# The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants
**The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants** is a 2025 American animated comedy-adventure film, the fourth theatrical feature based on the television series *SpongeBob SquarePants*, directed by Derek Drymon and released by [Paramount Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount-pictures) on December 19, 2025.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/SpongeBob-Movie-The-Search-for-Squarepants-%282025%29) • [2](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/spongebob-search-for-squarepants-derek-drymon-reel-fx-interview-257647.html) In the film, SpongeBob, desperate to be seen as a "big guy," sets out to prove his bravery to [Mr. Krabs](https://www.edgepedia.org/mr-krabs) by following The Flying Dutchman, a swashbuckling ghost pirate, on a seafaring adventure into the deepest depths of the deep sea.[3](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/spongebob-movie-the)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | December 19, 2025 (wide, United States), by Paramount Pictures[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/SpongeBob-Movie-The-Search-for-Squarepants-%282025%29) |
| Director | Derek Drymon[4](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdmxmtuw) |
| Screenplay | Pam Brady and Matt Lieberman, from a story by Brady, Kaz, and Marc Ceccarelli[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/SpongeBob-Movie-The-Search-for-Squarepants-%282025%29) |
| Running time / rating | 88 minutes; rated PG for rude humor, action, and some scary images[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/SpongeBob-Movie-The-Search-for-Squarepants-%282025%29) |
| Box office | $71,068,170 domestic; $167,868,170 worldwide, against a $64,000,000 production budget[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/SpongeBob-Movie-The-Search-for-Squarepants-%282025%29) |
| Critical reception | 78% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (72 reviews); 67% Popcornmeter[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_spongebob_movie_search_for_squarepants) |
| Streaming | Paramount+ premiere on February 17, 2026[6](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/paramount-plus/shows/the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants/releases/?view=112408-the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants-to-splash-down-on-paramount-february-17) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
SpongeBob awakens to find himself slightly taller, which emboldens him to ride a super roller coaster as a "Big Guy"; arriving at the amusement park with Patrick, he becomes terrified and backs out.[7](https://www.animationscoop.com/review-the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants/) Wishing he were as brave as Mr. Krabs, he and Patrick stumble upon Krabs's secret basement of swashbuckling artifacts, where blowing the hornpipe of the [Flying Dutchman](https://www.edgepedia.org/flying-dutchman) unknowingly summons the ghost. The Dutchman learns that SpongeBob is a bubble-blowing innocent, exactly what he needs to break the curse that keeps him a prisoner of the [Underworld](https://www.edgepedia.org/underworld).[7](https://www.animationscoop.com/review-the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants/) Paramount's synopsis describes the adventure as taking SpongeBob "to the deepest depths of the deep sea, where no Sponge has gone before."[3](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/spongebob-movie-the)
## Production
A fourth theatrical SpongeBob film was officially announced on February 15, 2022 during Paramount's Investor Event; according to the U.S. Copyright Office catalog, pre-production began in September 2022, and on November 10, 2022 a release date of May 23, 2025 was announced.[8](https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/The_SpongeBob_Movie%3A_Search_for_SquarePants/production) Visual development ran from November 2022 to June 2025, led by Paige Woodward Scheier, who had previously worked on *The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run* and *Plankton: The Movie*.[8](https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/The_SpongeBob_Movie%3A_Search_for_SquarePants/production) Animation magazine coverage of the release notes that the original idea had been for a Netflix movie featuring Mr. Krabs, and hints remain that the film was initially intended as a direct-to-streaming feature before Paramount executives gave it a full theatrical treatment.[7](https://www.animationscoop.com/review-the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants/)
**Direction and animation.** Derek Drymon, who helped develop the character of SpongeBob for television with series creator [Stephen Hillenburg](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-hillenburg) in the 1990s, returned to the franchise after nearly 20 years away.[9](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/critics-calling-the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants-sublimely-silly) His stated approach was to rediscover what made SpongeBob work originally rather than modernize the character: "on SpongeBob, you have to kind of leave them how you found them. You don't want to change him too much."[2](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/spongebob-search-for-squarepants-derek-drymon-reel-fx-interview-257647.html) Reel FX provided most of the animation, and under Drymon's direction the film avoided any hint of CGI realism to keep a cartoony feel.[7](https://www.animationscoop.com/review-the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants/) Kent Seki served as head of cinematography early in production before handing the job to Tom Bruno Jr.[10](https://www.nickalive.net/2025/12/the-spongebob-movie-search-for_56.html?m=0) John Debney composed the score.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/SpongeBob-Movie-The-Search-for-Squarepants-%282025%29)
## Cast
[Tom Kenny](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-kenny) voices [SpongeBob SquarePants](https://www.edgepedia.org/spongebob-squarepants), with [Bill Fagerbakke](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-fagerbakke) as Patrick Star, Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs, Rodger Bumpass as Squidward Tentacles, Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy Cheeks, and Mr. Lawrence as Plankton.[4](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdmxmtuw) Mark Hamill voices The Flying Dutchman, a performance one critic called the show-stealing turn of the film.[11](https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/movies-tv/article/spongebob-search-for-squarepants-review-21223849.php) • [7](https://www.animationscoop.com/review-the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants/) New cast members include Regina Hall as Barb, George Lopez as JK Fishlips, Sherry Cola as the Studio Spokesperson, Arturo Castro as a Santa Monica ride operator, and the rapper Ice Spice (Isis Gaston) as a ticket taker fish; Ice Spice also recorded a song for the film, "Big Guy."[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/SpongeBob-Movie-The-Search-for-Squarepants-%282025%29) • [8](https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/The_SpongeBob_Movie%3A_Search_for_SquarePants/production)
## Release and box office
The film opened in 3,557 North American theaters on December 19, 2025 and grossed $15,611,344 in its opening weekend, finishing fourth at the box office.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/SpongeBob-Movie-The-Search-for-Squarepants-%282025%29) • [12](https://api.screendollars.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SCREENDOLLARS-NEWSLETTER-2025-12-21.pdf) It ended its run with $71,068,170 domestically and $96,800,000 internationally, for a worldwide total of $167,868,170, about 2.6 times its $64,000,000 production budget; the opening weekend represented 22.0% of the domestic total, giving the film comparatively strong legs for an animated family release.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/SpongeBob-Movie-The-Search-for-Squarepants-%282025%29) The United Kingdom was the largest single international market at $12,012,581, followed by Germany at $7,900,000.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/SpongeBob-Movie-The-Search-for-Squarepants-%282025%29) The theatrical release was preceded in theaters by the Paramount short *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2 — Lost in New Jersey*.[7](https://www.animationscoop.com/review-the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants/) Home video release followed on DVD and Blu-ray on March 1, 2026, and the film began streaming on [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) on February 17, 2026.[13](https://www.movieinsider.com/m20150/the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants) • [6](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/paramount-plus/shows/the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants/releases/?view=112408-the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants-to-splash-down-on-paramount-february-17)
## Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 78% Tomatometer score from 72 reviews and a 67% Popcornmeter audience score from more than 1,000 verified ratings.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_spongebob_movie_search_for_squarepants) Paramount reported that the film was "Certified Fresh" on the service.[6](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/paramount-plus/shows/the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants/releases/?view=112408-the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants-to-splash-down-on-paramount-february-17) *The Hollywood Reporter* praised it as "another rib-tickling, delightfully frantic fourth installment of the series," while the Associated Press gave it two and a half stars out of four, noting that the film stays within the concerns of its target audience, such as being too scared to ride a rollercoaster.[12](https://api.screendollars.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SCREENDOLLARS-NEWSLETTER-2025-12-21.pdf) • [14](https://apnews.com/article/2cdfa0148afbd9ae5d8883b925a3b91b) Recurring critical observations included the film's breathless pacing, a heavy reliance on repeated rear-end jokes, and an animation style that reviewers variously read as an improvement over or a step down from 2020's *Sponge on the Run*.[9](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/critics-calling-the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants-sublimely-silly) • [14](https://apnews.com/article/2cdfa0148afbd9ae5d8883b925a3b91b) The San Francisco Chronicle called it "a likable" return to familiar waters that sticks to the franchise's blend of innocence and absurdity.[11](https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/movies-tv/article/spongebob-search-for-squarepants-review-21223849.php)
## References
1. [The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants (2025), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/SpongeBob-Movie-The-Search-for-Squarepants-%282025%29)
2. [Derek Drymon and the Reel FX team on Search for SquarePants, Cartoon Brew](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/spongebob-search-for-squarepants-derek-drymon-reel-fx-interview-257647.html)
3. [SpongeBob Movie: Search For Squarepants, Paramount Global Content](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/spongebob-movie-the)
4. [The Spongebob Movie: Search for Squarepants, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdmxmtuw)
5. [The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_spongebob_movie_search_for_squarepants)
6. [The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants to splash down on Paramount+ February 17, Paramount Press Express](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/paramount-plus/shows/the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants/releases/?view=112408-the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants-to-splash-down-on-paramount-february-17)
7. [Review: The Spongebob Movie: Search For Squarepants, Animation Scoop](https://www.animationscoop.com/review-the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants/)
8. [The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants/production, Encyclopedia SpongeBobia](https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/The_SpongeBob_Movie%3A_Search_for_SquarePants/production)
9. [Critics are calling The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants 'sublimely silly', CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/critics-calling-the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants-sublimely-silly)
10. [Search for SquarePants production crew on the 3D CG voyage, NickALive!](https://www.nickalive.net/2025/12/the-spongebob-movie-search-for_56.html?m=0)
11. [The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants offers comfort, not reinvention, San Francisco Chronicle](https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/movies-tv/article/spongebob-search-for-squarepants-review-21223849.php)
12. [Screen Dollars newsletter, December 21, 2025](https://api.screendollars.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SCREENDOLLARS-NEWSLETTER-2025-12-21.pdf)
13. [Everything you need to know about The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, MovieWeb/MovieInsider](https://www.movieinsider.com/m20150/the-spongebob-movie-search-for-squarepants)
14. [Movie review: SpongeBob is back in madcap Search for SquarePants, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/2cdfa0148afbd9ae5d8883b925a3b91b)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Television-, game-, and toy-derived film entries › Television series adaptations*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license