Our event series is all these fantasy dreams coming true for me." "I always dreamt that if the camera went a bit more south they would eventually get to people that looked like us. "Maya and the Three was very much inspired by the warrior women in my life (my wife, sister, and mother) and my love of fantasy films, books, and video games," Gutiérrez told IGN. Maya and the Three is out on Netflix now.Gutiérrez went on to talk about what inspired him to create the series. Start watching Maya and the Three for the action-packed and visually creative fights, but stay for the poignant character arcs that build up to a satisfying ending. The final conflict adds more depth to the heroic journey Maya undertakes, given how that quest is colored with loss and reflection as well. The show builds up to the most epic battle of all in the last episode, with equal weight given to triumphant moments and heartfelt sacrifices. But those outcomes are natural evolutions of who the heroes are, and how their personal and shared journeys have gone. Their quest doesn’t entirely resolve as they expected, and their victories come with meaningful costs. Maya and the Three’s startling ending makes sense for all the characters involved. Death still isn’t posited as a solely happy occurrence, but much like Book of Life or Pixar’s Coco, Maya and the Three examines it with nuance, treating it as something other than a simple end of life.
Maya and the Three handles defeat and death in ways that feel unique to the American animation canon. For one thing, there are plenty of moments where Maya and her friends fail at their goals, because they’re a group of young adults up against mighty, powerful gods. Thankfully, the show takes a unique turn in the latter third, subverting a lot of expectations of heroic fantasy epics, at least when it comes to most animated shows and movies made in America. She’s just one of the many gods in the impressive pantheon, which also features the voice talents of Danny Trejo, Cheech Marin, Diego Luna, and Kate del Castillo, among others. For instance, at one point Maya and her friends face the Goddess of Gators (Rosie Perez), who can transform herself into a giant alligator - and separately transform her various limbs into snapping gator-heads. It feels like a distinctly modern touch to the otherwise historical setting, and waiting to see the next adversary’s little announcement turns into a fun experience, since their announcement will be bold and flashy. Each god has their own fighting style, dependent on their respective domains, and when they appear on screen for the first time, it’s with a brightly colored title card, announcing them like they’re superheroes or special guest stars. Maya wields a giant glowing sword, so she needs to jump into close-up action, but Chimi, who was raised by animals, stalks from a distance to strike with her bow. The distinct character designs - which seamlessly translate into how each character moves and fights - make the individual action scenes unique.
The structure is repetitive, but the joy comes in the unique aesthetic look of each of the lands, as well as the cool designs and powers of not just the heroes, but the gods they face in battle. Each time, the outcast warrior is hesitant about joining Maya, but each time, after facing some of the underworld gods, the new warrior wholeheartedly joins up with Maya’s cause. The episodes in the first half of Maya and the Three follow a similar formula, almost to a T: Maya wants to recruit a new warrior from an allied kingdom, so she journeys there, discovers the candidate she thought would fit the role is not the right one, finds out that some outcast is actually the person she’s seeking, and convinces that person to accompany her.
Nevertheless, Maya and the three journey to the gates of the Underworld to stop the gods from destroying humanity. The only problem? Each of the warriors - goofy Rooster Wizard Rico (Allen Maldonado), aloof hermit archer Chimi (Stephanie Beatriz), and simple-minded, bulky warrior Picchu (Gabriel Iglesias) - is battling their own internal demons.
Determined to save her land (and also not get sacrificed), Maya embarks on a quest to fulfill an ancient prophecy by seeking out three great warriors. In the opening episode of Maya and the Three, warrior princess Maya (Zoe Saldaña) learns that Lord Mictlan, the god of war (Alfred Molina), wishes to sacrifice her for power - and if she doesn’t surrender to him, he’ll attack and destroy her whole kingdom.