Mixed Media Animator Ron Campbell

When the British animated feature premiered in 1968, the world was introduced to the denizens of Pepperland, a musical paradise beneath the sea presided over by Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Thanks to skilled animators like Ron Campbell, who worked on the film and was the director of the 1960s-era Saturday morning Beatles cartoon series, the animated versions of John, Paul, George, and Ringo — as well as their eponymous submarine — took their rightful places as paragons of pop culture.

But the Beatles’ animated alter egos aren’t the only cartoon characters that Campbell, who makes a rare Santa Fe appearance at Justin’s Frame Designs for three consecutive days, is known for. In his 50 years as an animator, he helped bring life to Scooby Doo, The Jetsons, The Flintstones, The Smurfs, and many other iconic series beloved by children and adults alike.

Campbell launched his career as an animator in his native Australia working on and in the 1950s. After helming the Beatles cartoon series, which ran from 1965 to 1967, he moved to the United States and worked for Hanna-Barbera, an animation studio that became a prominent force in American television. In 1968, he and his colleague Duane Crowther collaborated on Sea of Time sequence, worked on scenes involving the Chief Blue Meanie and his hapless sidekick Max, and animated scenes with Dr. Jeremy Hillary Boob, aka the Nowhere Man.

Campbell talks about his background in animation and exhibits original paintings of Beatles cartoons, as well as artwork from throughout his career from 4 p.m to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 1; from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 2; and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 3. The event is located at 1221 Flagman Way. Anyone who buys a print also gets an original hand-painted artwork done in the margins. For more information, call Justin’s Frame Designs at 505-955-1911. — Michael Abatemarco