Are you ready, kids? With just over a month left until it sets sail on the big screen, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon have just released a brand-new trailer for the latest theatrical adventure to Bikini Bottom, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants. This new look sends SpongeBob and Patrick, voiced as always by Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke, on a daring journey out to the deepest depths of the sea to prove once and for all that the perpetually optimistic sea sponge can be a “big guy.” He may need a bit of help from his friends, though, as he gets a little in over his head facing down one of the series’ most frightening villains — The Flying Dutchman, now played by Star Wars legend Mark Hamill.

Search for SquarePants sees SpongeBob eager to finally ride the biggest roller coaster in the amusement park now that he’s tall enough. Height alone does not make a big guy, though, as Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown) proves through his own past in swashbuckling. Determined to demonstrate his bravery to his Krusty Krab boss, SpongeBob follows the Flying Dutchman out to sea on a grand adventure with Patrick. However, their journey takes them deep down into the Underworld itself, where the mysterious ghost pirate seeks to exploit the gullible pair. Realizing the danger his #1 employee has gotten himself into, Krabs dusts off his old equipment and prepares to set sail once more with a crew including Squidward (Rodger Bumpass) and SpongeBob’s beloved pet snail, Gary (also Kenny).

Beyond all the swashbuckling, the trailer also offers an early preview of the new original song “Big Guy,” which will be featured in the film. The track comes courtesy of longtime SpongeBob SquarePants fan and pop star Ice Spice, who is also part of the star-studded cast set to join the show’s regular voices.

She and Hamill are joined by George Lopez, Arturo Castro, Sherry Cola, and Regina Hall. Rounding out the lineup returning from the show are Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy and Mr. Lawrence as Plankton.

Who Is Behind ‘Search for SquarePants’?

Upon release, Search for SquarePants will be the first SpongeBob film to be released in theaters since Sponge Out of Water debuted back in 2015. The wait wasn’t expected to be this long, but the COVID-19 pandemic prompted Paramount to send 2020’s Sponge on the Run directly to Paramount+ and Netflix. It also marks the first feature for the yellow sponge with no direct input from his creator, Stephen Hillenburg, who died from ALS back in 2018. Derek Drymon was tasked with taking the reins for this adventure, with Smurfs scribe Pam Brady and Free Guy writer Matt Lieberman penning the script based on a story Brady helped develop with longtime SpongeBob SquarePants writers, producers, and more, Mark Ceccerelli and Kaz. In an interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Drymon said the ultimate goal was to provide plenty of laughter for all ages that captures the energy of the show with some cinematic flair.

“I feel like this is a movie you come to where you really can laugh, and you can enjoy it. You can go with your family, go with your friends. What we stressed was just the fun and the silliness. It’s just a fun, kind of silly, dumb adventure. A lot of jokes. I’m hoping that people laugh all the way through it. There are big cinematic moments in it, which are nice. In the long form, you can do things that are bigger than you can do in a short. Still, we’re taking moments, taking time for SpongeBob and Patrick to do their silly stuff within this big adventure.”

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants premieres in theaters on December 19. Check out the new trailer in the player above.