Maya the Bee features a spunky young bee, Maya, who won’t follow the rules of the hive. This is a lovely animated film, devoid of violence or other scary stuff, that you can safely share with your younger family members. It’s an engaging tale of adventure and friendship that teaches some poignant lessons about trust and honesty. The first version of this story was made in 1925 in Germany using micro-photography of real insects to tell the story. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Brooke S. comments, “Maya the Bee is a very funny movie. I laughed during many scenes and I also cried during a few scenes. I love the movie because the characters are funny and it teaches great lessons throughout the film.” Video review: https://youtu.be/BzDjUqX6hls
Maya the Bee is an incredible animated film, written by Fin Edquist and Marcus Sauermann, directed by Alexs Stadermann. This is a very funny movie. I laughed during many scenes and I also cried during a few scenes. I love the movie because the characters are funny and it teaches great lessons throughout the film.
The movie takes place in a bee hive located in a colorful meadow full of beautiful flowers. In the meadow, there are many different types of bugs. Inside of the bee hive, there are lots of worker bees. All of the bees have different jobs and the jobs are assigned by the royal advisor, Buzzlina (Jacki Weaver). For instance, one of the jobs is picking up pollen. Another job is watching the adorable little baby bees. This is also where Maya (Coco Jack Gillies) stays until spring. Maya wants to be independent and explore the hive. She does not like staying with the babies, so she sneaks out when she has the first opportunity. When Maya sneaks out, she causes a lot of chaos within the hive because she is very young and does not know what she is doing. She takes you on a fun and exciting adventure.
The movie is well written. Alexs Stadermann draws out remarkable performances from the voice actors and brings out the best in each character. I love how Coco Jack Gillies expresses Maya’s feelings. Jacki Weaver makes the royal advisor, Buzzlina, seem so real.
My favorite scene is when Willy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and Maya meet. They seem to like each other from the very beginning. Another favorite part is when there is a battle between the bees and another group of bugs. My least favorite part of the film is when something horrible happens to Maya and she finds out a secret about the queen.
The message of the story is, everyone has a role to play in life. It takes everyone working as a team to get the job done. The movie is fun, fabulous and family-friendly. I recommend it for ages 4 to 18 as well as adults. I give this movie 5 out of 5 gold stars.
