LOS ANGELES, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- The first three SpongeBob SquarePants movies were clever with added value that wasn't available in the half-hour episodes. The SpongeBob Movie: The Search for Squarepants, in theaters Friday, is more like an extended episode but it's still cute.
SpongeBob (voice of Tom Kenney) has grown half a clam in height, making him a Big Guy. He's finally tall enough to ride the roller coaster at Captain Booty Beard's Fun Park, an absurdly dangerous satire of theme park thrill rides.
But, despite his new height, SpongeBob is still afraid to ride it. So Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown) tells SpongeBob that he can earn a swashbuckler certificate to prove his bravery, as Krabs did in his boating career prior to opening the Krusty Krab restaurant.
SpongeBob and Patrick Star's (Bill Fagerbakke) misadventures lead them through the Krusty Krab vents to discover the cursed ship of the Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill). Only an innocent soul can free the ghost ship and its crew from the curse, and Dutchman thinks he's found his ticket in SpongeBob.
This isn't the first pirate adventure in the 26-year history of SpongeBob, but the cursed ghost ship harkens back to the live-action Pirates of the Caribbean movies. It includes some fun SpongeBob-worthy jokes like Davy Jones' literal locker, and a nice homage to late creator Stephen Hillenburg.
