French voices of SpongeBob SquarePants: who voices the characters?

There's an experience all French-speaking fans have had one day: stumbling upon an excerpt in the original version, hearing Tom Kenny's real voice, and thinking that it's not SpongeBob. This reaction is not irrational. For a French viewer who grew up watching the series, the character is the voice of Sébastien Desjours — everything else is just drawing.

This is what makes dubbing such a long series so interesting to look at closely. SpongeBob SquarePants started in 1999 in the United States. More than twenty-five years of production, hundreds of episodes, three different studios in France, deceased and replaced voice actors: the French version has its own history, with its breaks and continuities.

This article summarizes the voice actors, what we know for sure, and what the dubbing sheets leave unclear. If you want to review who's who in the series first, our portrait of SpongeBob and our article on the iconic supporting characters provide context.

Sébastien Desjours, the voice of SpongeBob

This is the most remarkable continuity of the French dub: the main role has never changed hands.

A single voice throughout the series

Sébastien Desjours has lent his voice to SpongeBob SquarePants since the first seasons broadcast in France. For a series that has gone through three successive dubbing studios, keeping the same actor for the title role is a deliberate choice: he is the only sound element that the audience immediately recognizes, and losing him would have broken the identification with the character.

A vocally demanding role

SpongeBob talks fast, laughs a lot, often screams, and switches registers in a second. The nasal and high-pitched timbre must hold for entire sequences without the voice cracking. It is one of the most physically demanding animation roles in the industry, and the reason why a cartoon recording is done in short sessions rather than continuously.

What it changes for the viewer

This stability explains why the French dub of SpongeBob "sounds" the same from season 1 to season 14. You can watch the episodes out of order without feeling any disruption — which is not insignificant when following the viewing order or binge-watching for a marathon evening.

Patrick: from Érik Colin to Boris Rehlinger

This is the most significant change in the French dub, and it was not voluntary.

Érik Colin, the original voice

Érik Colin gave Patrick Star his drawling timbre and characteristic slowness for over a decade. He was a very active voice actor, whose voice accompanied a whole generation of French viewers far beyond Bikini Bottom. He passed away in 2013.

Boris Rehlinger, the succession

Boris Rehlinger took over the role after 2013. Taking on such an identified character is a particular exercise: it's not about imitating the predecessor identically, which sounds false, nor about starting from scratch, which disorients the audience. The work involves recapturing the intentions rather than the exact timbre.

Listen for yourself

If you want to compare, take an episode from before 2013 and a recent episode, and listen to the same types of lines: the "huhs?", the laughs, the drawn-out sentences. The difference is audible, but the character's logic remains identical. To re-familiarize yourself with Patrick himself, our Patrick Star page traces his journey in the series, and our Patrick Star memes show what the character has become on the internet.

Squidward: two voice actors, two eras

The grumpy neighbor also experienced a transition, more discreet but very real.

Henri Courseaux in the early seasons

He established Squidward Tentacles' pinched and slightly snobby tone in the French dub, with that way of drawing out the ends of sentences when the character sighs.

Michel Mella from season 6 onwards

Michel Mella took over the role from the sixth season. The change was made without announcement, as often happens in dubbing, and many viewers never consciously noticed it — a sign that the transition was successful.

The character behind the voice

Squidward is the most sarcastic role in the series, and therefore the one where intonation is everything: the same sentence can be neutral or cutting depending on how it's delivered. Our Squidward Tentacles page revisits this character, and our selection of Squidward merchandise gathers what exists in his likeness.

The original American cast

For comparison, here's who does what in the original version. This cast has been remarkably stable since 1999.

Tom Kenny, two roles for the price of one

Tom Kenny has been the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants since the first episode. He also provides the meows of Gary the Snail, which is one of the most amusing details of the casting: the main character and his pet come from the same larynx.

The other main roles

Bill Fagerbakke voices Patrick Star, Rodger Bumpass plays Squidward Tentacles, Clancy Brown lends his voice to Eugene Krabs, and Mr. Lawrence to Sheldon Plankton. On the female side, Carolyn Lawrence is Sandy Cheeks, Jill Talley is Karen, Mary Jo Catlett is Mrs. Puff, and Lori Alan voices Pearl Krabs.

Rare longevity

Few animated series retain their main cast for over twenty-five years. This is one of the factors explaining the series' sonic consistency, and one of the reasons why recent episodes naturally follow older ones. Season 17 continues this trend.

Three studios for one series

The French dubbing changed hands twice, for economic rather than artistic reasons.

SOFI, the initial studio

SOFI was responsible for the French dubbing of the first seasons. It was there that the foundational choices were made: the timbre of each character, the Frenchified names, the rhythm of the translation.

Dôme Productions after 2009

When SOFI encountered financial difficulties, Dôme Productions took over. This kind of transition is a delicate moment: it requires retrieving character sheets, glossaries, translation conventions, and if possible, the same voice actors.

Lylo Post Production from season 9 onwards

The third and final change. For a series of this length, having gone through three studios without losing the voice of the main role is rather exceptional — this is what gives the French dub its perceived continuity.

Translating Bikini Bottom: Frenchified names

The French adaptation didn't just translate dialogue: it renamed half the universe.

The characters

SpongeBob SquarePants becomes Bob l'Éponge, Squidward Tentacles becomes Carlo Tentacule, Sandy Cheeks becomes Sandy Écureuil, Pearl becomes Perle. The choice of "Carlo" is the most daring: the English name plays on "squid," an untranslatable pun as is. Rather than forcing a literal translation, the adaptation preferred a French-sounding first name.

The locations

The Krusty Krab becomes the Crabe Croustillant, and the Chum Bucket becomes the Seau d'Appât. Bikini Bottom, however, was kept as is — the sound already worked in French. Our guide to the places in Bikini Bottom reviews all the geography.

What hasn't changed

Mermaid Man keeps his English name, while the Flying Dutchman becomes the Hollandais Volant, a name that already existed in French culture. These case-by-case arbitrations are the hallmark of a careful rather than systematic adaptation. The topic of international names is covered more broadly in why SpongeBob is called SpongeBob.

Character	Original Name	Original Voice	French Voice
SpongeBob SquarePants	SpongeBob SquarePants	Tom Kenny	Sébastien Desjours
Patrick Star	Patrick Star	Bill Fagerbakke	Érik Colin, then Boris Rehlinger
Squidward Tentacles	Squidward Tentacles	Rodger Bumpass	Henri Courseaux, then Michel Mella
Eugene Krabs	Mr. Krabs	Clancy Brown	Not reliably documented
Sheldon Plankton	Sheldon Plankton	Mr. Lawrence	Not reliably documented
Gary	Gary the Snail	Tom Kenny	Meows retained from VO

How a French dub is made

Dubbing is not simply reading a translation aloud. It is a work of constraint, with three distinct stages.

Detection

A technician identifies mouth movements, breaths, and the start of lines, frame by frame. From this, they create a rhythm strip: a ribbon that scrolls below the image, synchronized with the film, on which the French text will be inscribed.

Adaptation

The adapter writes French text that must fit the exact duration of the original line, respect visible labials — sounds like b, p, and m close the mouth on screen — and remain funny. In a series built on wordplay, this is the most difficult part: translating a joke based on an English homophone often requires inventing another, equivalent in effect but different in content.

Recording

The actor reads the rhythm strip while watching the image and performs the scene. Animation offers more freedom here than live-action: drawn mouths are stylized, so lip-syncing tolerates more deviation. This allows room for acting energy, which counts more than millimeter-perfect precision. Our article how an episode is made details the complete production chain.

Where to listen to the French version today

The series has been broadcast on many French channels, which explains why everyone has seen it without necessarily remembering where.

Historical channels

The first French broadcast took place on Télétoon+. The series was then picked up by TF1, Canal J, Nickelodeon France, France 3, and Gulli. This multi-broadcast over twenty years is one of the reasons for the character's exceptional penetration in France.

Streaming

Platforms regularly change their catalogs. Our guide where to watch SpongeBob provides an overview of current offers and specifies which ones offer the French audio track.

In video games

Several video game adaptations have been dubbed with the official French voices, which remains rare for games based on youth franchises. Our feature on SpongeBob video games reviews them.

Delivery and lead times

Our plush toys and figurines are shipped within 24 to 48 business hours. Delivery costs €5.90 in France and the European Union, and is free for purchases over €60 — two character plush toys already meet this threshold. Outside the European Union, the cost is €7. Delivery time is 7 to 14 business days. To offer the complete cast, our sets and bundles group several characters, and our gift ideas cover all budgets.

The French version of SpongeBob is a more fragile object than it appears: three studios, several replaced actors, twenty-five years of production, and yet a sound continuity that most viewers have never noticed. This is a sign of a job well done — a successful dubbing is one you forget. Next time you hear SpongeBob laugh, remember that behind that laugh is an actor recreating it, take after take, for over two decades.