Maya & Miguel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Maya & Miguel | |
|---|---|
 Maya (left) and Miguel atop the Maya & Miguel logo. |
|
| Format | Children's show |
| Created by | Deborah Forte |
| Starring | Candi Milo Nika Futterman Erik Estrada Lucy Liu Carlos Ponce Elizabeth Peña |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 88 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes per episode |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | PBS |
| Original run | October 11, 2004 – present |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Maya & Miguel is a half-hour American children's television animated series produced by Scholastic Studios. It appears on PBS as part of the PBS Kids GO! lineup and on the CBBC channel in the UK. The show premiered on October 11, 2004.
Centering around the lives of pre-teen Hispanic twins Maya and Miguel Santos and their friends, the program is aimed at promoting multiculturalism and education in general. It is geared to the 5-9 age range. Part of the dialogue in each episode is in Spanish but only individual words or phrases which are explained in English.
The program features well-known voice talent, including Candi Milo, Nika Futterman, Erik Estrada, Lucy Liu, Carlos Ponce and Elizabeth Peña.
The artists have an unusual attention to detail. In one episode where Miguel is "flying" a spaceship simulator, we see that it is supported by a Stewart platform.
Maya tends to be impulsive and intuitive, while Miguel tends to think things out before acting.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
The show presents culture and language learning as fun, relevant and rewarding for all children, with a special emphasis on the Latino population. Lively and colorful, the show chronicles the adventures, and sometimes misadventures, of 10-year-old twins Maya and Miguel Santos and features their family, friends and a richly diverse neighborhood. This never-a-dull-moment situation comedy revolves around Maya's well-intended meddling in her family's and friends' lives, ultimately creating new quandaries to fix. While every episode takes humorous twists and turns, the underlying message is the importance of doing good for the family and community, and the philosophy that shared happiness is greater than personal gain. Sprinkled throughout the series are values of friendship and family and a positive, culturally rich portrayal of Latino family, language and cultures.
[edit] Characters
- Maya Santos: A 10-year-old Mexican-American/Puerto-Rican American girl who always drags her brother and friends into her crazy schemes/ideas. Whenever Maya comes up with an idea, she always says "¡Éso es!" (That's it!) and her hairbow lights up. Shows signs of ADHD because of her impulsiveness and her hyperactivity in some episodes. It's been shown that Rosa had a similar ponytail and hair scrunchie, which ironically explains where she gets it from. In some episodes she hates admitting that her ideas are bad ideas when they usually (which they always do) go wrong, and gets annoyed when Miguel rubs it in with his told-you-sos. But even though most of her ideas don't go the way she plans them, they somehow manage to accomplish their original objective (though sometimes in a rather bizarre way). There have also been a few of her plans that have surprisingly worked. But Maya's heart is always in the right place.
- Miguel Santos: A 10-year-old Mexican-American/Puerto Rican-American boy who is Maya's older twin (by three minutes). He is slightly more sensible than his sister, and enjoys playing soccer and drawing. Everytime Maya gets an idea, he gets a bad feeling about it. He knows Maya means well, but he thinks she gets more involved in other people's problems than need be. In some episodes, however, he admits that an idea of hers is the best idea yet. He is also slightly smarter than his sister. He has a crush on a girl named Kylie.
- Chrissy: Maya's Afro-Dominican friend She is very sensitive. She has a cousin named Melissa Rojas, who shares the same name as the famous actress/pop star/clothing designer.
- Maggie Lee: Maya's Chinese-American friend. She is very dramatic, fashionable, and talented. She has skills in designing clothes.
- Theo: Miguel's best friend and soccer buddy. He is African-American. Theo loves sports as much as Miguel and sometimes they are rivals. Theo often gets A's in his classes. He is more intelligent than his friends with the exception of perhaps Miguel. He is seen using gadgets which he made himself. He is similar to Jason from Foxtrot.
- Andy: A French-American boy who only has one arm and is Miguel's friend. Often seen in the background with Miguel and Theo,he likes to play soccer.
- Tito Chávez: Maya and Miguel's 8-year-old cousin who moved to the US from Mexico. He lives in same apartment complex. He admires his cousin Miguel and one time tried to be like him, much to Maya's annoyance and jealousy (even though it was her idea). He is a big fan of El Guamazo Lopez, the greatest luchador from Mexico City.
- Abuelita (Elena): Maya and Miguel's maternal grandmother from Mexico who also lives near the Santos' apartment. She is also a big fan of El Guamazo Lopez.
- Paco: A bilingual parrot who is the twins' pet originally owned by their abuela. Most commonly heard saying "Pretty Bird" and "What about Paco, what about Paco?", he often gets loose, causing much trouble and confusion. He often reacts to figures of speech, thinking they are real.
- Simon: A kid at school. He ran for Class President and defeated Maggie.
- Santiago Santos: Maya and Miguel's father. He along with his wife Rosa run a pets store outside the family's apartment complex. In some episodes he is seen playing with his guitar and singing Latin music. He's of Puerto Rican descent. It's been hinted in an episode that Miguel's inherited his father's common sense.
- Rosa Santos: Maya and Miguel's mother. Rosa's from Mexico. She is usually running the pet store with her husband Santiago, doing housework, and making meals for her family. In one episode she embarrasses Maya and Miguel in front of their friends when she became permanent coach of their soccer team. Rational, kind, plus seductive.
- Mr. Nguyen, Maya, Miguel, and their friends' 5th grade teacher. He is usually the calm happy fellow that owns a pet parrot named Minh whom Paco falls in love with.
- Jimmy McCorkle: A 10-year-old British-American. When he moves in Maya and Miguel's neighborhood, they and their friends are scared of him because of his big size. They later realize he has a good heart and loves bunnies, especially the bunny he buys at Maya and Miguel's parents' pet shop.
- Kylie: A girl who Miguel has a crush on, and the feeling is obviously mutual. She is a big fan of Melissa Rojas.
[edit] List of episodes
[edit] Season one (2004-2005)
- 1: Mala Suerte
- 2: The Matchmaker
- 3: When Maya met Andy
- 4: The Autograph
- 5: Rhymes with 'Gato
- 6: La Nueva Cocinita
- 7: The Letter
- 8: Teacher's Pet
- 9: La Calavera
- 10: Politics Unusual
- 11: Tito's Mexican Vacation
- 12: The Doubtful Prince
- 13: The Bully and The Bunny
- 14: Family Time
- 15: Surprise, Surprise
- 16: An Okri-Dokey Day
- 17: Chrissy's Big Move
- 18: Career Day
- 19: I've Got to be Mi-guel
- 20: Soccer Mom
[edit] Season two (2005-2006)
- 21: The Adventures of Rabbit-Bird Man
- 22: Maya and Miguel, Come on Down!
- 23: The Wrestler Next Door
- 24: A Little Culture
- 25: The Bet
- 26: The Cheery Chipper Cupid Sisters
- 27: Team Santos
- 28: Friends Forever?
- 29: The Slump
- 30: The Dogwalkers
- 31: Recipe for Disaster
- 32: The Pen Pal
- 33: Abuela Upmanship
- 34: Fashionitas
- 35: Maya Quixote and Miguel Panza
- 36: The Taming of Mr. Shue
- 37: Tito's Pet
- 38: Real Twins
- 39: Give Me A Little Sign
- 40: A Star is Born
[edit] Season three (2006-2007)
- 41: Paper Girl
- 42: Miguel's Wonderful Life
- 43: The Video
- 44: Decisions, Decisions
- 45: A Rose is Still A Rose
- 46: Role Reversal
- 47: After School
- 48: The Wedding
- 49: Puppy Love
- 50: Mother's Day
- 51: The Big Fight
- 52: The Best Thanksgiving Ever
- 53: Cupid
- 54: Papi Joins the Band
- 55: Crushed
- 56: The Red Jacket
- 57: Maya the Mascot
- 58: Good Luck Paco
- 59: Paging Dr. Maya
- 60: The Battle of the Birthdays
[edit] Season four (2007-2008)
- 61: Say Cheese!
- 62: A House Divided
- 63: Every Day is Earth Day
- 64: The Big Idea
- 65: I Love Maya
[edit] Theme song
Here are the original complete theme song lyrics:
- It's Maya (it's Maya) and Miguel (and Miguel),
- Brother and Sister, and Lovers as well!!
- It's Maya (it's Maya) and Miguel (Miguel),
- What they will do next you never can tell!
- With each misadventure they're put to the test,
- Working together is what they do best!
- Helping their family and friends, that's the start!
- He leads with his head and she follows her heart!
- It's Maya, (it's Maya) and Miguel (Miguel),
- What they will do next you never can tell!
- It's Maya, (it's Maya) and Miguel (Miguel)
- Brother and Sister, and Lovers as well!
- Brother and Sister, Hey, Maya and Miguel!
Note: In the first season, the part of the theme that goes:
- They make a great team as they each do their part!
was originally:
- He leads with his head and she follows her heart!
It's possible the change in lyrics was because it may have suggested that Maya and Miguel's relationship was a little romantic and not suitable for a younger generation.
Note
In the episode "Friends Forever", Miguel's old soccer coach is shown coaching the team, even though he became a pro in the episode "Soccer Mom".
[edit] Voices of the characters
- Candi Milo as Maya Santos/Tito Chavez/Chrissy's Mom
- Nika Futterman as Miguel Santos
- Carlos Alazraqui as Paco/Mr. Nguyen/Chrissy's Dad/Ernesto Chavez
- Jeannie Elias as Andy Vickers/Mrs. Lee/Jimmy McCorkle
- Lucy Liu as Maggie Lee
- Jerod Mixon as Theo McEwen
- Lupe Ontiveros as Abuela Elena
- Beth Payne as Chrissy
- Elizabeth Peña as Rosa Santos
- Carlos Ponce as Santiago Santos
- Maria Canals as Ms. Rodriguez (Marco's Mom)
- Gabriel Romero as Cuetzpallin
- Erik Estrada as Señor Felipe
- GiGi Erneta as Esperanza
- Tyrone Birkett as Kylie/Sara/Mr. Lee/Veronica
[edit] Funders
- United States Department of Education (2004-Present)
- Corporation for Public Broadcasting (2004-Present)
- Chuck E. Cheese's (2005-Present)
