Common Sense Media Review
By Tara McNamara
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
"Yo ho ha!" pirate adventure is fun, with some scares.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants
What's the Story?
In THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: THE SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS, everyone's favorite yellow sponge (voiced by Tom Kenny) is excited to realize that he's finally tall enough to ride the roller coaster! But he's embarrassed that he still feels too scared to actually get on the amusement park attraction. When the ghost of the pirate known as the Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill) offers SpongeBob the opportunity to earn his Swashbuckler Certificate by completing a quest through the Underworld, SpongeBob sets sail with best friend Patrick Star (Bill Faggerbakke) to prove his bravery by completing a series of deepwater challenges. Little does he know that it's all a trick by the Flying Dutchman, who's learned that he can pass on his curse—to roam the depths of the Underworld for eternity—to an innocent soul.
Is It Any Good?
The silly sponge's eerie pirate quest is arrrr-guably one of the more entertaining SpongeBob movies, although it's guilty of plundering its own lore. The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants mixes elements of Pirates of the Caribbean with those of The Odyssey—but fans who've been following SpongeBob through the decades might recall that 2004's The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie was also a direct lift from Homer's epic, and the Flying Dutchman tried to make SpongeBob a ghostly first mate all the way back in Season 1 of the Nickelodeon series.
Still, while the pillaging of the franchise's own treasure chest may shiver the timbers of parents who grew up with SpongeBob, it's safe to say that most kid viewers will feel—just like SpongeBob himself—braver after disembarking from this spooky, kooky ride.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the message of The SpongeBob Movie: The Search for SquarePants. What does it mean to you to be a "Big Guy"? What does it mean to SpongeBob?
What does it mean to have "bravery, grit, guts, and moxie"? How does SpongeBob demonstrate courage and perseverance, and why are those important life skills? How do friends and family help us get through things that scare us?
One criticism of the SpongeBob franchise is that characters can be rude and sometimes speak to or about each other in insulting ways. Do you think kids are likely to pick up and mimic that behavior in real life? What lesson can we learn from SpongeBob's ability to not let anyone get him down?
SpongeBob and Patrick are on a hero's journey. What are the elements of a hero's journey, and why is it so popular as a storytelling device? What other films or books do you know that follow this structure?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 19, 2025
- On DVD or streaming : January 20, 2026
- Cast : Tom Kenny , Clancy Brown , Rodger Bumpass
- Director : Derek Drymon
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Paramount Pictures
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Adventures , Animals ( Ocean Creatures ) , Friendship , Pirates
- Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance
- Run time : 96 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : rude humor, action and some scary images
- Last updated : February 9, 2026
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