STORYLINE: SpongeBob journeys to the ocean’s depths to face the Flying Dutchman’s ghost, encountering challenges and uncovering marine mysteries. (IMDb)

     There are two kinds of films being made for children. The first, and far less preferable, are films that present lesser material, because these movies are made for a younger viewing audience.  As a child I found them condescending.  My mindset hasn’t changed on these hasn’t budged as I have grown.  Beverly Hills chihuahua (2008) and The Star (2017) hit this mark.  The second type of films being made for children,  treat them as growing humans, with developing minds. Why should young film goers have lesser films, to watch, because of their age?  It’s not a question of content but how that content is presented. 2024’s The Wild Robot was an excellent film for children.  It was age appropriate material, that was presented in a stimulating way.  The is 2025 holiday season, and the big release for children is The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.

   The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is the kind of children’s movie that falls into the first category of children’s movies. Yes, it’s a fun adventure film for young ones.  It does have a positive message of believing in yourself, which is a great thing.  This combination though can be, should be, and has been done better to challenge the minds of those young viewers. Migration (2023) accomplished just that.

   The start of SpongeBob phenomenon was a few years behind my Nickelodeon days.  I was a child of Rugrats, Rocko’s Modern Life, and Ren & Stimpy.  My cartoons featured different themes, and looking back a lot of background material, not appropriate for children. That’s another issue, for another day.  Still the point I am stabds that there should not be a double standard in cinena, between the quality of films, because of the age gap, in viewership.

    I found the quality of content lacking in The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.

   Until next time I will see you at the movies!