Conditions Governing Access
Biographical / Historical
Preferred Citation
Scope and Contents
Conditions Governing Use
Contributing Institution:
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Title: Manuel Mario Moreno Papers
Identifier/Call Number: M0946
Physical Description:
3.5 Linear Feet
(5 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1909-1992
Language of Material:
English
.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for research. Note that material must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use.
Biographical / Historical
Manuel M. Moreno was a Mexican American who worked in the
animation
industry while it was just starting up. He began working in Winkler's
Animation
Studio in 1928. He was an in-betweener (below the rank of assistant animator). Winkler's Studio had a contract with Universal
pictures, and while he was working for them he learned more about the business and worked himself up to the rank of assistant
animator. He was hired by Winkler at age 18 on the strength of a few samples of Moreno's cartoon work. Moreno had learned
a little about cartooning from a correspondence course. Through the 1930s until the early 1940s Moreno worked as an animator
and even a director for cartoons done at different studios, such as Walter Lantz's production company and MGM studios. In
1941 he left the US
animation
industry to take over his brother, George's, photo-processing store when he was drafted. Because of WWII, supplies to run
the shop were impossible to come by, so Manuel ended up liquidating the store.
Manuel had an idea to set up an
animation
studio in Mexico. He brought 3 animators with him and hired Mexican comic strip artists to be assistant animators. The process
was difficult, as the comic strip artists knew nothing about
animation
and had to be taught. Moreno had learned a great deal about the process of
animation
and the technical aspects while working in the US. He even intended to write a book in Spanish entitled "El Arte de las Caricaturas
Animadas" (The are of animated caricatures). His extensive notes and drawing for this book are included in the collection.
He was heavily involved in training the new employees and in all aspects of production. The process was very slow because
many artists were still learning how to animate and Moreno's financial backers were expecting unreasonable levels of production
from the fledgling studio. Only one film was finished, "Me Voy De Cacería". Another was animated and a third had a story developed.
There were additional difficulties because of the war.
When the project eventually fell apart Moreno was not interested in going back to
animation
in the US. He decided to open a photo-processing store in California, called Professional Color Service. The store was very
successful and remained in business for 25 years. Manuel had been married to María Teresa since 1931 and lived with her and
raised a family with her in Southern California.
Even as he ran his photo shop, Moreno still showed a strong interest in art. Many of the ads and greeting cards associated
with the store are his own original creations. In addition, while he had the store and after, Moreno used his knowledge of
the
animation
process and interest in art to create films and announcements for numerous family occasions and holidays. He was a very useful
resource for authors researching the birth of the
animation
industry as we know it today, and an interview with one such researcher is in the collection.
Preferred Citation
Manuel Mario Moreno Papers. M0946. Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
Scope and Contents
The collection is arranged loosely chronologically, beginning with work done for Caricolor and Moreno's book and going on
to work done for his family and work done for his photoshop. Box 4 contains videos of some of Moreno's family work. The print
box, Box 5, predates the Caricolor project and has information that begins in the late 1920s, and spans to the 1960s.
Conditions Governing Use
While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not
an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission
or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Motion pictures -- Hollywood (Calif.)
Motion picture industry -- Mexico.
Animation
(Cinematography)
Animated films -- Mexico.
Mexican American studies
Professional Color Service.
Animators.