Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1399900
29 KEYFRAME FALL 2021 29 By Kim Fay In January of 2018, Melissa Cobb, Vice President at Netflix, told Jorge R. Gutiérrez to pitch something he didn't think he could get made anywhere else. He offered a sprawling idea about a Mesoamerican warrior princess, and to his surprise Cobb said go for it. "I remember driving home that night and telling [my wife] Sandra," says Gutiérrez, whose past projects include El Tigre and The Book of Life. "She was like, are you sure that's what she said? I'm like, yeah, pretty sure. I've worked in Hollywood a long time. I've never had my dreams come true just like that." It also helped that the time was right. "I'm 46 now," he says. "Earlier in my career, I did not feel worthy." He wasn't ready to take on the issues that his dream project, Maya and the Three, explores. Patriarchy in Latin America. Parents making mistakes so it's up to the next generation to fix things. The misinterpretation of certain teachings over time. Sacrifice as the most noble thing a person can do for something greater than themselves. Brimming with deep themes, this tale of Maya's quest to recruit three legendary fighters, challenge an ancient prophecy, and save humanity from vengeful underworld gods is also awash in eclectic influences—Incan architecture, spaghetti westerns, hip- hop, Aztec floating gardens, telenovelas, heavy metal, Chibi anime, Bollywood, cholas, Hong Kong flicks, low riders. The list goes on. Tr anscending history, myth, and legend, Maya and the Three takes viewers on an adventure through a fantastical imagining of ancient Mesoamerica