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Hi, Odyssey World. I'm Jesse. And I'm Bob. Welcome to the official Adventures in Odyssey podcast.

Bob, I don't know if you've been made aware, but we have an animated film in the works.

Yeah, I think I heard a few things about that. Something about the biggest thing Adventures in Odyssey has ever done?

Yeah, well, one of the biggest names in that biggest thing is joining us today on the podcast. That's John Pomeroy.

John has been part of some of the most beloved animated films of the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. He first worked at Disney, learning directly from members of the legendary Nine Old Men.

His list of credits includes Disney and non-Disney alike. He worked on The Rescuers, Pete's Dragon, The Secret of NIMH, An American Tale, The Land Before Time, Pocahontas, Atlantis, The Lost Empire, Treasure Planet, and many more.

And now he's bringing that experience to Odyssey, with the animated feature Journey into the Impossible coming to theaters this fall.

John has been heavily involved in shaping the visual style of this movie, and he's guided the latest tweaks to the look of our audio characters as well.

So let's get to it. Time for our conversation with John. John, welcome to the podcast today. Oh, great to be here. You know, we actually spoke once before, 25 years ago, you were in Denver to promote Atlantis, the Lost Empire at a press event that I attended during my days with Plugged In. Do you remember that event?

I do. I mean, we were on the publicity junket for about a month and a half there. And I remember Denver was one of the cities. Yeah.

Yeah, you demonstrated how to draw Milo Thatch. And I remember that. It was a lot of fun. And you know, a lot of our young listeners to the podcast, they love to draw too. What types of things did you like to draw as a kid? And how did those early interests influence your animation style later in life?

my uh my dad was an amateur artist and cartoonist so that was making a very early impression on me but my first art form believe it or not was sculpting i loved to play with clay when i was about three years old i started modeling with clay i would recreate movies that i would watch out of clay uh i remember seeing uh an old disney movie called babes in toyland i was recreating the march of the tin soldiers these little wooden soldiers i made out of clay i would actually recreate football games that my brother was playing in in high school and i would recreate that whole gridiron and all the players playing football um one of the movies that i fell in love with when i was uh turning about nine years old was john wayne and the alamo and i literally created the entire Isle of Moor Fortress, Mexican Army, Tennessee and Texan defenders inside. That became the very beginnings of what I would regard as the storytelling medium for animation. And then after that, I got into cartooning, actually trying to copy my dad, doing his cartoons and painting, and then eventually getting interested in animation.

Wow. Wow. All along, you were headed in the direction career-wise, it sounds like. So you were drawing with something, painting, you were doing animation.

Yeah. I mean, I earned my tuition going through art school by actually drawing and painting portraits. I love painting portraits and still lifes and landscapes and all of the above. Love doing character design. I was all over the map. I mean, I didn't hinder myself by saying I will only just do this. I was into comics. I was into portraits. I was into fine art, comic art, pop art, you name it.

Now, you said your dad was an artist, so obviously you grew up realizing that this is something that could be a vocation more than just a hobby. At what point did you realize it was the right career for you?

I think it was around 12, 13 years old. I was making a puppet that one summer. I think this is like 1965, 66, and I wanted to make a perfect replica of the Pinocchio puppet from Disney's Pinocchio. So there was not a lot, there was no internet, obviously, there was no research available to me. So my brother took me to the LA Public Library to the research department, and I found a book on Pinocchio. And then I found another larger book called The Art of Walt Disney that was written and published around 1942, the golden era of Disney animated features. And I started reading that book. I read it once, twice, thrice, and I got hooked. I got bit by the bug, forgot about the Pinocchio puppet, and just started devouring anything I can find out about any of the great animated films. I started writing Disney Studio letters then. I got their address, and I was writing to them every—I was animated. nerd. I was just a pest. I can understand fans of animation that come up to our convention table with tons of buttons on their shirts and whatever, and they're kind of geeky. And I understand that because I'm one of them. But I mean, it bit me hard. And I wanted to become, in the worst way, a background artist in animation. I wanted to paint backgrounds like in Bambi and Snow White and Pinocchio and all the classic films. So that's what I was working towards. I was fine honing. I was learning how to ink cells. I was learning how to paint backgrounds. I was learning how to draw the characters. I was doing everything to amp up my discipline and my ability to get hired by

Disney Studios. And you did. I mean, nothing like starting your animation career at the top with Disney. And you mentioned backgrounds. I mean, of course, those early backgrounds are just gorgeous. But why was that your goal to do backgrounds rather than maybe some of the

characters and character development? I think it's because it was an extension of what I was already involved with, with painting. I liked painting. I liked watercolor painting. I loved painting and oils. And it just seemed like a natural segue. And there was something about the environments that really spoke to me. You look at the, this book showed a lot of pictures of beautiful pencil layouts from the movie Pinocchio, DePetto's Workshop, and all of the details. And that just, it just spoke to me. And everything I could do was pointed in that direction in order to get hired. I actually took my first portfolio to Disney when I was around 15 years old. Walt was still alive. This was in September, I remember, September 1966. We went up to the guard at the gate and I said, I've got my portfolio. I would love to submit for employment. He said, well, we're not hiring right now. We're fully staffed. But I showed him my work. He said, this looks great, but I mean, they're just not hiring right now. I wasn't dissuaded one bit. But I was there at the animation mecca in the world, and it was real to me. I think just that one moment just really kicked me up several decimals in my excitement to get involved in this industry.

Yeah, John, I had the opportunity to be on the Burbank lot where they do the animation and the building with the seven dwarves carved into the gargoyles in the building. What an amazing, you know, there are certain places when you go and you're there, you just feel an awe of the history that must have taken place in those buildings and the different types of art. So when you shifted from backgrounds to painting characters, was there one that was perhaps more challenging than the others or more dear to you?

I got to say Milo Thatch. because milo thatch represents all of the great elements that can come together the vocal performance of michael j fox the design of the character and then my own existence and how i contribute to that personality all three of these elements came together and married themselves and created this entity this person persona named milo thatch and it's i've told everybody that I've interviewed, this is probably the one instance where the animated subject that I created and animated is probably the closest thing to a self-portrait, a biography of myself, than anything

else. In addition to Walt Disney, you've collaborated with other Hollywood legends, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. How has their approach to storytelling shaped a scene that

you've animated? Well, in order to explain how that went, let me back up just a few years and tell you about my collaboration with my two other partners you know uh don bluth and gary goldman and myself oh yeah we formed this troika uh back in the mid early 70s actually and in 1979 we decided to leave disney studio to start our own brand our own independent studio we left there and one of our first feature films that we that we created uh was the secret of nim and uh it was interesting because secret of nim didn't do all of that well for a couple of reasons that we did we had um not the greatest distribution at that time and um we were also up that year was in 82 or 83 uh we were up against et and in that year nobody else saw the movie saw any other movie except et multiple times yes yeah multiple times that was that was the big hit that that year the ironic part was we got a phone call from a fan of our movie and it turned out to be steven spielberg he raved about it he thought this is like old classic disney like pinocchio and bambi i thought this art form was just washed out but you guys have revived it let's get together i want

to I want to do something with you guys which happened in I think early 1984 he came to us and says I've got it I've got it it's about a little immigrant mouse and his family that come to the United States just as they're completing the Statue of Liberty and so it's like it had a great a great story to it uh it was family oriented and it centered on this one little little mouse uh six-year-old uh five old mauskiewicz yeah and we began to work on an american tale and it was a great experience and um you know working with steven it's funny the next feature after that once we did american tale was a success and it inspired uh steven to want to do another collaborative project and this time inviting his partner george lucas into the mix and it turned out to be uh land before time yeah and of course you've worked with some great

voice talent too including a couple of the movies that you've mentioned already today um have included adventures and odyssey voices you just mentioned land before time which included will ryan and uh oh yeah and atlantis uh phil morris was stuck uh in that yeah so uh so it's great

small world small world will ryan is he passed away a few years ago miss him dearly i mean he was wonderful to work with he would come up to my desk and watch me draw you know his character and he would just soundboard ideas off of each other he did so he did digit in uh american tale yeah and then he did petrie in land before time great character voices he was so multi-talented and then phil morris he did such an amazing job on doc suite oh excellent that's great you've

probably been offered a lot of projects how do you know which ones to accept and what was unique about the adventures in odyssey project that inspired you to work with us i think my son

was uh he's in the army right now he is uh getting he's coming into the end of his training as a uh special ops medic and i told him hey i i've just been approached by focus in the family they want me to advise them on some project concerning adventures and odyssey. And his reaction was, wow, dad, don't you remember I used to listen to their radio shows and I saw their animated, don't you remember that I used to watch that? And so he was a real cheerleader at the beginning of

the process. That's great. You know, a lot of our young listeners may not realize this, but there was a time when animation almost inherently meant that it was something for families. And, you know, in the last few decades, that's really changed. Yeah. Unfortunately, it

has. But I think the pendulum swings both ways. And I think, you know, the way the direction of the pendulum is swinging right now, I believe it's heading in the direction of being family-friendly in lifting up the Lord to an unsaved world and into advancing the kingdom. I believe that. I think Adventures in Odyssey plays a very important part of that. I think what it's doing is showcasing principles that are enduring to the family unit, to the fathers and mothers, and it's a teaching aid, and it also lifts up the Lord in an entertaining way to the unsaved of the world. There's a huge fan base for Adventures in Odyssey. I got a good taste of that at your thousandth episode of Adventures in Odyssey. Now, I've lectured at a couple of the D23 conventions. Those are the big conventions that Disney puts on. And your Adventures in Odyssey convention far surpassed that. I couldn't believe how many people were there. It was like outstanding. So there's an enormous fan base worldwide and appetite for this project, and I'm hoping that once it gets kicked off, it will breed more and it will continue to replicate itself over and over and over again for families.

Yeah, those are our prayers, too. So how will the upcoming Odyssey movie, Journey into the Impossible, be different than, I don't know, any other animated film that audiences might see in the theaters in 2026?

Well, God's hand is involved in this, guys.

Yeah.

So you can never guess what he's going to do to advance the kingdom through this vessel. And it is ordained. It is godly produced. And so it will go its way the way he wants to do it. He will order the steps on the marketing, the promotions, the merchandising, and the reception and critical acclaim, whether it be good or bad, to the world. This story lifts him up to a point where it may produce some resentment. And that's what the Lord's gospel does at first.

up to the Lord, to an unsaved person, and you know it's getting through when they become angry or frustrated about it, and then the Lord works on their heart. The Hound of Heaven is implanted in this feature film, and it will do its just work. How it's received, we'll see what happens. Let's just hold onto our seats and be surprised.

Yeah, we can't wait. Well, we're getting close to the end of our conversation, John, and I think it would be wrong of me to not make sure we get a TRQ. That is a totally random question that is sent to us by a fan. And this one is from Nora Rose. And she wants to know, do you have a favorite Disney villain? Yes. Captain Hook. That particular character was

done by one of my mentors, Nine Old Man, Frank Thomas. And it represents everything about a character coming to life and stepping off the screen. The caliber of drawing was great. The audio, Hans Conrad was the voice of Captain Hook. He did a great job. He's a combination of different elements. He's villainous, he's malicious and dangerous, and yet he's comedic. And all of these come together and they were a real persona to me when i first saw peter pan so that to me that's one of my most memorable villains in animation very good norah rose thank you for

sharing your question well john we so appreciate your time and your insights before we end this conversation i just want to ask what advice do you wish you'd received at the start of your career and maybe something that would be especially helpful for listeners as they're considering

a job in the world of art? Well, you know what? I received, unfortunately, some opposition about getting involved in animation. I remember that my art center teacher, the one who was my perspective teacher who kept some of my pieces of artwork, he was sipping coffee in the commissary at art center. And I wandered in there. I saw him and I wanted to tell him I just got accepted into the animation trainee program at Disney. And he looked at me and paused and he said, why would you want to give up an illustrious career as an american illustrator to draw donald ducks why would you do that he basically held up his hand and he just said go away he was convinced i was just selling myself short uh animation at that time was not figured as an elevated art form for someone to give up a career in illustration to go be an animator was beneath him. But you know what? That didn't distract me at all because I was so filled with excitement about being accepted into the animation program. So every once in a while, you're going to encounter naysayers that are going to kind of try to talk you out of something that is brewing inside of you that wants to move you forward to your goal. So I guess my advice to any young artist who wants to get into the animation industry or any young artist who wants to proceed in a particular endeavor, don't give up, you know, continue your work, include God in your decision-making, because that was, that was a big thing in my decision later on in my career on what projects I would follow through on, but don't give up, you know, and it's, uh, that combined with discipline, vision, and kind of a mission statement for all artists. How do I use my work to best, better society? What can I do with this? You know, once you've answered that question, proceed ahead and don't be distracted by naysayers, but continue on and just keep your hope alive.

That's great advice. Love that advice. And we're so glad that you followed that dream on your heart. We're so honored to have you working on the Odyssey movie, and it's just been great talking to you today on the podcast.

Oh, thank you guys for having me.

You know, John has an amazing ability to talk about animation in a way that goes beyond the technical and into the story in heart.

You're so right, Bob. And hearing how much thought and care is going into Journey into the Impossible, it just makes me more excited for what's coming.

Our fans can check out odysseystudioinsiders.com for more about the movie. But while we're waiting for that, what's new in the club, Bob? A brand new episode releases June 18th, just in time for family road trips. Give us a preview, Chris.

Take a summer vacation with the Calhoun family, now on the Adventures in Odyssey Club.

Dad, are we almost there? I can't be in this car another minute. Did you guys know that Yellowstone is over 2.2 million acres? Between meeting new neighbors, cooking over the fire, and making plans for sightseeing,

It's a classic family camping trip until things take a dangerous turn.

They're stealing the camper. They're stealing us. Don't miss the great Yellowstone heist. Now on the Adventures in Odyssey Club.

Again, you can hear that episode in the club on June 18th. Join at adventuresinodyssey.com. And check out odysseystudioinsiders.com for more about the film. If you'd like to talk to someone in person, the number is 1-800-A-FAMILY.

That's all for this edition of the official Adventures in Odyssey podcast, a presentation to focus on the family. I'm Bob. And I'm Jesse, reminding you that with God in your life, every day is an adventure.