Teen warrior princess fantasy tale is funny, has violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
Lots of fantasy violence throughout, and warrior characters approach violence with glee. Fistfighting and use of weapons like swords. Injuries are largely slapstick in nature and not gory. Aspirational main character Maya likes to fight, and her behavior is justified as being necessary to save the human race. A fair bit of scariness as well: lots of threats and ominous foreboding (though humor makes it seem like everything will be OK).
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Brief kissing between married characters. Maya's outfit shows some skin without being too revealing. While it's not talked about in great detail, a major plot point is that Maya was the product of infidelity.
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Frequent verbal hostility as characters make threats against one another's lives. No actual curse words, but some cursing-adjacent phrases like "dang it" and "my gods." Some rude backtalking language from Maya directed at her parents.
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Many positive themes around courage and sacrifice, staying true to yourself, navigating the teenage years. Some negative themes around warrior characters enjoying physical conflict, and using violence to solve problems.
Positive Role Models
some
Maya is a positive role model overall, but she is flawed. She is very brave, asserts her wishes, doesn't believe she should be treated differently because she's a girl. On the negative side, she loves fighting and doesn't think her kingdom's problems can be solved with diplomacy. She also can be surly toward her parents, though she feels bad about it later.
Diverse Representations
some
All characters in the series are ancient Mesoamericans, ancestors to people living in parts of Mexico and Central America today. Series doesn't explicitly teach about Mesoamerican cultures, but some characters are drawn from Mesoamerican mythology, and visual design is heavily influenced by Mesoamerican art. There's breadth and depth in depiction of Mesoamerican people. Series creator and much of the voice cast are Latino. The Maya character also offers a diverse gender representation: She's a girl warrior who loves fighting and doesn't shy away from danger.
Parents need to know that Maya and the Three is an epic miniseries about a Mesoamerican warrior princess from the mind of Jorge R. Gutierrez (The Book of Life). The movie-like animation and storytelling are superb, but the recurring violence means littler kids should sit this one out. Maya (voiced by Zoe Saldana) and her warrior family approach fighting with glee, and teenage Maya's behavior is justified as being necessary to save the human race. The fantasy violence is a major plot point and includes fistfighting and use of weapons like swords. While injuries are largely slapstick in nature and not gory, you can expect a fair bit of scariness, including lots of ominous foreboding and characters in various degrees of peril (though the humor makes it seem like everything is going to be OK). Language is limited to cursing-adjacent phrases like "dang it" and "oh my gods." There's pretty frequent verbal hostility as characters make threats against one another's lives. The plot touches on mature themes including death and infidelity. For families with older kids, Maya and the Three is fantastic whole-family viewing.
I only sat through about 5 minutes of this before someones heart was pulled out while magical demigods with non stop overstimulating flashing violent battle scenes went on forever. Super weird and crazy characters and voices; easily hooks the kid then blasts them with highly amplified fight scenes; you’ll see what I mean within minutes of play
What's the Story?
Maya and the Three is an animated epic about a royal warrior family in ancient Mesoamerica and their teenage daughter Maya (voiced by Zoe Saldana). The warrior princess's story begins in the kingdom of Teca on the eve of her coronation. Maya is resentful that her three brothers (the Jaguars, Gael García Bernal) get to live the exciting life of warriors while she's stuck in her family's palace training to become a diplomat. She reluctantly agrees to be coronated despite her misgivings. As soon as the crown is placed on her head, the kingdom is visited by Zatz Prince of Batz (Diego Luna), an emissary from the king of the underworld, Lord Mitclan (Alfred Molina). Zatz reveals shocking news, claiming that Maya is actually a princess of the underworld. If she doesn't agree to go with him to the underworld to be sacrified, the entire world will be under attack. Maya and her family resist, triggering a global war between the gods and the humans. A prophesy reveals that three warriors will help Maya, so Maya leaves on an epic adventure to find "the three" who will help her save the world. Soon Chimi the Skull Warrior (Stephanie Beatriz), Rico the Rooster Wizard (Allen Maldonaldo), and Picchu the Puma Barbarian (Gabriel Iglesias) join Maya on her quest. Can they defeat the gods, saving Teca and all of humankind in the process?
Maya and the Three is a visually stunning animated TV series with a storyworld that's so immersive it feels more like a movie. Creator Jorge R. Gutierrez has called the series a "Mexican Lord of the Rings," and it's easy to see why. The story follows the hero Maya's epic quest through a richly imagined fantasy world full of imagery inspired by Aztec, Incan, and Mayan art. There are many imaginative characters voiced by a star-studded Latino cast (voice actors include Rita Moreno, Rosie Perez, and Cheech Marin). Maya herself is great: both an incredibly strong and brave female character and a flawed, moody teenager at the same time. Kids will love the gorgeously designed characters, as well as the constant humor laced throughout the series. There's no shortage of excitement and action, and kids will be rooting for Maya to prevail. The story is compelling enough that grown-ups will enjoy watching along, making this series a great pick for families with older kids.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Maya and the Three. What do you think about a show for kids having violence like this one? Does it matter that it's fantasy, historical, or kind of silly?
Maya is a complicated character. Do you think she's a positive role model? What parts of her do you admire, and which parts do you think are character flaws?
Maya and the Three takes place in ancient Mesoamerica and draws a lot from the art of that time and place. Do you know anything about Mesoamerican cultures? Is there anything the series made you curious about?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Ashley Moulton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
