Maya the Bee Movie

2015 "Friendship is thicker than honey"
5.9| 1h19m| G| en| More Info
Released: 08 March 2015 Released
Producted By: ZDF
Country: Germany
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://studio100film.com/en/movies.php?item=4
Synopsis

Freshly hatched bee Maya is a little whirlwind and won't follow the rules of the hive. One of these rules is not to trust the hornets that live beyond the meadow. When the Royal Jelly is stolen, the hornets are suspected and Maya is thought to be their accomplice. No one believes that she is the innocent victim and no one will stand by her except for her good-natured and best friend Willy. After a long and eventful journey to the hornets hive Maya and Willy soon discover the true culprit and the two friends finally bond with the other residents of the opulent meadow.

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Reviews

ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.
AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
Cartoonreviews Honestly, I had absolutely NO idea what to expect when coming into this movie. I had never seen the original anime series nor the revamp so I didn't know what it was about or what to expect. The only reason I saw it is because it was on Netflix and I was bored. What I received was actually a really cute, well thought out, adorable film. It's nice to see a movie that teaches the lesson that all you need is a positive outlook and you can do anything as well as there being no need for any sort of violence or death of the villain. (i am actually getting very sick of killing off villains as I have come to accept that as taking the lazy way out)Can the protagonist get a tad annoying with her rhetoric? Yeah, a little, but she later realizes what has been going on in her absence and she actually does have some character growth. I feel overall that this movie is incredibly underrated and needs more attention than it got. I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would and it's a film that people really need to see if they need a pick me up. Great job guys. 9/10.
Sergeant_Tibbs It's hard for an small animation studio to compete with the likes of Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, Universal and Warner Bros. You can either give your best shot at CG or go back to basics and try to impress with 2D or stop-motion. Director Alexs Stadermann, Studio 100 Animation and Buzz Studios chose the former. Based on a 78-episode TV series they released in 2012, the film's budget is spread between countless characters and locations rather than cinematic detail to make it burst on the big screen. This is cookie cutter stuff. At least it's not bad choice for material, 100 year-old German literature figure Maya the Bee is well known and highly regarded – admittedly not to me until recently – but put to film it invites endless comparisons to the other CG bug movies such as A Bug's Life, Bee Movie, Antz and so on. This is familiar territory, and it's dead territory by now. Though in hindsight, these films were most likely inspired by the original Maya the Bee.So, we have a precocious little bee called Maya exploring her hive and the outside world for the first time with inquisitive gleeful wonder. Unfortunately, this hive is a totalitarian society of militaristic conformism. Of course, Maya is the antithesis of them and the chosen one to ultimately change the attitudes of everyone simultaneously. Meanwhile, The Queen's adviser is trying to take over the throne by starving the Queen while sparking a turf war between a generations long conflict with bees and hornets. Also Maya befriends another bee eager to make friends and overcome his nerves, and they stumble upon a young hornet who has yet to learn his prejudices through propaganda. Then there are parties in the forest with other insects where they sing a random song about belonging lead by Maya the Bee's own Jiminy Cricket because why not at this point?It's bloated with subplots and relentless introductions of new characters. It's not difficult to follow, and to writer's credit that despite the very liberal contrivances in the progressions, the story, themes and characters arcs flow fine if simply. The film is just an overload of clichés at a relentless pace. Every peril seems to last 15 seconds before it's overcome and we jump to the next plot line. It covers every cliché in the book without an original thought or personality of its own. All the comedy comes from dopey characters being dopey – or abysmal puns. While the stories do mesh together eventually, none of them have any impact or involvement. They could have benefited with some trimming and focusing. Perhaps The Fox and the Hound-esque one where the young Hornet and Maya learn hate is only taught would have been the most interesting and thoughtful to follow.At least it is a film – outside of that musical number – that takes itself seriously. But maybe that's too seriously for its target market. Unfortunately, there's no atmosphere in the animation. Yes, bug worlds give a good space for simple shapes and movements to animate. Photorealistic textures aren't 100% essential, A Bug's Life didn't try for it outside of landscapes, but Maya the Bee is so sterile. It's the quality of a video game cut scene – from 10 years ago. Characters talk like they're chewing on tough steak. The voice acting from notable stars such as Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jacki Weaver and Noah Taylor are serviceable and they're definitely just names just to draw attention to the project. You wouldn't know it was them if you hadn't read the credits on the box. Kids will enjoy it and it'll keep their attention for all of its 80 minutes, if not be anything memorable. The brisk pace will make it an easy tune-out viewing for parents inflicted by the film, but most likely Maya the Bee will play better put back on television."5/10Read more @ The Awards Circuit (http://www.awardscircuit.com/)
Jimmi M A remarkably well paced beautifully animated whimsical feature with superb story progression and impeccable comedy timing, perfect for youngsters and adults alike. I've caught snippets of the Maya TV show when my children were watching and thought it was rather sweet, but never paid much attention. Then along comes the movie. My perception of TV shows turned into feature length film's are less than stellar, often feeling like a padded out and an overly long TV episode. Maya the Bee movie firmly avoids this pitfall and feels like a stand alone tale anyone can enjoy. I frequently found myself mesmerized as though I was watching a top of their game Disney production, and I'm a 37 year old action movie loving dad! Story: I won't dwell on it here, the IMDb covers it amply. Other than to say, though many of the topics have been covered before, it is refreshingly arranged and never feels rehashed or tiresome. There are also plenty of novel ideas making Maya a somewhat original tale.Humour: The comedy in Maya is very slapstick and hilarious. I heard many younger and older kids in the theatre laughing over and over again (like myself) at many of the characters antics. Violence: As another reviewer has stated there is absolutely no violence but there is threatened violence and a few mildly spooky scenes. But nothing feels out of place and any scariness is quickly exposed for what it is, misperception. The threatened violence equates to nothing more than a raised stern voice and dissatisfaction with another bug over a conflicting view or their prejudices. Characterisation: The strong willed beautiful natured Maya. Her latently brave best friend Wily. Flip the Singing, wise, stand up comedian, Jiminy cricket channeling grass hopper. The portly fair Queen Bee. The dastardly treacherous Buzzlina Von Beena. And a slew of support cast some with prominent reoccurring roles.Do yourself a favour, round up the kids and see this in the theatre. In a world full of violence it's great to see a movie being made which is able to tell a riveting tale of adventure, exploration,friendship, empathy, bullying, righteousness, misguided prejudice and tolerance. And still manages be absolutely riveting. It's utterly refreshing.
heidy-villafane My kids LOVED IT! By kids I mean my Niece and Nephew. They've been recently introduced to Maya the Bee through the TV show, and we were lucky enough to score some tickets to the premiere in Sydney and it was a brilliant day for us. My Niece is 5 and wanted me to find the song on YouTube which we did and she was singing it all the way home in the car - very catchy! This movie is 80 minutes long (I think) and they sat through it with great excitement and really connected to the characters.They loved the ants - won't go into any spoilers but it was a really funny movie and I could hear some cackle from all the grown ups. They went up to the front to dance to the song, although it was too short! The sad moments were quite sad, but needed to form an engaging story. I have German friends who tell me she is their Mickey Mouse and I think she's definitely a character they're growing attached to! So proud this was made in Australia - bring on the Aussie talent!