AN ABSORBING CINEMA DEBUT.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

IT TAKES a peculiar kind of genius to make the old seem fresh, and ``The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie'' is nothing if not peculiar and, in parts, pure genius. In anyone else's hands, the film's countless butt jokes and riffing on a piece of pop culture that has already been spoofed to death (``Baywatch'') would be about as much fun as drinking a glass of ocean water. Here, it's the cat's - or more precisely - the snail's meow.

Seen in its natural habitat on Nickelodeon, a ``SpongeBob'' story runs 11 minutes, featuring a distinctive blend of infantile humor, absurdist non sequiturs and eye-popping animation. For ``The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie,'' creator Stephen Hillenburg and his long-standing cohorts have expanded the format to a 75-minute running time, losing precious little of the sharp nonsense that has made the show appealing for so many different age groups.

What's most refreshing is that Hillenburg's film actually has a sweet little message - the importance of believing in yourself - that is imparted in a way that doesn't feel like the filmmakers are hitting you over the head with a 2-by-4. (See ``The Polar Express.'' Compare and contrast.)

``SpongeBob'' has always been about celebrating the beauty of its title character's naive innocence, a state of grace that stays with humans (typically) for only a handful of years after birth. (In the Britney Spears Era, that window of time is narrowing.)

It's appropriate, then, that the movie puts SpongeBob (voiced, as always, with Flipper-like brio by Tom Kenny) and his doofus best buddy, Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke, a master of comic timing) on the road (literally) to discovering that you don't need to be a man to succeed. Just be who you are, even if that's an overweight starfish and a square, yellow sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea.

Their mission - which involves mustache empowerment (see Red Sox World Series victory), special guest stars (Jeffrey Tambor voices a balding King Neptune, Scarlett Johansson is Neptune's sensible daughter, and Alec Baldwin lends his rasp to a hit man) and an ice cream sundae bender - is precipitated by another one of Plankton's (Doug Lawrence, quite simply the greatest cartoon villain voice ever) evil schemes for world domination and Krabby Patty thievery.

There are at least three classic sequences, two of which shouldn't be discussed so as not to ruin the gags; the other is a musical showstopper titled ``Now That We're Men,'' which features protracted knee-slapping interludes of a kind not seen since the days when the ``ham bone'' ruled the earth. As the TV show's narrator once said: ``Every day is a holiday for SpongeBob - even if he has to make one up.'' Fans should consider this movie Christmas, Easter and Bubble Blowing Day all rolled into one.

Glenn Whipp, [phone]

glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com

THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE - Three stars

(PG: mild crude humor)

Starring: Voices of Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Jeffrey Tambor, Scarlett Johansson, Alec Baldwin.

Director: Stephen Hillenburg.

Running time: 1 hr. 15 min.

Playing: Wide release.

In a nutshell: The snail's meow.

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Photo:

Mindy the Mermaid (voice of Scarlett Johansson) meets SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) and Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke) in ``The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.''