Maya & Miguel
Encyclopedia
Maya & Miguel is a children's television animated series for children aged 6-12 produced by Scholastic Studios. It appears on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

 as part of the PBS Kids GO!
PBS Kids GO!
PBS Kids GO! is an educational television brand used by PBS for programs intended for older children, rather than the original PBS Kids. It is primarily broadcast on PBS stations during the afternoons...

 lineup and on the CBBC
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...

 channel in the UK. The show ran from October 11, 2004 to October 10, 2007.

Centering around the lives of pre-teen Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

 fraternal twins named Maya and Miguel Santos and their friends, the program is aimed at promoting multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...

 and education
Edutainment
Edutainment is a form of entertainment designed to educate as well as to amuse.-Overview:...

 in general. It is geared to the 5-9 age range. Part of the dialogue in each episode in the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 version is in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 but only individual words or phrases which are explained in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

.

The program features well-known voice talent, including Candi Milo
Candi Milo
Candi Milo is an American voice actress and singer. She voiced many different animated characters such as the voice of Jacobo on Disney's The Replacements, Coco, Madame Foster and Cheese on Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Irma Lair on Disney's W.I.T.C.H., lead character Maya Santos on Maya &...

, Nika Futterman
Nika Futterman
Nika Futterman is an American actress, singer, voice artist, and comedienne.She did the vocals "Give it to me, baby" in The Offspring hit single "Pretty Fly ."-Animated Series:...

, Erik Estrada
Erik Estrada
Henry Enrique "Erik" Estrada is an American police officer and actor, known for his co-starring lead role in the 1977–1983 United States police television series CHiPs...

, Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu
Lucy Alexis Liu is an American actress and film producer. She became known for playing the role of the vicious and ill-mannered Ling Woo in the television series Ally McBeal , and has also appeared in several Hollywood films including Charlie's Angels, Chicago, Kill Bill, and Kung Fu Panda.-Early...

, Carlos Ponce
Carlos Ponce
Carlos Armando Ponce, Jr. is a Puerto Rican actor, singer, composer and television personality. Ponce began his acting career by participating in Spanish language soap operas for Televisa and Telemundo. Ponce continued to expand his acting career by participating in various American television...

 and Elizabeth Peña
Elizabeth Peña
Elizabeth Peña is an American actress and the daughter of a theater-company co-founder, who has also compiled experience as a television director in her own right.-Early life:...

.

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
Stewart platform
A Stewart platform is a type of parallel robot that incorporates six prismatic actuators, commonly hydraulic jacks. These actuators are mounted in pairs to the mechanism's base, crossing over to three mounting points on a top plate. Devices placed on the top plate can be moved in the six degrees...

.

Maya tends to be impulsive and intuitive, while Miguel tends to think things out before acting.

Synopsis

The show presents culture and language learning as fun, relevant and rewarding for all children, with a special emphasis on the Latino population. The show chronicles the adventures, and sometimes misadventures, of ten-year-old fraternal twin
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...

s Maya and Miguel Santos and features their family, friends and a diverse neighborhood. This show centers on Maya's well-intentioned meddling in her family's and friends' lives, ultimately creating new quandaries to fix. 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. The show presents a positive, culturally rich portrayal of Latino family, language and cultures. Each episode ends with a WordGirl
WordGirl
WordGirl is an American children’s animated television series for children aged 6-12, produced by the Soup2Nuts animation unit of Scholastic Entertainment for PBS Kids...

 short. Some episodes end with Miguel announcing, "Here's what some of our friends are up to today," introducing clips of children engaging and interacting in ways consistent with the show's themes. Maya concludes episodes by exhorting viewers to "visit your local library like 'Maya & Miguel'".

Characters

The show centers around 7 main characters. Other characters are included, such as family, but the show mainly revolves around these characters:
  • Maya Santos: An energetic ten-year-old Latin-American girl who always manages to include her twin brother and friends into her crazy adventures. She enjoys playing soccer and cheerleading. Whenever Maya comes up with an idea, she always says "¡Éso es!" (That's it!) and her hair bow lights up; as shown in "The Bet" it will continue to glow until she says" eso es!". She can sometimes be very stubborn, ignorant, and naive, and tends to get involved in other peoples' business. Although most of her ideas don't go the way she plans them, they somehow manage to accomplish their original objective. Maya's heart is always in the right place. Voiced by Candi Milo
    Candi Milo
    Candi Milo is an American voice actress and singer. She voiced many different animated characters such as the voice of Jacobo on Disney's The Replacements, Coco, Madame Foster and Cheese on Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Irma Lair on Disney's W.I.T.C.H., lead character Maya Santos on Maya &...

    .

  • Miguel Santos: A ten-year-old Latin-American boy who is Maya's older twin (by 3 minutes). He is slightly more practical and sensible than his twin sister, and enjoys playing soccer and drawing. Every time 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. He keeps track of Maya's ideas that have gone wrong, which annoys Maya. However, he would sometimes admit 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, which is mutual. He gets along very well with his cousin, Tito. Voiced by Nika Futterman
    Nika Futterman
    Nika Futterman is an American actress, singer, voice artist, and comedienne.She did the vocals "Give it to me, baby" in The Offspring hit single "Pretty Fly ."-Animated Series:...

    .

  • Maggie Lee: Maya's Chinese-American friend. She is very dramatic, fashionable, and talented. She rarely disagrees with Maya's ideas. She loves dancing and cheerleading. She is learning Spanish. Voiced by Lucy Liu
    Lucy Liu
    Lucy Alexis Liu is an American actress and film producer. She became known for playing the role of the vicious and ill-mannered Ling Woo in the television series Ally McBeal , and has also appeared in several Hollywood films including Charlie's Angels, Chicago, Kill Bill, and Kung Fu Panda.-Early...

    .

  • Theo McEwen: Miguel's best friend and soccer buddy. He is African-American. Theo loves sports as much as Miguel and sometimes they are rivals. In one episode, Theo is shown to be bullying Miguel due to his dislike of school. Theo often gets A's in his classes. He is more intelligent than his friends. He is seen using gadgets which he made himself. Theo is often the voice of reason among his friends. He is also shorter. Voiced by Jerod Mixon
    Jerod Mixon
    Jerod Mixon is an American actor. Mixon is perhaps best known for his role portraying the fictional character Weensie in Old School, the distinctively and massively obese undergraduate university student and fraternity pledge enrolled at the fictional Harrison University...

    .

  • Tito Chávez: Maya and Miguel's seven-year-old cousin who moved to the U.S. from Mexico with his parents. He lives in the same apartment complex. He admires his cousin Miguel. He admires Miguel so much that he even tried to look and act like him, to Miguel's pleasure, in the episode: I've Got to be Miguel. He loves to play soccer and is a big fan of a wrestler
    Professional wrestling
    Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...

     named El Guamazo Lopez, the "greatest luchador" from Mexico City. Voiced by Candi Milo
    Candi Milo
    Candi Milo is an American voice actress and singer. She voiced many different animated characters such as the voice of Jacobo on Disney's The Replacements, Coco, Madame Foster and Cheese on Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Irma Lair on Disney's W.I.T.C.H., lead character Maya Santos on Maya &...

    .

  • Chrissy Lum: Maya's Dominican-American friend. She is very sensitive and level-headed (sometimes she can also be gullible). Chrissy sometimes points out the flaws in Maya's plans, similar to Miguel. She likes cheerleading, cats, and the color pink. Voiced by Elizabeth Payne.

  • Andy Arlington: A 10-year-old English-American boy who was born with only one arm and is Miguel's friend. Often seen in the background with Miguel and Theo, he likes to play soccer, basketball, and baseball. Andy comes from a wealthy family. He does not consider himself to be better than anyone else, though. He has a crush on a Mexican girl named Esperanza, but was nervous about speaking with her as he cannot speak Spanish well and she is not fluent in English. Besides meeting and being nervous about meeting Esperanza, it is not known whether or not they are still together. Voiced by Jeannie Elias
    Jeannie Elias
    Jeannie Elias is a Canadian American film and voice actress.-Anime Roles:* Blood+ - Young Haji, Nahabi, Additional Voices* Ergo Proxy - Kitty* Naruto - Kaori-Non-anime Roles:...

    .

Voices of the characters

  • Carlos Alazraqui
    Carlos Alazraqui
    Carlos Jaime Alazraqui is an American actor, comedian, impressionist and voice actor. He is best known for his role as Deputy James Garcia on the Comedy Central series Reno 911!. His voice-over work includes the role of Bobbi Fabulous on Phineas and Ferb, the Taco Bell chihuahua, Denzel Q...

     as Paco/Mr. Nguyen/Ernesto Chavez
  • Jeff Bennett as Todd, Andy's father/Jimmy McCorkle's rapping voice
  • Maria Canals-Barrera as Ms. Rodriguez (Marco's Mom)
  • Leslie Carrara-Rudolph as Simon Schulz
  • Jeannie Elias
    Jeannie Elias
    Jeannie Elias is a Canadian American film and voice actress.-Anime Roles:* Blood+ - Young Haji, Nahabi, Additional Voices* Ergo Proxy - Kitty* Naruto - Kaori-Non-anime Roles:...

     as Andy Arlington/Mrs. Lee/Jimmy McCorkle/Veronica
  • Liza del Mundo
    Liza del Mundo
    Liza del Mundo is a Filipino-American voice actress who voices Hay Lin in W.I.T.C.H and will voice Andy's mother, Laura on Maya and Miguel. She was raised in the Rancho Penasquitos area of San Diego, California. In 1993, She graduated from Mt. Carmel High School, where she wrote for the school...

     as Laura, Andy's mother
  • GiGi Erneta
    Gigi Erneta
    Gigi Erneta is an American actress of Argentine descent.-Selected filmography:*Flag of My Father as Capt. Judith Rainier*Fire From Below as Toni Nelson*Risen as Jenny Mills...

     as Esperanza
  • Erik Estrada
    Erik Estrada
    Henry Enrique "Erik" Estrada is an American police officer and actor, known for his co-starring lead role in the 1977–1983 United States police television series CHiPs...

     as Señor Felipe
  • Nika Futterman
    Nika Futterman
    Nika Futterman is an American actress, singer, voice artist, and comedienne.She did the vocals "Give it to me, baby" in The Offspring hit single "Pretty Fly ."-Animated Series:...

     as Miguel Santos/Rebecca
  • Candi Milo
    Candi Milo
    Candi Milo is an American voice actress and singer. She voiced many different animated characters such as the voice of Jacobo on Disney's The Replacements, Coco, Madame Foster and Cheese on Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Irma Lair on Disney's W.I.T.C.H., lead character Maya Santos on Maya &...

     as Maya Santos/Tito Chavez/Chrissy's Mom
  • Annie Mumolo
    Annie Mumolo
    Annie Mumolo is an American actress and screenwriter. She was born in Irvine, California.-Acting:She is a member of the improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings. She appeared in the 2005 feature film Bewitched, and television shows such as The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, Out of...

     as Kylie
  • Lupe Ontiveros
    Lupe Ontiveros
    Lupe Ontiveros is an American film and television actress. Ontiveros has acted in numerous films and television shows, most often playing a maid or, more recently, an all-knowing grandmother; she estimates she has played a maid between 150 and 300 times on screen.-Early life:Ontiveros was born...

     as Abuela Elena
  • Elizabeth Peña
    Elizabeth Peña
    Elizabeth Peña is an American actress and the daughter of a theater-company co-founder, who has also compiled experience as a television director in her own right.-Early life:...

     as Rosa Santos
  • Carlos Ponce
    Carlos Ponce
    Carlos Armando Ponce, Jr. is a Puerto Rican actor, singer, composer and television personality. Ponce began his acting career by participating in Spanish language soap operas for Televisa and Telemundo. Ponce continued to expand his acting career by participating in various American television...

     as Santiago Santos/Chrissy's Dad
  • Lucy Liu
    Lucy Liu
    Lucy Alexis Liu is an American actress and film producer. She became known for playing the role of the vicious and ill-mannered Ling Woo in the television series Ally McBeal , and has also appeared in several Hollywood films including Charlie's Angels, Chicago, Kill Bill, and Kung Fu Panda.-Early...

     as Maggie Lee
  • Beth Payne as Chrissy
  • Jerod Mixon
    Jerod Mixon
    Jerod Mixon is an American actor. Mixon is perhaps best known for his role portraying the fictional character Weensie in Old School, the distinctively and massively obese undergraduate university student and fraternity pledge enrolled at the fictional Harrison University...

     as Theo McEwen

Funding

  • Chuck E. Cheese's
    Chuck E. Cheese's
    Chuck E. Cheese's is a chain of family entertainment centers. Chuck E...

  • Stonyfield Farm
    Stonyfield Farm
    Stonyfield Farm, also simply called Stonyfield, is an organic yogurt maker located in Londonderry, New Hampshire, USA. Stonyfield Farm was founded by Samuel Kaymen in 1983, in Wilton, New Hampshire, as an organic farming school...

  • Ready To Learn Television Cooperative Agreement
  • U.S. Department of Education
  • Corporation for Public Broadcasting
    Corporation for Public Broadcasting
    The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...

  • Viewers Like You

DVD releases

There has been only 3 Maya & Miguel DVD releases. There are no plans for releasing the complete seasons on DVD, although there are several episodes available on the official website.
  • Maya & Miguel: Twice the Fun (September 13, 2005)
  • Maya & Miguel: Funny Fix Ups (September 13, 2005)
  • Maya & Miguel: Cinco de Maya (April 18, 2006)
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