November 1, 2021
Princess Maya (Zoe Saldana) is the spirited and adventurous daughter of the King (Jorge R. Gutierrez) and Queen (Sandra Equihua) of the fictional Mesoamerican kingdom of Teca. On the occasion of her 15th birthday, she unexpectedly learned some vital information about her real origins. This put her in directly in conflict with the powerful God of War Lord Mictlan (Alfred Molina) and the fulfillment of an ancient prophesy that an Eagle will lead a select group of three warriors to save the whole world from total destruction.
Jorge R. Gutierrez is a Mexican animator famous for his work in films and TV series that proudly promote Mexican culture, like the Annie-winning "El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera" (2007) on Nickelodeon and the Golden Globe-winning animated film "The Book of Life" (2014). In this latest project with Netflix, Gutierrez pulled out all the stops in celebrating the myths not only in Mexico, but in the entire historical cultural area of Mesoamerica, which spanned from Central Mexico to El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras.
The 3D designs Gutierrez employed for the entire 9-episode series were derived from Mesoamerican folklore, mythology and art. There are various gods and goddesses that Maya and her friends encounter along their quest, aside from the God of War and his wife Lady Micte (Kate del Castillo), the Goddess of Death, there were other deities under Mictlan's beck and call -- the God of Earthquakes (Danny Trejo) and his wife the Goddess of Alligators (Rosie Perez), the twin gods of Wind and Storms (Cheech Marin), among many others.
The main protagonist Maya is female, only one of the several strong women characters, as Gutierrez's tribute to the women in his life and in Latin history. The Rooster Warrior is the peasant wizard Rico (Allen Maldonado), raised by the Gran Brujo (Wyclef Jean). The Skull Warrior is archer Chimi (Stephanie Beatriz) raised from infancy by forest animals. The Puma Warrior is the strongman Picchu (Gabriel Iglesias) of the Barbarians. Like Maya, all her three warriors were battling personal demons of guilt they needed to resolve.
If you are familiar with Gutierrez's former works, the artwork of "Maya and the Three" are very colorful and vibrant. The visual style of the battle scenes was very frenetic and fast, frequently with warnings against photosensitive epilepsy because of its use of strobe lights. The story may have started out familiar, a headstrong princess rebelling against her strict mother, a quest involving the collection of three warriors vital for victory. But the climactic showdown and its unexpected aftermath is surprisingly glorious with romance and inspiration. 8/10.
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