MAYA AND THE THREE SERIES
MAYA AND THE THREE TV

The ways in which we consume media have undergone a drastic transformation in recent years, and trends have been changing alongside that. It is not enough to have these characters exist on the sidelines putting female narratives front and center, making them the hero of the story is key to shaping the perception of future generations. A strong warrior princess can become a touchstone for young girls everywhere who are figuring out who they want to be, and how they want to interact with the wider world. As a female and a Latina, when you’re a kid, you want to relate to someone who looks like you.”īeing able to relate to characters can be a transformative experience, and character design is a cornerstone of that.

MAYA AND THE THREE TV

I grew up seeing a lot of characters on TV which were obviously designed by men. As is the case with Maya and the Three, a big proportion of the animation industry produces content geared towards children and adolescents: age groups that desperately need role models that speak their language verbally, culturally, and visually.Īccording to Equihua, “I’m not throwing dirt on anyone, but I think we’re so used to seeing nowadays that typical mold with female characters, where they have a certain head shape with an elongated, perfect body. However, in animation, the visual identity of a character extends far beyond that when it comes to gripping their audience. You don’t worry that she’s going to break.”Ĭharacter design is integral to storytelling interesting characters who are imperfect and flawed, characters who sometimes fail, are always more compelling than perfect idealized versions. “Maya has curves, but she is like a stout little pillar, and you can see that when she’s fighting.

I wanted to portray in her stature that she is mighty and strong,” she expanded. “Let’s be proud of our height, let’s be proud of our shape, like having stout legs because there is strength in them.

Instead, Equihua was intent on breaking down barriers by retaining characteristics that stand out in Latin America. As the duo were writing and designing simultaneously, they made a conscious effort to avoid feeding into the beauty standards often depicted in animation which skew heavily toward Eurocentric ideals. “When Sandra designs female characters, there’s a truth and a humanity that’s very different,” adds Gutiérrez, when asked about their workflow. The pair have been collaborating on creative projects for over 20 years, realizing early on that their designs work best when Equihua takes ownership of the female characters. Gutiérrez, as the director, was intent on building a female-centric narrative, but it was Equihua who led the charge in creating Maya’s visual identity, as well as all the supporting female characters on the show.

Gutiérrez and Equihua decided to reinvent the narrative and frame their story in a modern way, with a modern female lead.įor Maya and the Three, an integral part of reinterpretation was the honest design of each female character. Stories created today need to resonate with a modern audience, and myths should be reimagined to reflect who we are now. “When we started researching all the lore, we noticed that women were portrayed as sleeping beauties, as a prize to be won, or worse, as the victim,” remarked Gutiérrez.Īncient myths are just as much a product of their times as stories created centuries later they spoke to their own audiences and reflected the views of the time of their conception. Its storyline is strongly rooted in mythology - a storyline that typically centers men as the heroes, explorers, and warriors who save the day. Maya and the Three tells the story of an epic quest with the highest stakes possible: saving the entire human race from certain doom. In the wake of the show’s Annie Awards wins in Best TV/Media for Children, and Best of Music for TV categories, we revisited our conversation with the husband-and-wife artist team to dive deeper into character design, authenticity, and the power of representation in animation. In a magical Mesoamerican-inspired world, a warrior princess embarks on a quest to fulfill an ancient prophecy and save humanity from the vengeful gods of the underworld.

MAYA AND THE THREE SERIES

A story of epic proportions, Maya and the Three is a limited Netflix series created by Emmy Award-winner Jorge Gutiérrez and Sandra Equihua.

Maya and the three