Meet Rick Farmiloe | Animator and Storyboard Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rick Farmiloe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rick, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
From a very early age I knew I wanted to pursue a life of creativity, more specifically cartoons and animation. As I was growing up my parents urged me to have a Plan B in case my dream of being a cartoonist could not be achieved. After careful and sincere thought I came to the conclusion that there was NOTHING I wanted to do except become a cartoonist or animator. My parents then instructed me to work very hard because it was not going to be an easy goal to achieve. i was determined to make my dream a reality from that day on.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
To compare myself with other animators is a little hard to do. When I was at Disney, I was never one of the top animators. I tried very hard to keep getting better and better. I think what set me apart from the others was my penchant for doing funny animation. I always gravitated to the sidekick characters, who were in the film basically for one important reason.,to be FUNNY!! I think I had a talent for getting the most humor out of my scenes. I would frequently search for ways to take a humorous situationa and try to get more out of it. I think more often than not I was successful. I was also used to help ‘up the comedic possibilities in the films overall. A few of us would be called into meeitngs with Jeffrey Katzenberg to do a ‘comedy pass’ on the entire film, adding gags when possible, or just pushing the comedy potential. This happened also when I went to Dreamworks. I guess looking back over my entire career, particularly at Disney,, I had a repuation for being a ‘funny animator’. It’s a label I wear proudly.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, since I am a huge fan of Hollywood and Hollywood history, I could show them some famous landmarks having to do with movie history. People from out of town seem to really enjoy that. I would also take them to the beach at least once. I think seeing a film in a great, historic theater would be fun. There is now the Academy museum which is great. There are also famous gardens and museums all over. A cool, famous resaurant would be another choice. I’d probaby avoid amusement parks only because they are just really crowded and can be kind of impersonal. But if they insist on Disneyland, we could do that too. But just show them things that are very “LA” would be my choice.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Whenever you get started in animation there are always those who help steer you in the right direction, as well as offer advice. I was very lucky to have a few people support and encourage me. First, my parents gave me encouragement with a dose of reality. The first person I ever met in animation was Bill Melendez who created all the Peanuts TV specials. He spent a couple of hours with my parents and I talking about the animation business and suggesting good art schools I could attend. Charles Schulz was also an early hero and mentor. We actually became friends in the late 1980s and would speak frequently on the phone through the years. But if I have to give credit to one person it would be animation legend, Bob Clampett. I met Bob just before I was to move to LA from Santa Rosa and try to start my career. He really took a liking to me and was impressed with my portfolio and student film I made. He let me know of some job opportunities about to open up at TV animation studio called Filmation. I got hired there in 1979 and my career began. We remained good friends until his untimely passing in 1984. I have remained close to his kids, who have always treated me like family. I have always tried to repay that debt by making myself available to other aspiring animation artists who have questions or advice.

Website: rickfarmiloe.com

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Rick Farmiloe