‘Maya and the Three’ Review: A New Mystical World Helmed by a Female Warrior
Jorge R. Gutiérrez’s Maya and the Three is the new fantastical Netflix series with a world of magic, ancient prophecies, mythical creatures, and most importantly, a great female warrior. Gutiérrez previously directed The Book of Life in 2014, and this year he teamed up with the same crew to create wonderful characters exploring different cultures and mythologies in Mesoamerica. Just like his previous project, Gutiérrez sticks to the same themes — doing the right thing, love, death, and sacrifice. His creation of Maya and the Three and the four kingdoms in the show that rule Mesoamerica is boastfully fun and adventurous as it dives into the otherworldly realms.
The titular character, Maya (voiced by Zoe Saldaña), is a brave, fearless, and sometimes stubborn warrior from the Kingdom of Teca. She is the daughter of the King and Queen of Teca (voiced by Jorge R. Gutiérrez and Sandra Equihua). Maya loves being a princess but longs to fight battles with her father and her brothers, The Jaguar Triplets: Lance, Shield and Dagger (all voiced by Gael García Bernal). She feels left out by this, as her responsibilities lie inside the temple, at her home, conversing with the other diplomats and keeping peace within the kingdom. However, on the day of Maya’s coronation and fifteenth birthday, Zatz (voiced by Diego Luna), the handsome Prince of Bats is sent from the Underworld to bring Maya to Lord Mictlan (voiced by Alfred Molina), the God of War. Maya refuses the God of War’s commands, since she does not want to be sacrificed. his decision, however, puts her family and kingdom in danger. To save her family, Maya devises a plan to go on a journey and find the three great warriors in the other kingdoms — Luna Island, Jungle Lands and the Golden Mountain — who will help her to defeat the gods of the underworld.
The world of Maya and the Three is an amazing exploration of mythical creatures, kingdoms, and warriors. Even though the kingdoms are a mixture of many cultures in Mesoamerica, there is so much heart and character that’s exciting about it. Especially the character growth of Maya and the world surrounding the show. Gutiérrez’s animation is fun, visceral, and engaging to watch. It’s hard to look away from the screen when Maya and her warriors battle it out with new gods. The weapons and magic pop out of the screen, as if the characters are trying to reach out to the audience.
Gutiérrez frequently collaborates with his wife, Equihua, who is a creative consultant on the show. She is a character designer, animator and voice actress who was excited at the opportunity to create the mystical world of Maya and the Three, as well as design the titular character. Maya’s character is flawed and stubborn. She longs to fight alongside The Jaguar Triplets and King Teca, but her mother forbids her. She refuses to sit idly by and watch the male counterparts in her family participate in adventures, and she doesn’t back down from a fight.
At the beginning of the series, even though Maya is a fearless warrior, she is not a strong speaker. When she pleads to the other kingdoms to join the Kingdom of Teca and fight against the gods of the Underworld, they immediately turn away from her. When she sets out on her quest to find the three great warriors in the prophecy, the Rooster, Skull and Jaguar Warriors, she learns how to communicate with the leaders. Maya shows empathy and understanding, learning throughout the journey that she must present a diplomatic answer to them.
On her quest, she meets Rico (voiced by Allen Maldonado), a teen wizard from Luna Island who lacks confidence because he uses Peasant Magic, a kind of magic that is feared in his land. Rico had to hustle and survive on his own until Gran Brujo (voiced by Wyclef Jean) took a chance on him. Before Gran Brujo dies because Rico used Peasant Magic, he gives the young wizard his staff, Estefan. When Maya comes along, he is still unable to use magic properly and cannot control Estafan. But with Maya’s encouraging words, Rico can use Peasant Magic and use the staff to defeat the gods.
At the Jungle Lands, Maya must find the next warrior: the Skull Warrior. There, Rico and Maya meet Chimi (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz), an outcast because she looks different. She was raised by the animals in the jungle and then was left alone in the jungle, which forced her to fend for herself. When Maya and Rico go to her home, Chimi attacks them. She doesn’t trust humans and is guarded because of the trauma that was inflicted on her by the King of the Jungle Lands. Over time, though, she learns to trust them, which is important when they are in great peril. In one of the most emotional episodes, Chimi realises that there are people who care about her. She has never had this kind of love and affection from humans, and she has never had friends. Her realisation that people would want to sacrifice themselves to save her slowly makes Chimi bring down her walls and trust Maya and Rico. She finally joins them in their quest to take down the God of War, and the trio begins to head towards the Golden Mountains to find the Puma Warrior.
Picchu (voiced by Gabriel Iglesias), is the greatest warrior but due to a tragedy that left him as the sole survivor of his family, he resides in the mountains all by himself. Picchu’s only purpose in life is to regain his honour and die in battle to meet his parents. Even though he is heroic and has a big presence within the group, he is gentle and sweet to everyone. Picchu’s journey of bringing honour to himself is rooted in his past trauma. He is riddled with guilt and anger at the fact that he was the only person that survived a tragic incident. Even though Picchu holds anger at himself, he is merciful, even when fighting against his worst enemy.
Rico, Chimi and Picchu share the themes of loneliness, love, and death. They have all been rejected by the people who should care about them. Also, they have mourned the loss of the people that they love. Rico longs to be the best wizard, but what is holding him back is the guilt of killing Gran Brujo. Chimi longs to meet her mother and apologize for not giving her a place in the world. She blames herself for her mother’s death. Picchu wishes to honour his family and fight alongside the greatest warriors — and his friends — he has ever met. Rico, Chimi, and Picchu all desire to have a friend, companion, and someone who believes and encourages them to reach for the stars. That person is Maya.
The biggest development and change for Maya is learning to be honest and lead with dignity. She makes mistakes along the way, highlighting that even the strongest and bravest warriors are flawed. Through her friends, she learns to appreciate them, and at the same time, encourage them to be better versions of themselves.
At its heart, Maya and the Three is a show about familial values. Whenever Maya is unable to finish her tasks, she seeks the guidance of her brothers. Queen Teca and Maya’s relationship is heartwarming and shows a mother-daughter duo, both warriors, that lead with a strong female presence. Queen Teca’s influence on Maya, through her strong diplomatic skills and strength, are the traits that guide Maya’s emotional and physical journey.
Gutiérrez’s Maya and the Three is one of the best-animated series of the year. It presents strong female characters and the perils that they go through to reach their goals. Saving humanity comes with a lot of challenges and Maya beats them all. Maya’s story is relatable and the new kind of fantasy world that Gutiérrez created is meant to show the colourful cultures of the Latin American community. Inspired by Mayan, Aztec, Incan cultures, as well as modern-day Caribbean culture, the show creates a new mystical world that is beyond amazing. These ancient environments are rich with colourful creatures, gold statues, mystical forests and planted with magical symbols that represent each of the Kingdoms. Maya and the Three has unique animation and character designs that are part of what Gutiérrez is known for in his other works. The vibrant characters are filled with colours that represent Latin American flags, especially Maya who dons the colours of the Mexican flag. Maya represents the fire that burns in every girl and woman, and the kind of influence this young princess will have on girls watching the show is both remarkable and inspiring.
