Spongebob Squarepants: Sponge On the Run: Film Review 

Cast: Spongebob, Patrick, Squidward, Plankton, Mr Krabs, Keanu Reeves, Matt Berry, Danny Trejo, Snoop Dogg
Director: Tim Hill

That the latest Spongebob Squarepants movie is a Covid-casualty and has ended up on streaming site Netflix is a crying shame.

Especially given how colourful, vibrant and joyous the whole experience is.

Tom Kenny returns as the voice of Spongebob Squarepants, resident of Bikini Bottom. This time around, Spongebob has to head out to rescue his pet snail Gary, when he's kidnapped by king Poseidon (Matt Berry) and taken to the lost city of Atlantic City.

Packed with anarchy, zany edges and a colourful sheen that's highly eye-catching and visually satisfying, Spongebob Squarepants: Sponge On the Run won't win any awards for reinventing the animated wheel.

But it does provide a truly entertaining 90 minutes of pure escapism, as Spongebob and his pals push on through a road trip movie - as ever, Spongebob and Patrick prove good bedfellows, and the journey's amiable enough as the CGI-led insanity spools itself out.

Keanu Reeves is the standout here, a Sage offering in the madness that ensues, and proving more than game as the voice of a ball of sage helping Patrick and Spongebob out. Essentially a head within a ball of sticks and twine, Reeves is clearly having a ball.

There's a fun for all the family vibe here, and while the film starts to run out of steam as it enters its final third, for the most part, Spongebob Squarepants: Sponge On the Run is a zany road trip worth checking in for, and for simply enjoying the ride.

Spongebob Squarepants: Sponge On the Run is streaming now on Netflix in some global territories.