Underplayed Gems

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025)

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants poster
Directed by
Derek Drymon
Genre
fantasy film, comedy film, adventure film, family film
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 36m
Rated
PG
Rating
6.8 of 10 from 317 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

SpongeBob sets out on a quest to prove his bravery. He teams up with the ghost pirate the Flying Dutchman and travels through the Underworld.

sillyadventurousfast-pacedwhimsicalplayfulfunfriendlycartoonish

What happens

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is a 2025 American animated adventure 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, Isis "Ice Spice" Gaston, 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, and the sixth film overall. 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 positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, grossing $169 million worldwide on a budget of $64 million. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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