We've been enthused to see something new from writer/director Jorge R. Gutiérrez since 2014's The Book Of Life (he's mostly worked on shorts and produced other peoples' work). He's back with a new animated miniseries for Netflix called Maya And The Three, which has a stacked cast including Zoe Saldana, Gael García Bernal And Rita Moreno, and a first trailer available.
Maya And The Three tells the story of a rebellious warrior princess named Maya (Saldana) who is about to celebrate her fifteenth birthday and her coronation when everything abruptly changes as the gods of the underworld make a shocking revelation. Maya’s life is forfeit to the god of war — a price she must pay for her family’s secret past. But if she refuses, the whole world will suffer including her family and friends. So she embarks on a quest to fulfill an ancient prophecy that foretells the coming of three great warriors who will help her defeat the gods and save humankind, according to the streamer.
Alongside Saldana, there is a huge voice cast including Gabriel Iglesias as Picchu, Allen Maldonado as Rico, Stephanie Beatriz as Chimi, Diego Luna as Zatz, Bernal as The Jaguar Triplets, Alfred Molina as the God of War, Cheech Marin as the Gods of Wind & Storm, Rosie Perez as the Goddess of Gators, Queen Latifah as Gran Bruja, and Moreno as Ah Puch.
Though the basic storyline seems torn from the fantasy standard Princess Quest rulebook, it's the layering of Aztec, Maya, and Inca mythology and modern-day Caribbean culture that gives this one more of a unique feel. All nine episodes of Maya And The Three will land on Netflix in the autumn.