal to kids and grown-ups as well. … Everybody involved seems to be having a blast making this latest SpongeBob a funny, fast-paced pleasure.
For Luke Darling of The Only Critic, the movie earns a B for its “absolutely stunning” animation and an ability to keep both kids and adults engaged. Its one hiccup, Darling says, is “a relentless amount of butt jokes.” It’s not the sophomoric nature of the jokes, but the fact that the same gags are repeated multiple times throughout the film. The critic continues:
Like a light dip into an acid trip, Search for SquarePants fully epitomizes the nautical nonsense of the show. At one point, the movie goes off the rails so hard that it openly acknowledges its own absurdity in a way few franchises—other than SpongeBob—can pull off. Let’s face it: this was never going to be Oscar bait. SpongeBob was never meant to be. It’s a saccharine yet largely well-executed kids’ movie that hits the right beats and gags to satisfy fans while earning adults a chuckle or two.
Alison Foreman of IndieWire gives it a C, writing that The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants looks and feels like imitation seafood, but director Derek Drymon produces a colorful, witty wasteland, proving the pineapple dweller is still enjoyable. Foreman says:
Drymon’s stand-alone misadventure with the Flying Dutchman delivers acceptable approximations of the core SpongeBob personalities we already know and love — rendering them through soft-hearted fan service that’s comforting, nostalgic, and decidedly good enough coming from such a seasoned profit engine. The comedy isn’t as dark or as smart as the animated series’ golden age (seasons 1, 2, and 3), but it casts a wide tonal net and catches a balanced effect that’s both familiar and fresh with an appealing that could work for any one of SpongeBob’s ages.
It sounds like younger moviegoers and older fans who grew up with SpongeBob should find a lot to like in The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants — depending on your mileage for butt jokes, apparently. This latest theatrical spinoff is out on big screens as of Friday, December 19, if you want to check it out.
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