Maya and the Three
Maya and the Three (Spanish title: Maya y los tres) is an American animated fantasy television miniseries created by Jorge R. Gutiérrez and produced by Tangent Animation.
The nine-episode series premiered on Netflix on October 22, 2021.
Premise
Set in a world based on late pre-colonial Mesoamerica, Maya, a warrior princess, is celebrating her fifteenth birthday, but when the underworld gods appear and announce she must pay for her family's misdeeds, everything changes. If she refuses to go along, the world itself will be ravaged by the gods, so she embarks on a quest to fulfill a prophecy that says that three warriors will appear who will help her defeat these gods and save humanity itself from destruction.
Voice cast
- Zoe Saldaña as Princess Maya of Taca Eagle Warrior, Daughter of King of Taca
- Gabriel Iglesias as Picchu
- Diego Luna as Zatz, the Prince of Bats
- Gael García Bernal as Lance, Dagger, and Shield, the Jaguar Brothers, Maya's older triplet half-brothers
- Rita Moreno as Ah Puch
- Alfred Molina as Lord Mictlan, the God of War
- Allen Maldonado as Rico
- Andy Santana as Young Rico
- Stephanie Beatriz as Chimi
- Kate del Castillo as Lady Micte, the Goddess of Death and Maya's biological mother
- Danny Trejo as Cabrakan, the God of Earthquakes
- Cheech Marin as Hura & Can, the Gods of Wind & Storms
- Rosie Perez as Cipactli, the Goddess of Alligators
- Queen Latifah as Gran Bruja, daughter of Brujo
- Wyclef Jean as Gran Brujo
- Isabela Merced as the Widow Queen
- Chelsea Rendon as Acat, the Goddess of Tattoos
- Joaquín Cosío as Camazotz, the God of Bats
- Carlos Alazraqui as Chivo, the God of Dark Magic
- Eric Bauza as Vucub, the God of Jungle Animals
- Grey Griffin as Xtabay, the Goddess of Illusions and as Bone, Goddess of Thievery, sister of Skull
- Alanna Ubach as Skull, Goddess of Thievery and sister of Bone
- Jorge R. Gutiérrez as King Teca, Maya's father
- Sandra Equihua as Queen Teca, Maya's stepmother
- John DiMaggio as Bear Killah and Barbarian King, father of the barbarian princess and leader of the pumas.
- Carolina Ravassa as Barbarian Princess
- Dee Bradley Baker as Chiapa
- Hailey Hermida as Eagle
Production
Development
In November 2018, it was reported that Netflix is developing an animated television miniseries about a Mesoamerican warrior. The series has Jorge Gutiérrez as the director, creator and executive producer, while Tim Yoon is a producer, Silvia Olivas and Jeff Ranjo are co-executive producers. Gutiérrez, Olivas, Doug Langdale and Candie Kelty Langdale are writers, and Ranjo is the head of story for the series. The series was described by Gutiérrez, in October 2018, as equivalent to a Mexican version of The Lord of the Rings, "but hilarious."
On September 15, 2021, Gutiérrez described an exclusive clip from the series, saying the scene was inspired by Street Fighter 2, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Kill Bill, Ninja Scroll and a "chola fight" he saw in Tijuana, Mexico. He told Skwigly said that the series is "deeply inspired by the glorious Mesoamerican art" and Museo Nacional de Antropologia exhibits. He noted that the show's protagonist, Maya, is inspired by his mother, wife, and sister, and hinted that it would have similarities to his previous works, El Tigre and The Book of Life.
The series closed the Guadalajara Film Festival, on October 9, 2021, with the airing of two of the show's episodes at a special event.
The series was created using the open source Blender 3D animation software.
Episodes
Release
The series was released on Netflix on October 22, 2021. Netflix described it as an "animated event told in nine epic chapters". Each episode in the limited series is 30 minutes long, comprising a total of 4 and half hours.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 100% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 8.60/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Jorge R. Gutiérrez's joyous fantasy Maya and the Three excels thanks to a blockbuster-caliber voice cast and striking animation, delivering an adventure that will enrapture adults and kids alike."
Lovia Gyarkye, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, called every scene a "feast for the eyes" (...) adding that it " is an engaging and twisting adventure, rooted in the rich history of indigenous cultures and led by Maya, who is seeking answers about her past and trying to save her kingdom", concluding that "each episode offers opportunities to deepen our understanding of this fantastical world and to relish the visual depth of Gutiérrez's adeptly constructed and absolutely stunning series." Cristina Escobar of Remezcla described the show as "decidedly Mexican," noted that the series is "the brainchild of Mexican/Mexican Americans," and pointed out ways that the series "honors Mexican culture," especially on ideas about death, intense imagery, tying one's love to sacrifice, the language, and uplifting indigenous people.
Accolades
Cancelled follow-up miniseries
In May 2022, Netflix canceled its follow-up miniseries, Kung-Fu Space Punch. The project was originally conceived as a stand-alone feature film at the 2017 Annecy Film Festival, but transitioned to a 9-episode miniseries follow-up to Maya and the Three sometime after. Showrunner Gutiérrez stated in a tweet on Twitter that "the project is not dead. Just not moving forward at Netflix Animation."
