Maya and the Three review: Netflix’s ‘animated event’ is a fantastic adventure

After years of behind-the-scenes development, Book of life Director and animator Jorge R. Gutiérrez is finally back, this time with a fantastical epic adventure set in a Mesoamerican-inspired world. A nine-episode series billed as an “animated event” (a fancy way of saying it’s a full story rather than the opening season of an ongoing series). Maya and the three It was unleashed when Netflix asked Guitérrez to pitch an idea it couldn’t produce anywhere else, and he returned with a vivid epic fantasy about a Mesoamerican warrior princess saving the world.

Weather Maya and the threeThe plot structure gives it a slightly repetitive start, the dynamic and beautiful visuals reinforce the lengthy fight sequences, making them brilliantly eye-catching. When all the pieces come together, Gutiérrez permeates the show with nuanced approaches to death and defeat, coloring the experience into something memorable.

[Ed. note: This review contains slight setup spoilers for Maya and the Three.]

In the opening episode of Maya and the three, the warrior princess Maya (Zoe Saldaña) learns that Lord Mictlan, the god of war (Alfred Molina), wishes to sacrifice her for power, and if she does not surrender to him, he will attack and destroy his entire kingdom. Determined to save her land (and not be sacrificed either), Maya embarks on a quest to fulfill an ancient prophecy by searching for three great warriors. The only problem? Each of the warriors, the goofy Rooster Wizard Rico (Allen Maldonado), the distant hermit archer Chimi (Stephanie Beatriz), and the plain and bulky warrior Picchu (Gabriel Iglesias), are battling their own inner demons. However, Maya and the three of them travel to the gates of the underworld to prevent the gods from destroying humanity.

Episodes from the first half of Maya and the three It follows a similar formula, almost to a T: Maya wants to recruit a new warrior from an allied kingdom, so she travels there, discovers that the candidate she thought would fit the role is not the right one, discovers that some outcast is actually the person you are looking for and convinces that person to accompany you. Each time, the outcast warrior hesitates to join Maya, but each time, after confronting some of the gods of the underworld, the new warrior wholeheartedly joins Maya’s cause. The structure is repetitive, but the joy comes in the unique aesthetic aspect of each of the lands, as well as in the cool designs and powers of not only the heroes, but also the gods that they face in battle.

Different character designs, which translate seamlessly into how each character moves and fights, make the individual action scenes unique. Maya wields a giant glowing sword, so she needs to jump into action up close, but Chimi, who was raised by animals, lurks from a distance to attack with her bow. Each god has their own fighting style, which depends on their respective domains, and when they first appear on screen, it is with a brightly colored title card, announcing them as if they were superheroes or special guest stars.

It feels like a distinctly modern twist on the historical setting, and waiting to see the next adversary’s little ad becomes a fun experience, as your ad will be bold and eye-catching. For example, at one point, Maya and her friends are confronted by the Gator Goddess (Rosie Perez), who can transform into a giant crocodile. and separately transform its various limbs into alligator heads. She is just one of the many gods in the impressive pantheon, which also features the voices of Danny Trejo, Cheech Marin, Diego Luna, and Kate del Castillo, among others.

Fortunately, the show takes a unique twist in the last third, subverting many expectations of heroic fantasy epics, at least when it comes to most American-made animated shows and movies. On the one hand, there are many moments when Maya and her friends fail in their goals, because they are a group of young adults who face powerful gods. Maya and the three handles defeat and death in a way that feels unique in American animation canon. Death is not yet posited as an exclusively happy event, but as Book of life or from Pixar Coconut, Maya and the three he examines it with nuances, treating it as something more than a simple end of life.

Maya and the threeThe surprising ending makes sense for all the characters involved. Their quest is not completely resolved as they hoped, and their victories come at significant costs. But those results are natural evolutions of who the heroes are and how their personal and shared journeys have gone. The show turns into the most epic battle of all in the last episode, with equal weight given to the triumphant moments and heartfelt sacrifices. The final conflict adds more depth to Maya’s heroic journey, as that search is also tainted with loss and reflection. Start looking Maya and the three for the action-packed and visually creative fights, but stick with the heartwarming character arcs that build up to a satisfying ending.

Maya and the three is now available on Netflix.