Ron Campbell is the force behind the pen that brought The Beatles to the cartoon world with the release of 1968's Yellow Submarine. The 78-year-old animator also directed a cartoon series featuring the Fab 4, but he's also responsible for other animated classics like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Winnie the Pooh, Flinstones, Smurfs, Jetsons and Rugrats.
In short, he's the reason my childhood didn't suck.
Campbell is in St. Petersburg from May 11-13 as he presents a one-man art show at Libertine Contemporary Fine Art Gallery. We caught up with Campbell to talk about his (great) grandchildren, which Beatle he loved animating and more. Look below to read our short Q&A, browse a gallery of Campbell's work and get more information on the show.
Ron, I feel like cartoons and animation are art forms that were made to adapt to the way that folks consume media. Do you have grand kids? Have they been able to see some of your stuff? What do they think about the Beatles stuff specifically?
Grand kids!? I have seven great grandkids! My grandkids have seen it but my great grandkids a still have yet to. My grandkids are all adults now, and to them they all grew up watching me work on the cartoons and enjoyed the experience. Mostly they enjoyed sitting in my chair and spinning around like they were on a Disney ride. They were not particularly Beatles fans, however.
You had to watch a lot of Beatles footage to pick up on John, Paul, George and Ringo’s little mannerisms. Was there one particular Beatle who was more compelling to animate than another? Why so?
Ringo was most interesting because he was the comedy relief. John was the leader, Paul was a ladies man and George following up the rear as the mystic intellectual.
Back to the original question. You’ve animated some of the most important cartoons of my life (Ninja Turtles, Rugrats) — consciously or subconsciously, do any of the parts of characters ever cross-over between shows? Like was there a little bit of Michelangelo in Tommy from Rugrats? Some of the Beatles worked into The Smurfs?
No, we were just trying to entertain kids. Each had their own model sheets in which the characters adhered to. Although it was interesting that at the same time I was animating on Yellow Submarine, I was also helping to develop a new show called Scooby-Doo and at night I was working on George of the Jungle. I was very busy in my youth!
Do you have a favorite piece in the gallery visiting St. Petersburg? Why does it stand out for you?
I think my favorite piece is "Childhood Memories." It's a collage of cartoon characters that span over my 50 years of animation. Kids love to sit and stare at the artwork and three generations can relate to it.
What’s your favorite color?
Red. It's aggressive.
Last, you’ve had an amazing career — what’s left to do for you? Like what’s on your bucket list professionally and/personally?
I really like what I'm doing now. It keeps me active, I get to meet interesting people and see the United States…..plus eat at nice restaurants. It's a great way to spend my retirement and I'm fine continuing this as long as I can.
