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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Cast
- Coco Jack GilliesMaya (voice)
- Kodi Smit-McPheeWilly (voice)
- Richard RoxburghFlip (voice)
- Noah TaylorCrawley (voice)
- Justine ClarkeMiss Cassandra (voice)
- Miriam MargolyesThe Queen (voice)
Recommendations
- 70
Village Voice
Maya the Bee Movie does what it does very well, moving along at a brisk pace and with a strong underlying message for its young audience. - 60
The Hollywood Reporter
Alexs Stadermann, directing from a script by Marcus Sauermann and Fin Edquist, keeps the story humming along genially, while the voice cast, also including Miriam Margoyles as the kindly Queen and Jacki Weaver as her conniving royal advisor, provides the spirited uplift. - 60
The New York Times
The film’s messages about friendship, acceptance and being yourself are clear enough for the young, and grown-ups can read the story as a warning about conformity and about going to war on false pretenses. - 50
Movie Nation
More harmless than entertaining, a limp exercise in cinematic baby-sitting for the six-and-under set. - 50
Variety
All told, in giving parents nothing to object to, director Alexs Stadermann (who got his start making straight-to-video sequels for Disney) has also given them little to get excited about, apart from the idea of sharing Maya with another generation of preschoolers. - 40
Los Angeles Times
Talky, relentlessly affirming and as predictable as a paint-by-number. - 40
Time Out London
The humour lacks the zingy surprise that Pixar or Disney might have brought to it.
