The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants

Nickelodeon publicly acknowledged SpongeBob as an LGBTQIA character in June 2020 during Pride Month celebrations. The film's exploration of SpongeBob's journey to prove himself a 'big guy' while retaining his 'silly, playful ways' and 'exuberance' is presented as a narrative that would be familiar to 'queer kids, or anyone who doesn't strictly follow entrenched gender norms.'

Characters engage in fight scenes involving swords, such as Mr. Krabs slicing through monsters. Ghost pirates are shown with visible bones and are depicted losing body parts in battle (e.g., an arrow knocking an eye from its socket), although these parts grow back. Living skeletons swing weapons and, when attacked, simply fall apart.

Patrick Star's bare backside is shown multiple times for comedic effect, and characters are sometimes seen in underwear or with accentuated rears for humor. SpongeBob is depicted walking around in his underwear, and Patrick wears only an eyepatch covering his crotch. Two monsters from the Underworld stop fighting to passionately kiss each other. Mr. Krabs makes a 'butt' joke by retorting, 'Butts are for toilets,' when someone stutters the word 'but.'

The main antagonist is the ghostly Flying Dutchman, who is bound by an 'ancient curse' and seeks to lift it by transferring the spell to an 'innocent soul,' targeting SpongeBob. SpongeBob is drawn into challenges within the Flying Dutchman's 'Underworld' lair, which is described as containing 'dark magic and haunted hurricanes' and is populated by living skeletons.

Some scenes feature monsters and skeletons that may frighten very young children, particularly within the 'Underworld' setting, which is described as having 'scarier imagery than expected.' A rollercoaster sequence at the film's conclusion shows SpongeBob plummeting from a high altitude, potentially causing unease. The live-action transformation of the Flying Dutchman could be disturbing for sensitive younger audiences.