Maya and the Three (2021)

*Premise spoilers.*

This animated Netflix miniseries comes from Jorge R. Gutiérrez, who also created the film The Book of Life (beating out Coco by several years.) As I was watching this series, I just so happened to rewatch The Book of Life as well (for Dia de los Muertos,) so I’ve been awash with Gutiérrez content lately. This is an excellent miniseries that turns out to be much richer than it initially seems.

Maya, princess of the Mesoamerican-inspired kingdom of Teca, longs to be a fierce warrior like her father and older brothers, but she feels trapped in her role as a future diplomat for the kingdom. However, a messenger from the gods appears on Maya’s 15^th birthday, revealing a shocking secret: she is actually the daughter of the goddess of death, and Death’s paramour, the god of war, demands her as a sacrifice to increase his power. When others fail in their attempts to shield Maya from the gods’ might, Maya sets out on her own in the hopes of fulfilling an acient prophecy, gathering the greatest warrior from each of the three neighboring kingdoms to unite and destroy the god of war.

Let’s start with the design, which is fabulous. I’m reminded a little of Raya and the Last Dragon in that each of the four kingdoms in the series takes its influences from a different Mesoamerican culture (Aztec, Caribbean, Mayan, and Ican.) The clothing, armor, facepaint, and hairstyles among the major characters are all done incredibly well, rendered through Gutiérrez’s personal artistic style but evoking the look and feel of these ancient civilizations in a way that feels fresh and immediate. I also really like the somewhat comic-booky, slightly anime style of the action, which is full of wild leaps, immense displays of power, and splashy title cards for each god Maya and her assembled warrior friends encounter. The animation is by turns comedic/frenetic, stylishly action-packed, and touchingly beautiful. A great accomplishment all around.

Then there’s the story. While it begins from a pretty archetypal place – the rough-and-tumble princess who wants to fight like her older brothers, the teen girl who realizes she’s a key element of a prophecy that will save her whole kingdom – it quickly becomes so much more than that. Maya travels to each kingdom expecting its most powerful warrior to be its leader, but in each land, what she actually discovers is someone outcast, someone discarded, someone haunted by their past. Most episodes open with a flashback that lends context to the characters we’re about to follow, and as these broken, unlikely champions come together, they share their stories of pain and loss even as they kick butt alongside one another.

There are a lot of “lessons” in here. Some of them are signposted, like Maya’s recurring watchcries, “If it is to be, it is up to me,” and, “Each kingdom is a mere finger, but together we make a mighty fist.” But a lot of the others are just threaded through the characters and the narrative, coming out organically in a way that I feel kids will be able to absorb and internalize. Maya and her friends are inspiring together, and we see that not every character aligns with our first impression of them. Also, I just really like how the story views/approaches the subject of death. My knowledge of this Mexican cultural viewpoint is admittedly limited mostly to animated stories like this one and the aforementioned Coco/The Book of Life, but it’s such a lovely attitude that’s very different than my own upbringing.

This is a voice cast that’s brimming with talent. Gutiérrez reunites the leads from The Book of Life, with Zoe Saldana voicing Maya with ferocity and pathos and Diego Luna bringing charm and heart as Zatz, another half-human/half-god but one who was raised in the underworld. While Zatz is under orders from the god of war to capture Maya and bring her to him, his own allegiances aren’t so concrete, and the dynamic between Maya and Zatz is dynamite. I won’t reveal the identities of the other three warriors in today’s post, but all of them are excellently realized through animation and performance. The cast features the likes of Alfred Molina as the god of war, Stephanie Beatriz, Rita Moreno, Queen Latifah, Allen Maldonado (who I mainly know from his recurring role as Curtis on Black-ish but who’s really great here,) Cheech Marin, Joaquín Cosio (who was in Narcos: Mexico with Luna,) Gael García Bernal, Gabriel Iglesias, Danny Trejo, and Rosie Perez. Phew!

One unfortunate note I do need to point out is that there are a few characters with disabilities voiced by able-bodied actors. I know that there’s a lot more debate over how much “authenticity” is required for voice-acting vs. live-action work, and the actors in question play their characters beautifully, but it’s still opportunities that could have gone to actors with disabilities.

Warnings

Violence, scary moments for kids, suggestiveness, strong thematic elements, and characters with disabilities voiced by able-bodied actors.