Story
SpongeBob (voice of Tom Kenny) has finally grown to 36 clams tall, making him officially tall enough to ride the rollercoaster at Captain Booty Beard’s Fun Park. However, when he arrives at the park, his excitement quickly turns into fear when he realises how scary the ride really is.
Mr Krabs (voice of Clancy Brown) tells SpongeBob that being tall doesn’t automatically make someone a ‘big guy’. He explains that when he was young he proved himself by sailing the seas as a brave pirate and earning a swashbuckler’s certificate.
Inspired, SpongeBob becomes convinced that earning his own certificate is the key to becoming a true ‘big guy’. Soon after, the ghost pirate The Flying Dutchman (voiced by Mark Hamill) appears and offers to help SpongeBob achieve his goal by conquering the dangerous ‘Underworld’. Eager to prove himself, SpongeBob sets off on the journey with his best friend Patrick (voice of Bill Fagerbakke).
What SpongeBob doesn’t know is that The Flying Dutchman is cursed to wander the seas until he finds an innocent soul to take his place. Believing SpongeBob is the perfect choice, The Flying Dutchman puts his plan into action. Meanwhile, Mr Krabs, who has met The Flying Dutchman before, teams up with Squidward (Rodger Bumpass) and Gary the Snail to rescue SpongeBob. Will they reach him in time, or will SpongeBob be cursed forever?
Themes
Deception; exploitation; supernatural creatures; ghosts
Violence
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants has some violence. For example:
- Some ghost crew members have their heads blown off by cannonballs, though they regenerate swiftly.
- A ghost crew member says they’re going to ‘take care’ of Patrick after he interferes with their plans.
- Mr Krab’s boat is attacked by Underworld creatures.
- The Flying Dutchman and his crewmate fight skeletons using their swords. Patrick and SpongeBob are also attacked by these skeletons and run away in fear to hide.
- SpongeBob and The Flying Dutchman battle through a series of challenges, fighting new monsters at each stage.
- Mr Krabs, Squidward and Gary are attacked and eaten by a 3-headed seagull.
- A man pushes over a little girl who’s roller-skating.
- Mr Krabs and SpongeBob fight with The Flying Dutchman on a rollercoaster to break a curse.
Sexual references
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants has some sexual references – for example, there’s a theme park named Captain Booty Beard’s Fun Park.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
There’s no substance use in The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.
Nudity and sexual activity
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- The movie frequently focuses in on Patrick and SpongeBob’s bottoms.
- SpongeBob thrusts his pelvis in the air while lifting weights.
- Patrick places an eyepatch over his genitals.
- Gary is towel-whipped on his bottom in a high school locker room.
- Two underground monsters begin kissing
- Sirens tempt Squidward to come to them to play music together.
- People are shirtless and in swimmers at the beach.
Product placement
There’s no product placement in The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.
Coarse language
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants coarse language.
Ideas to discuss with your children
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is an animated action-comedy movie and the latest movie adaptation of the iconic television series. Due to violence, scary scenes and crude humour, the movie is unsuitable for children under 5 years, and parental guidance is recommended for 5-8s.
The main message from The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is that being a ‘big guy’ isn’t about being big and tough, it’s about being authentic and true to yourself.
Values in The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants that you could reinforce with your children include courage, teamwork and authenticity.
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the risks of trusting people that you don’t know.