Ron Campbell was born on December 26 1939 in Seymour, Victoria, Australia. He had wanted to become animator ever since he was six years old and learned that the "Tom and Jerry" cartoons he watched in the theatre were essentially drawings. He attended the Swinburne Art Institute in Melbourne.
Ron Campbell began his career in animation in the late Fifties, making animated commercials for Australian television. When Al Brodax of King Features looked to Australia to produce animated television shorts of "Krazy Kat" and "Beetle Bailey," Ron Campbell went to work for King Features. He served as an animator on both the "Krazy Kat" cartoons and the animated TV series The Beatles. Working for King Features, he directed segments the animated series The Beatles and Cool McCool. He also served as animator on the feature film Yellow Submarine. In the late Sixties he served as an animator on the animated TV series Moby Dick and the Mighty Mightor, The Adventures of Gulliver, the 1969 revival of Winky Dink and You, Harlem Globe Trotters.
In 1971 he founded his own animation studio Ron Campbell Films Inc. In the Seventies he served as animation director on The Big Blue Marble and Sesame Street. He was animator on Sealab 2020; The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan; Inch High, Private Eye; and Goober and the Ghost Chasers. He served as a story director or storyboard artist on The New Scooby-Doo Movies, Scooby's All Star Laff-A-Lympics, The All-New Popeye Hour, Galaxy Goof-Ups, Yogi's Space Race, The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show, Heathcliff, and ABC Weekend Specials.
In the Eighties Mr. Campbell served as animator on the TV specials My Smurfy Valentine and Which Witch is Which. He served as a story director or storyboard artist on the television series Space Stars, ABC Weekend Specials, Shirt Tales, The Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Puppy Hour, The Dukes, Pac-Man, Snorks, The Jetsons, Paw Paws, Yogi's Treasure Hunt, Ghostbusters, Bionic Six, Smurfs, Garbage Pail Kids, Police Academy: The Series, Camp Candy, Tiny Toon Adventures, DuckTales, and Bobby's World. He served as a story director or storyboard artist on the television specials My Smurfy Valentine, The Smurfs Springtime Special, The Smurfs Christmas Special, and The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones.
In the Nineties Ron Campbell did work for Disney and Nickelodeon. He served as an animator or animation timer on the TV shows Goof Troop, Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man, Rugrats,. and Rocket Power. He served as a storyboard artist or story director on Bobby's World, The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, James Bond Jr., Goof Troop, Darkwing Duck, Bonkers, Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man, Jumaji; Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Men in Black: The Series' Dragon Tales; Rugrats, and Rocket Power. He was an animator supervisor on the feature film Die Abenteuer von Pico und Columbus (1992).
In the Naughts Ron Campbell served as an animation timer on Rocket Power and an exposure sheet director on Ed, Edd n Eddy. He was a storyboard artist on the series Stuart Little.
Ron Campbell may not have been a household name, but over the years he worked on several classic animated projects. His work was literally seen by generations, from The Beatles and Cool McCool to Smurfs and DuckTales to Darkwing Duck and Rugrats. He certainly had talent as an animator. With Duane Crowther, Ron Campbell was charged with animating the connecting sequences on Yellow Submarine, ultimately animating 12 minutes of the film. Producer Al Brodax credited Ron Campbell and Duane Crowther with tying the film all together. From his work with King Features to Hanna-Barbera to Disney, many animated projects would not be the same without Ron Campbell.
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