(Image Credit: YouTube - Keithbaxter6066)

By Nick Dube

Local animator defies all odds to succeed in Hollywood

Jan 12, 2026 | 6:45 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – To say Keith Baxter is talented would be an understatement. Born and raised here in Prince George Keith took a love for art, animation and music and turned it into a diverse career that has spanned over 40 years. It started 5 decades ago with a class project and a bit of luck.

“I went to PGSS. I made my first animated cartoons, a couple of years before that. And, my friend and I asked our social studies teacher if we could make an animated cartoon as a school project. So that was the first one that anyone other than my friend and I saw. And back in 1975, CKPG broadcast it on TV. ” said Keith Baxter.

After high school Baxter focused on music but as he progressed into the 1980’s he moved to Los Angeles and found it difficult to catch a break. After an opportunity to take a class in figure drawing a teacher working for Disney noticed his talent and pushed him towards a career in animation. After witnessing his friend Tom Wilson finally succeed in acting with his iconic role in back to the future Keith was inspired and decided the time was right to take the assistant animation exam at Filmation studios.

“They said, do you have any experience? I said no and she said, well then I hesitate to even let you come in. I said, oh don’t worry I can draw. That was good enough. So I did the character design test and everyone seemed kind of pleased. I started in animation as a character designer for Filmation, working on shows like She Ra Princess of Power, Ghostbusters, Brave Star and all those kinds of TV cartoons.” said Baxter.

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Baxter quickly worked his way ahead by working with Warner Brothers on such iconic TV cartoons as Tiny Tunes and the Mask before stints with Dreamworks and Disney offered him more diversity. His time with Dream Works gave him the opportunity to tap into his musical talents as he contributed both in animation and music to such hits as hotel Transylvania and flushed away. Following that stint Baxter put all of his talents together to participate in the HBO Max cartoon remake of Tom and Jerry.

“It turned out to be the most fun I ever had in all 40 years of either playing music, writing or animating. I got to make these little mini musical Tom and Jerry’s. I got to storyboard them, write them, do the music, and I got to edit them all together into a story real.” said Baxter.

When Covid occurred Keith retired and moved from Los Angeles to Knoxville Tennessee to focus on the country side of his musical passion and fulfill a goal he had set for himself.

” I wrote dozens of songs for film and TV, but I never had a song placed on anybody’s album. About 20 years ago, after loving rock music for most of my life and then jazz for a big chunk of my life 20 years ago, I just fell in love with country music. That’s part of what, initiated my move to Tennessee.” said Baxter.

Despite growing up in the North Keith said it’s important for the youth to know that there are no barriers and hard work can get you anywhere you want to go.