THE success of this US import's first cinema outing has caused those who prematurely declared the death of traditional animation to think again.

Taking more than $130million in the States in the first few weeks of its release, Spongebob has proved - albeit with a little injection of live action at its conclusion - that there's at least some life in the old dog yet.

A key figure in the Nickelodeon listings, and perhaps one unknown to most people in the UK, the cartoon Spongebob Squarepants tells the story of, well, a square man made of sponge, who resides in a place called Bikini Bottom, right down on the sea bed.

As this elongated, 78-minute tale of his exploits begins, he's getting passed over for promotion at the diner where he works, causing him to go on an ice-cream bender with his best friend, the rather dim starfish Patrick.

But then King Neptune's crown is stolen, and when Spongebob's boss Mr Krab gets the blame, it's all down to him and Patrick, who must save the day by venturing to Shell City to retrieve the booty - all the while encouraged by Neptune's daughter, Princess Mindy (voiced by Scarlett Johansson).

So we watch and laugh as the duo get into danger by encountering all sorts of marine miscreants, in a variety of genuinely amusing set-pieces, which all bear the standard bizarre Spongebob traits.

The message here comes courtesy of the fact that Spongebob and Patrick are constantly frustrated by everyone telling them that they're only kids, and that they should somehow limit their ambitions.

The film wants to emphasise that your age should never restrict your dreams or what you want to achieve, and that we should all celebrate the child within.

Someone certainly doing that is David Hasselhoff, whose cameo appearance late on, in which our heroes get to "ride the Hoff", is ludicrously hilarious.

Parents who will be dragged along to see this too can relax. It's more than entertaining enough for fans of pants jokes - and surely that's children of all ages.