The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants

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The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants
The SpongeBob Movie Search for SquarePants Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Derek Drymon
Screenplay by
Story by
Based on SpongeBob SquarePants
by Stephen Hillenburg
Produced by
  • Lisa Stewart
  • Pam Brady
  • Aaron Dem
Starring
Cinematography Peter Lyons Collister
Edited byWyatt Jones
Music by John Debney
Production
companies
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release dates
  • October 26, 2025 (2025-10-26)(AFI Film Festival)
  • December 19, 2025 (2025-12-19)(United States)
Running time
96 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$64 million [2]
Box office$60.2 million [3]

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is a 2025 American animatedadventure comedy film based on the SpongeBob SquarePants television series, created by Stephen Hillenburg. Directed by series veteran Derek Drymon, it stars the show's regular voice cast alongside George Lopez, Ice Spice, Arturo Castro, Sherry Cola, Regina Hall, and Mark Hamill. The plot follows SpongeBob on a quest to prove his bravery by adventuring with the ghost pirate, The Flying Dutchman, through the Underworld. It is the fourth theatrical film based on the series, following 2020's Sponge on the Run .

Contents

The film was written by Pam Brady and Matt Lieberman, from a story by Brady and series creatives Marc Ceccarelli and Kaz. It was first developed as a direct-to-streaming film focused on Mr. Krabs, but the project was later retooled into a theatrical feature with SpongeBob as the lead character instead. By April 2023, Drymon had been hired to direct the film. In July 2024, Hamill was revealed to be voicing the Flying Dutchman in the film in place of Brian Doyle-Murray. John Debney composed the film's score, after having previously scored 2015's Sponge Out of Water .

Search for SquarePants premiered at the AFI Film Festival on October 26, 2025, before holding a premiere in New York City on December 17, and was theatrically released by Paramount Pictures in the United States on December 19. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics, and has grossed $60.2 million worldwide.

Plot

SpongeBob SquarePants finds that he has grown tall enough to ride an intense roller coaster, but is too afraid to do so. He aspires to be as brave as Mr. Krabs, who tells him that he was a swashbuckler in his youth. Upon discovering Mr. Krabs' secret basement containing his pirate relics, he unintentionally summons The Flying Dutchman, a ghost pirate who was cursed to eternally roam the Underworld until he can swap places with an innocent soul. Deeming SpongeBob the soul he needs to return to mortality, he invites him and his best friend Patrick Star into his crew and promises to help SpongeBob become a swashbuckler. Mr. Krabs, regretting having told SpongeBob that he is not brave, follows suit with Squidward Tentacles and Gary the Snail to rescue the duo.

The Dutchman informs SpongeBob that he must complete a series of dangerous trials and blow the Dutchman's horn in order to become a swashbuckler. SpongeBob overcomes the challenges with ease by doing what he believes Mr. Krabs would do. The Dutchman grows annoyed by Patrick's childish distractions, and convinces a reluctant SpongeBob to abandon him. When Mr. Krabs catches up with SpongeBob, the Dutchman forces him to admit that he was not a swashbuckler, but rather a fry cook who enjoyed blowing bubbles for which he was humiliated. Convinced by the Dutchman that Mr. Krabs lied to and does not believe in him, SpongeBob blows the Dutchman's horn, which swaps the curse from the Dutchman to SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs, who become bearded ghosts. The Dutchman becomes a human, regains his mortality, and spends his time in Santa Monica, California. The Dutchman betrays and leaves behind his assistant Barb, who tells SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs that they need to destroy the horn before sunset to reverse the curse.

After reconciling with Patrick, SpongeBob goes up with Mr. Krabs to the surface. They attempt to steal the horn, only for Dutchman to catch them and flee onto a roller coaster, believing SpongeBob is too cowardly to follow. Mr. Krabs encourages SpongeBob to embrace himself and use his bubble-blowing skills to his advantage. SpongeBob gains the courage to climb the ascending roller coaster vehicle and trap the horn within a bubble, which he pops to drop the horn to the ground and destroy it. The curse is reversed, and the Dutchman is demoted to kitchen duty for his actions while Barb takes his place as captain. Mr. Krabs celebrates SpongeBob for his bravery, before it is revealed they left Squidward behind in the Underworld.

Voice cast

Production

Development

The film initially began development as a direct-to-streaming film focused on Mr. Krabs, coinciding with the franchise's character-focused Netflix films Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie (2024) and Plankton: The Movie (2025). The project was reworked into a theatrical feature, with SpongeBob as the lead character, after Paramount executives saw the first draft of the streaming version. [11] In February 2022, the fourth theatrical SpongeBob SquarePants film was officially confirmed to be in development. [12] In April 2023, during Paramount Pictures' CinemaCon panel, it was announced that the film would be titled The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, with series veteran Derek Drymon set to direct the film. [13] The screenplay was written by Pam Brady and Matt Lieberman, with a story by Marc Ceccarelli, Kaz, and Brady. [14] Brady, Lisa Stewart, and Aaron Dem serve as producers. [15] [14] Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies produce, in association with Domain Entertainment and MRC. [5] [14]

In April 2024, it was reported that the show's regular voice cast of Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence, and Mr. Lawrence would reprise their roles. [4] At San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024, it was announced that Mark Hamill was voicing the Flying Dutchman, in place of his long-time voice actor Brian Doyle-Murray from the series. [8] [16] In June 2025 at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, it was announced that Regina Hall, Sherry Cola, Arturo Castro, George Lopez, and Ice Spice were cast in the film. [5]

Animation

Reel FX Animation was the main animation provider for the film. Liz Hemme served as the visual effects supervisor for the film. [17] Visually, Drymon wanted to avoid hyper-realism or stylized CGI meant to mimick 2D animation. Inspired by 60s plasticware and toys, he directed Reel FX to create a style that he felt looked more handmade and true to SpongeBob. [17] This philosophy extended to every aspect of the film's visuals and encouraged the team to dial back realistic textures that they felt could be distracting and too incongruent with SpongeBob's cartoony world. [17]

Drawing from the series' past, mixed media became intrinsic to the visual language. Drymon embraced imperfections and said: "visual inconsistency isn't a flaw to be corrected; it's a tool for comedy, particularly in a world that thrives on surprise and absurdity". [17] The visual palette of the film was drawn from SpongeBob and various live-action inspirations such as Sam Raimi and Coen brothers films, Pirates of the Caribbean , and Three O'Clock High (1987). [11] Head of story Mark O'Hare said, "We're making fun of these movies but also honoring them," and added: "The contrast between SpongeBob's world and those dynamic 3D cinematic styles is a big part of the fun". [11] To emulate the feeling of Bikini Bottom stretching endlessly like it often does in the series, the team "had to dress environments to camera almost all the time" as opposed to building a set than shooting in it like in most other CG productions. [17]

Music

John Debney was confirmed to compose the score for the film in April 2025, after having previously composed the score for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015). [18] Ice Spice performed an original song for the film, "Big Guy", which was released in November 2025; it is not included on the film's soundtrack. [19] The soundtrack was released on December 19, 2025, on MOD-providers by Milan Records and Paramount Music. [20] [21]

Release

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants had its world premiere on October 26, 2025, as one of the closing films of the AFI Film Festival. [22] It later held a premiere in New York City on December 17, [23] and was theatrically released by Paramount Pictures in the United States on December 19, 2025. [24] The film is accompanied by an animated short film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2 – Lost in New Jersey . [25] The film's release was previously scheduled for May 23, 2025, [26] but was pushed back to December 19, 2025, with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning taking the May 2025 slot due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. [24]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants was released alongside Avatar: Fire and Ash , The Housemaid , and David , and was projected to gross $15–20 million from 3,557 theaters. [2] The film made $6 million on its first day, including $1.4 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $16 million, finishing in fourth behind Fire and Ash, David, and The Housemaid. [27]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 81% of 53 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.5/10.The website's consensus reads: "A self-contained adventure with spiffy animation and a sweet message embedded in its goofy goober-ness, The Search for SquarePants is one of SpongeBob's most delightful big-screen outings yet." [28] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [29] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, the highest of the franchise, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it a 70% overall positive score, with 44% saying they would definitely recommend the film. [27]

Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, saying that the film "easily delivers another rib-tickling, delightfully frantic fourth installment of the series." [30] Chris Wasser of the Sunday Independent gave the film three stars out of five, writing, "This vibrant cartoon adventure is as wacky as you'd expect." [31] In a four star out of five review on The Irish Times , Tara Brady wrote that the visual gags were "fresh", the jokes were "funny", the world-building was "disarmily buoyant", and the musical cues were "playful". [32] Derek Smith of Slant Magazine gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four, writing that the film was "dotted with the whacky humor and ingenious puns that the fans of the series have come to expect." [33]

Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com gave the film four stars out of a possible four, writing that there "is no such thing as too many butt jokes," adding that "the movie averages one butt joke every five minutes." [34] Tim Grierson of Screen Daily gave the film a positive review, writing that some of the jokes "can get a bit tedious," though said the film's adolescent tone was "never cruel or obnoxious." [35] IndieWire 's Alison Foreman gave the film a grade of "B", writing that while the comedy is not as dark as the series' golden age, it "casts a wide tonal net and catches a balanced effort" that she says is "both familiar and fresh with an appealing that could work for any one of SpongeBob's ages." [36] In a positive review for The Film Verdict, Alonso Duralde said that SpongeBob "learns there's more than derring-do involved in becoming a 'big guy,'" and said that the message "never overwhelms the wacky comedy". [37]

The film also received some negative reviews. Brandon Yu of The New York Times wrote that the movie "is bad on its own terms, mainly for its cynical philosophy of children's entertainment." [38] Alistair Harkness of The Scotsman gave the film a rating of two stars out of five, writing that there's "no joy or craft in the jokes on offer; it's just a barrage of zaniness," though he stated that "there's nothing wrong with providing pure cinematic silliness for five, six and seven-year-olds." [39] Fred Topel of United Press International gave the film a negative review, writing that the film was a "step down for SpongeBob." [40] Joshua Mbonu of InSession Film gave the film a grade of "C", calling the film an "aggressively average venture", and writing that the "cartoon sponge's latest film outing couldn't be more forgettable on the whole." [41]

Some reviewers criticized the film's choice to focus on a small number of characters, rather than utilize the rest of the franchise's cast. Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter suggested that "longtime fans may be understandably disappointed" by the decision to "elbow aside" series regulars Pearl, Sandy, Plankton and Karen. [30] Writing for The Daily Beast , Barry Levitt noted, "series stalwarts like Mrs. Puff appear only in a single shot (though she gets a half-hearted shout-out in 'Big Guy'). Sandy Cheeks and Plankton, fresh off their own movies, are reduced to cameos, and teen whale Pearl is nowhere to be found." [42]

References

  1. ↑ "The Spongebob Movie: Search for SquarePants". BBFC . Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  2. 1 2 Rubin, Rebecca (December 17, 2025). "Box Office: 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' Aims for $100 Million Debut. How Will James Cameron's Epic Hold Over the Holidays?". Variety . Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  3. ↑ "The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants". The Numbers . Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gardner, Chris (April 11, 2024). "'The Smurfs Movie' Sets Starry Cast to Join Rihanna; Dave Bautista, Eric Nam Board 'Airbender' Franchise". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Goodfellow, Melanie (June 10, 2025). "Regina Hall, Sherry Cola, Arturo Castro, George Lopez & Ice Spice Join Cast Of 'The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants' As Paramount Premieres Opening Act & 'Smurfs' Footage – Annecy". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on June 10, 2025. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  6. ↑ Hall, Regina [@morereginahall]; (November 14, 2025). "Can't wait for y'all to meet Barb on December 19th! @spongebobmovie" . Retrieved November 15, 2025– via Instagram.
  7. ↑ The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants: Regina Hall on Voicing Barb (2025 Movie) (Video). December 9, 2025. Retrieved December 11, 2025– via YouTube.
  8. 1 2 Stephan, Katcy (July 25, 2024). "Mark Hamill Joins The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants as The Flying Dutchman". Variety . Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  9. ↑ Paramount Pictures (December 10, 2025). The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants: George Lopez on SpongeBob (2025 Movie) (Video) – via YouTube.[ incomplete short citation ]
  10. ↑ The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants: Ice Spice Featurette (2025 Movie) (Video). November 17, 2025. Retrieved December 11, 2025– via YouTube.
  11. 1 2 3 McLean, Tom (December 8, 2025). "'The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants' Director & Team Chart Their Inventive 3D CG Voyage". Animation Magazine . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  12. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 15, 2022). "SpongeBob Universe Expands With Three Paramount+ Spinoff Movies, New Theatrical Film". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  13. ↑ Welk, Brian (April 27, 2023). "Paramount Gets Animated with CinemaCon Presentation". IndieWire . Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  14. 1 2 3 Milligan, Mercedes (July 9, 2025). "Are Ye Ready, Kids? 'The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants' Teaser Trailer Sets Sail". Animation Magazine . Archived from the original on July 10, 2025. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  15. ↑ "CinemaCon: Paramount Updates 'Last Airbender' Movie Title". Animation Magazine . April 3, 2025. Archived from the original on April 4, 2025. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
  16. ↑ Sherlock, Ben (July 25, 2024). "Mark Hamill's New SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Role Reveals OG Character Has Been Recast After 25 Years". Screen Rant . Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Lang, Jamie (December 18, 2025). "'You Have To Leave Him How You Found Him': Derek Drymon And The Reel FX Team On Bringing SpongeBob Back To The Big Screen". Cartoon Brew . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  18. ↑ "John Debney Scoring Derek Drymon's 'The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants'". Film Music Reporter. April 15, 2025. Archived from the original on April 19, 2025. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  19. ↑ McArdle, Tommy (November 13, 2025). "Ice Spice Makes Her Bikini Bottom Debut in Goofy "The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants" Trailer". People . Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  20. ↑ "The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (Music from the Motion Picture)". Spotify . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  21. ↑ "'The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants' Soundtrack Album Details". Film Music Reporter. December 17, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  22. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 18, 2025). "SpongeBob Movie: Search For Squarepants Sets World Premiere At AFI Fest". Deadline. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Ice Spice wears sheer Blumarine dress and thong to 'SpongeBob Movie' screening". December 18, 2025. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  24. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 23, 2023). "Mission: Impossible 8 Jumps To 2025; A Quiet Place: Day One Goes To Summer In 2024 Theatrical Shake-Up Due To Actors Strike". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  25. ↑ Roxborough, Scott (June 10, 2025). "Regina Hall, Ice Spice Join New 'SpongeBob' Movie". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on June 10, 2025. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  26. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 10, 2022). "Paramount Sets Dates For New SpongeBob & Aang Avatar Animated Movies". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on November 10, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  27. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 19, 2025). "'Avatar: Fire And Ash' Flying To $86M-$90M Opening; 'Housemaid' & 'David' In A Tiff For No. 2 With $20M-$24M Apiece". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on December 20, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  28. ↑ "The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  29. ↑ "The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  30. 1 2 Lowe, Justin (October 28, 2025). "'The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants' Review: The Bikini Bottom Crew Triumphs Another Rollicking Undersea Comedy". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  31. ↑ Wasser, Chris (December 15, 2025). "The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants review: Break out the bunting! Spongebob has grown another inch". Sunday Independent . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  32. ↑ Brady, Tara (December 17, 2025). "The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants – Fresh and funny, with a neat line in world-building". The Irish Times . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  33. ↑ Smith, Derek (December 16, 2025). "'The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants' Review: A Charming, Spirited, and Ludicrous Ride". Slant Magazine . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  34. ↑ Seitz, Matt Zoller (December 19, 2025). "The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants movie review (2025)". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  35. ↑ Grierson, Tim (December 18, 2025). "'The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants' review: The aquatic hero returns in joyful animation". Screen Daily . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  36. ↑ Foreman, Alison (December 18, 2025). "'The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants' Review: A Ghostly Adventure Recalls Nickelodeon's Golden Age Well Enough to Entertain Adults". IndieWire . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  37. ↑ Duralde, Alonso (December 19, 2025). "The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants". The Film Verdict. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  38. ↑ Yu, Brandon (December 18, 2025). "'The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants' Review: Underwater Adventure". The New York Times . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  39. ↑ Harkness, Alistair (December 18, 2025). "Film reviews: Song Sung Blue | Peter Hujar's Day | The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants". The Scotsman . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  40. ↑ Topel, Fred (December 15, 2025). "Movie review: 'Search for SquarePants' a step down for 'SpongeBob'". United Press International . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  41. ↑ Mbonu, Joshua (December 15, 2025). "Movie Review: 'The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants' is an Aggressively Average Venture Back Into the Bikini Bottom". InSession Film. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  42. ↑ Levitt, Barry (December 19, 2025). "SpongeBob SquarePants Gets a Much-Needed Glow-Up in New Movie". The Daily Beast . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
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