As the cheerful character prepares to delight young and old once again on the big screen with Un pour tous, tous pirates, out in French cinemas on 24 December, we had the pleasure of talking to Dean Tsitsopoulos, background animator on this new feature film.
Dean, who graduated from ESMA in 2023, worked at the ReelFX studio in Montreal for nearly eight months, between June 2024 and January 2025. Since then, he too (like Bob) has been sailing towards new horizons. Dean agreed to talk to us about this experience, but also about his career since graduating and his plans for the future.
Under the ocean, it’s teeming with life
To immerse (no pun intended) the audience in this new adventure, it was essential for the film’s team to create a rich, lively universe with many winks. Dean Tsitsopoulos, background animator for this heartfelt project, which also marked his first professional experience after completing his studies, worked within this framework.
“For Sponge Bob“, Dean explains, “my main task was to animate the background characters to keep the world alive. I animated monsters, bats, skeletons, crowds of fish, etc., with different variations and cycles.”
This mission was essential to give the film a real identity, and also enabled Dean to work on a number of shots featuring the main characters, or ‘hero shots’ as they are known in the jargon. A dream come true for this fan of the universe created by Stephen Hillenburg, and now brought to the screen by director Derek Drymon, himself a Sponge Bob veteran.
Plunge into a rigorous but fascinating professional world
For Dean, it was a very rewarding experience, both from an artistic and a human point of view. “I had to meet deadlines to deliver the animations by a specific date. There were no major constraints, but animating monsters and animals rather than characters was a real challenge for me.”
It was a challenge that the presenter was able to meet quickly, thanks to the adaptability he had already developed during his training, highlighting both technical expertise and flexibility.
One scene I worked on, which can be seen in the trailer, shows bats fleeing from Skull Island. The animation was very nice, and I had the opportunity to suggest increasing their number, which was well received.
It was gratifying to be part of that decision,” recalls Dean, who had the pleasure of talking to director Derek Drymon and writer Mark O’Hare.
In fact, it was this meeting that made the biggest impression on him during the experience. “I’m a big fan of SpongeBob and it was a dream come true.
Spending time with them was incredible! I was able to give them the iconic SpongeBob BFF rings, which symbolise the friendship between SpongeBob and Patrick. They’re super iconic, just like them!
Mark O’Hare and Derek Drymon were there from the very beginning of the series and came back for this film. They loved the rings, it brought back so many memories. A really great moment to share with them, which will remain my fondest memory of this project.”
“In this business, you always have to communicate”.
A daily user of Autodesk Maya on this project, Dean worked in constant interaction with the other animators on the team, as well as with his supervisors, leads, and on a regular basis with the directors and production coordinators.
“In this job, you always have to communicate when a problem arises. You’re constantly talking to your lead and your supervisor,” he points out. This is a crucial aspect in the titanic project of producing a feature-length animated film, where rigour must be the watchword if we are to deliver high-quality collaborative work.
“For example, when I opened a scene and noticed that something was missing, I informed my lead directly. He was able to create a ticket around this remark, and the problem was quickly solved.
Beyond this communication aspect, I can say without a doubt that all the animation skills I developed during my training, such as character movement, timing and working in a pipeline, were directly useful to me on this project. And thanks to the advice of the other animators and leads, I improved my skills in animating different types of creatures, but also learned how to create more dynamic, lively and cartoony characters, which gave me more confidence in my work.”
Today, Dean confirms that this project has enabled him to become much faster and more efficient in the delivery of his animations. An asset that he has put to good use in his second professional experience.
A first experience with a major impact
The experience gained on Sponge Bob was decisive for Dean Tsitsopoulos.
“This was my very first project, which gave mea lot of experience, especially within such a professional production and on such an important title. I learned how to work effectively in a complex pipeline, collaborate with different teams and meet strict deadlines.”
After his contract at ReelFX, Dean landed a job as a 3D animator at Mikros Animation studios in Montreal, working on another equally prestigious franchise: Paw Patrol. You can look forward to seeing his work in Paw Patrol: the Dino Movie, due in French cinemas in 2026.
What next?
Now open to new opportunities, Dean looks to the future with serenity, while remaining curious in search of ever more creative possibilities.
“There are so many styles of animation I’d like to explore. I really loved working on Sponge Bob, and going into an even more cartoony style interests me, but I’m also interested in something more stylised. I grew up watching a lot of animated films and cartoons. Today, the ones that inspire me most are Toy Story, Ratatouille, Hotel Transylvania, Spider-Verse, SpongeBob and so on. I love the creativity of these worlds, their unique visual styles and the life they give to the characters.”
His advice for students in training or about to enter the job market?
Passion must remain the number one driving force.
“When you really love your job, the long hours and hard work don’t feel like an imposition. Study rigorously, invest yourself fully and learn all you can about your craft. Above all, enjoy the process and have fun every step of the way.”
It’s advice from one passionate person to another, and an infectious energy, just like that of Sponge Bob, which is still as sparkling as ever after more than two decades of existence.