Ron Campbell – RIP
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Animator Ron Campbell has passed away.
Ron Campbell
December 26, 1939 – January 22, 2021
From the Ron Campbell Cartoon Pop Art Facebook page:
It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have received news that famed animator/producer/director/storyboard artist Ron Campbell has passed away at age 81. Ron was a dear friend and my business partner for over a decade. His death leaves a huge void. Campbell was one of the final people who literally animated our childhoods. Ron’s career began In 1958 with cartoons such as Popeye, Beetle Bailey, Krazy Kat in his native Australia. His career spanned the entire golden age of Saturday Morning Cartoons, lasting 50 years. He retired in 2008 with the show Ed, Edd, n Eddy.
Ron’s 50 year career saw many highlights, but most famous was his work on The Beatles television show and the Yellow Submarine movie.
As seen in that panoramic composition surrounding his picture below, one doesn’t have to be of a certain age for Ron to have impacted your animated childhood.
Campbell began his animation career in the late fifties, soon working on Beetle Bailey, Krazy Kat, and Cool McCool, directing the spectacularly successful TV cartoon series The Beatles. The show debuted on 25 September 1965, and remained number one in the ratings for the duration of its four-year run…
He then moved to the United States and Hanna-Barbera, going on to write and produce cartoons for Sesame Street and animate on the original George of the Jungle and Tom Slick TV shows. His Hollywood studio, Ron Campbell Films, Inc., produced and directed the animation for the Big Blue Marble…
In the late 60’s Ron Campbell, working with his friend and colleague Duane Crowther (RIP), animated many scenes in the Beatles Yellow Submarine feature film…
In the early 1980s, he storyboarded Hanna-Barbera’s hit series, The Smurfs, including the Emmy-award winning “Smurfolympics” special. Also, during the 70’s and 80’s, Campbell was the line producer and story editor for the hit European children’s show ‘The Smoggies’ and produced, directed, animated, or storyboarded numerous other hit shows of the era, including the Flintstones, Jetsons, Captain Caveman, and Scooby Doo…
The 1990’s took Ron Campbell to Disney TV Animation where he contracted animation direction and storyboarded on Bonkers, Goof Troop, Darkwing Duck, and Winnie the Pooh. His studio produced publicity films for Disney. He also spent much of the decade storyboarding for the Rugrats, Rocket Power, and the bizarre adult cartoon, Duckman…
characters © their respective copyright holders; art © Ron Campbell
A Gallery of Ron Campbell Art.
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