Standing in front of his artwork are Mauro and Cynthia Maressa, owners of their Studio Art Gallery in Cambria. Photo by Connie Pendleton
By Connie Pendleton
Leaning back in his black chair behind a small wooden desk sits a soft-spoken man, with graying beard and hair a bit on the ruffled side, sketching a landscape on his drawing pad. On the walls around him are skillfully created works of art and stunning photographs.
By chance, I had walked into the art gallery of Mauro Maressa, retired animator from Walt Disney Studios, Hanna-Barbera, Filmation, and other well-known television and movie studios — here in the small village of Cambria, CA! In actuality, he co-owns the gallery with his wife of 47 years, Cynthia Maressa, an incredibly talented photographer in her own right. Both of them use Cambria and the Central Coast as the subject of their work, Mauro producing pen and ink illustrations, watercolors and sculptures, and Cynthia, photographic prints.
Renowned for his talent in animation on iconic films like “The Lion King,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” and “The Emperor’s New Groove,” the highly skilled artist began his early years in a more modest fashion. He was born in 1951 in the beautiful seaside municipality of Melito di Porto Salvo in the city of Reggio Calabria on the southernmost tip of Italy’s boot. His father, Carmelo, was a master tailor and his mother, Fortunata, a seamstress, who together owned a tailor shop. At the age of eight, Mauro and his family immigrated to the United States and settled in Milford, MA.
Speaking fondly of his family, Maressa said his parents were very supportive of what their children wanted to do in life and really encouraged them. He said he always enjoyed art and remembers drawing, sculpting and painting at the age of eight or nine.

‘Out and About in Cambria,’ pen and ink illustration with watercolor by Mauro Maressa. Photo by Connie Pendleton
After finishing high school in Milford, the young Maressa attended the New England School of Art in Boston for three years. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1975 at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst with a major in sculpture and minors in education and printmaking.
Ironically, while he was attending college and not totally sure what he was going to do with his future, a recruiter encouraged the young man to join the Navy. Maressa’s plan then was to train as a military aviator. He would learn to take off and land planes on aircraft carriers in the middle of the ocean. After graduation, however, Maressa visited his old high school art teacher in Milford, who redirected him back to his natural artistic talent and hired him as an elementary school art teacher. He taught classes to 5th and 6th grade students for three years, which he said enjoyed.
In 1975 he met his future wife, Cynthia, and after their wedding the couple took a road trip camping cross-country in a Ford Econoline van for their honeymoon. They ended up in Burbank, CA, where they pulled up in front of Disney Studios.
The eager young artist had his portfolio with him, went in and asked for an interview, which he got. Maressa had a very promising meeting and was encouraged to come back if he decided to quit teaching and move to California.
The couple packed their belongings soon after and moved to Burbank. After receiving multiple rejection letters from Disney, he finally got a break. His wife, Cynthia, had a coworker at the department store where she worked who knew Donald Duckwall, production manager of the animation department at the acclaimed entertainment company. After a personal interview the young artist was hired and entered a training program in April 1978 under the experienced guidance of Eric Larson, one of Disney Studio’s “nine old men.” This core group of legendary animators, fondly named by Walt Disney himself, helped create some of the studio’s most well-known early films. Maressa referred to them as “the old guard,” a group of really nice, generous old men who wanted to pass their knowledge onto a younger generation of “new kids” to ensure ongoing animation production while maintaining Disney’s quality and integrity.
After completing his training, Maressa was laid off. Not unlike many others, he experienced ups and downs throughout his career with projects being completed and new opportunities arising. Ever persistent, he kept in contact with his Disney trainers seeking to use his new skills. Meanwhile he practiced sculpting, sketching and painting. Larson sent him across town to Hanna-Barbera, where Maressa was hired and helped create shows like “Super Friends,” “The Smurfs,” “Scooby-Doo,” “The New Fred and Barney Show,” and other Saturday morning cartoons. Later he worked with Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta on “Fire and Ice” and on live action films such as “Poltergeist II,” “Big Trouble in Little China,” “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” “Alien 3,” and “Batman Returns.”
As a more experienced animator, Maressa went back to Disney and helped to create “Pocahontas” and “The Lion King.” He was appointed visual effects supervisor for “The Emperor’s New Groove,” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” for which he was sent to France to train the effects crew at the Disney Studio in Paris.
In 1997, he won an Annie award presented by the International Animated Film Association-Hollywood for Best Effects Animation for his work on Disney’s “Hercules.” Later, Maressa worked alongside friend and veteran sculptor, Ron Pekar. As an apprentice, he helped sculpt the impressive USC Mascot “Traveler,” a 12-foot-tall horse in Los Angeles, and the relief sculpture, “The Handoff,” at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. They worked together on four more sculptures.
He returned to teaching in 2010 at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, where he educated students in basic animation and traditional effects animation. Maressa retired in 2018. He and his wife, Cynthia, moved to Cambria and opened their gallery in 2022.
Cynthia, whose career was mostly in retail and as a stay-at-home mom, had a deep interest in photography since the time she was a child. In 1996, she took courses at College of the Canyon in Santa Clarita and has since pursued developing her skills. Her husband described her as a very patient lady who will stay in the same spot for hours until she gets the right shot.
Maressa Studio Art Gallery, located at 784 Main Street, is well worth the visit. In addition to their exceptional work, they also have other talented artists’ pieces on display including paintings by former Disney director and animator George Scribner, paintings by local artists, specialty hats and other media. The shop is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 12 to 6 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.