Anticipation is building as the fourth SpongeBob movie, “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” will release in theaters on Dec. 19 of this year. The film’s plot revolves around SpongeBob going on an adventure with the infamous Flying Dutchman in an attempt to prove his bravery to Mr. Krabs.
The movie’s first trailer went viral, and even spawned a meme in Mr. Krabs’ delivery of “THE UNDERWORLD!”, which some consider a spiritual successor to Jack Black’s many utterances delivered during “A Minecraft Movie,” more specifically his line of “The Nether!”
The film’s cast consists of all the original voice actors of the main characters in the SpongeBob TV show, with the addition of Mark Hamill as the Flying Dutchman, and other huge names, such as George Lopez and Ice Spice, in undisclosed roles.
Search for SquarePants had its world premiere at the AFI Film Festival on Oct. 26, with many critics’ reviews being positive. However, only time will tell what the audience viewing the film during its theatrical release in December will think.
Historically, recent seasons of the cartoon have been viewed as declining in quality, with feature-length productions, including the previous “Sponge on the Run” and “Plankton: The Movie,” reflecting this view in garnering mixed reviews.
Senior Denver Black appears to agree with the general consensus on the current state of SpongeBob.
“Every single month, they make a new [SpongeBob movie], it’s just a cash grab,” Black said. “They’re prying off my emotions and my maternal instincts towards SpongeBob. I won’t fall for it!”
Of course, perspectives may vary: someone else may like the movie, in contrast with others’ hesitancy to see it. All in all, though, given the movie’s main character, it is almost certainly guaranteed to be a wild ride.
