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Art Chowder : Hello Mr . Campbell . Let ’ s start off with where you were born , and where did you grow up ?
Ron : By chance , I was born in Seymour , in the state of Victoria , Australia but I grew up and was educated in Melbourne . My business life was in Sydney .
Art Chowder : Well that explains your lovely accent . Can you tell me how you got started in the industry ? Did you go to art school ?
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Ron : I first became interested in animation when I was 7 years old watching Tom & Jerry cartoons in the movie theater . This was before television came to Australia , so kids would gather at the local theater on Sunday afternoons . |
I saw the cartoons and didn ’ t know what they were . I couldn ’ t figure it out . I knew they weren ’ t real , but wondered , how did they do that ? I asked my great-grandmother what they were . She said , “ Ronnie , they ’ re just drawings |
.” and it was like a bolt from the blue to my little brain . I was a child , so it had never occurred to me that drawings could come alive . It was an incredible epiphany to me . So I carried that thought with me throughout my childhood , into my teenage years , and into art school .
I went to art school specifically to do animation . I had no idea how I could earn a living at it . But when television was introduced to Australia , it became possible to do so by
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making animated commercials . So I was able to open my own animation studio and offer my services to advertising agencies and earn a living .
Art Chowder : That ’ s an amazing bit of timing ! Did you have a favorite illustrator or artist that you admired at that time ?
Ron : Oh yeah , there are lots of people I admired , especially as a student : Walt Disney of course , plus David Stone Martin , Bill Hanna , Joseph Barbera , and Friz Freleng to name a few .
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