María is the protagonist of the anime series Thumbelina: A Magical Story. She is introduced as a mischievous and tomboyish young girl whose energetic behavior often exhausts her mother. Her background begins in the real world, where she lives with her mother. When her mother reads her a magical copy of the fairy tale Thumbelina, María is mysteriously shrunk and pulled into the dream world contained within the book. There she learns that she must journey to a faraway southern land to meet the Crystal Prince in order to wake her mother and return to her normal size. Her initial personality is bratty and willful, but as she travels through the fantastical world, she encounters various trials and hardships that encourage her to develop patience, empathy, and courage. María’s motivation evolves from simply wanting to go home to genuinely helping the friends she makes along the way. Her key relationships include her mother, who serves as a grounding figure, and the companions she befriends in the dream world, such as the frog Hoppy, the good witch Angela, and the swallow. These bonds teach her the value of cooperation and trust. Over the course of the story, María matures from a selfish, impulsive child into a more thoughtful and determined individual. She does not possess magical abilities; instead, her resourcefulness, growing bravery, and willingness to learn are her notable traits. Her role is that of the central protagonist whose actions drive the plot, and her journey serves as a coming‑of‑age adventure.