| Maya the Bee | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Alexs Stadermann |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | Alexs Stadermann |
| Based on | Maya the Bee byWaldemar Bonsels |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Edited by | Adam Smith |
| Music by | Ute Engelhardt |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 88 minutes[5][6] |
| Countries |
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| Languages | German English |
| Box office | $29.6 million[8] |
Maya the Bee (promoted theatrically asMaya the Bee Movie) is a 2014 animatedadventurecomedy film directed by Alexs Stadermann, loosely based on the 1975 animeMaya the Bee as well as indirectly on the German children's bookThe Adventures ofMaya the Bee byWaldemar Bonsels. The first animated film in theMaya the Bee franchise, it was produced byStudio 100 Animation and Buzz Studios, and distributed byStudioCanal in Australia and byUniversum Film in Germany. It features the voices of Coco Jack Gillies,Kodi Smit-McPhee,Noah Taylor,Richard Roxburgh,Jacki Weaver,Justine Clarke,The Umbilical Brothers, andMiriam Margolyes.
Maya the Bee was released theatrically on 4 September 2014. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but grossed $29.6 million worldwide. Two sequels toMaya the Bee were released:The Honey Games in 2018,The Golden Orb in 2021, and an upcoming spin-off titledArnie & Barney scheduled for 2026.
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Maya is a young bee, who does not like to follow the rules of the hive. One rule is to not trust any hornets that live beyond the meadow. The Royal Jelly is stolen, and the hornets are suspected to be the ones who have stolen it, with Maya as the suspect accomplice. Nobody in the hive believes that she is innocent, and nobody except for her best friend Willy stands by her. They journey to the hive of the hornets, and Maya and Willy discover the culprit. The two friends bond with the other members of the opulent meadow.
Universum Film distributed the film in German-speaking territories throughBuena Vista International,[a] whileStudioCanal handled the distribution in Australasia. The film is directed by Alexs Stadermann, and produced by Patrick Elmendorff and Thorsten Wegener fromStudio 100 Animation inMunich; and Jim Ballantine and Barbara Stephen from Buzz Studios inSydney.[12][5] The film was produced in association withFlying Bark Productions and the channelZDF.[13][14] This film was Coco Jack Gillies' film debut, voicing the role of Maya. Gillies was 9 years old at the time of production.[5][10]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 47% of 17 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.6/10.[15]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 49 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[16]
Frank Hatherley ofScreen Daily positively assessed the visuals and action scenes, along with Coco Jack Gillies' performance as Maya.[5] In one of his articles forVariety, Peter Debruge felt the plot was "innocuous and uninspired as preschool animation gets" and criticised the character designs as "rudimentary at best", but he considered it a "relief to parents exhausted by the overly antic quality of all those other bug stories" and praised the target audience's interest in Maya's interaction with the other Poppy Meadow insects.[17] Although Michael Rechtstaffen ofThe Hollywood Reporter thought the film wouldn't generate "much of a buzz beyond female preschoolers", he praised its story as well as the cast's performances.[18]
Charles Solomon of theLos Angeles Times questioned the film's dialogue and ending scenes, and later called it a "self-consciously uplifting treacle some adults insist kids want".[19] Writing forThe Sydney Morning Herald, Jake Wilson called the film's plot a "wearyingly familiar story", but praised the animation as well as Maya's characterisation.[20]
| Award | Category | Subject | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia Pacific Screen Award | Best Animated Feature Film | Barbara Stephen & Thorsten Wegener | Nominated |
| Bavarian Film Award | Best Animated Film | Patrick Elemendorff & Thorsten Wegener | Won |
| Screen Producers Australia Award | Best Feature Film Production | Barbara Stephen & Thorsten Wegener | Nominated |
| Seattle International Film Festival | Youth Jury Award | Alexs Stadermann | Nominated |
| Stockholm International Film Festival | Grand Jury Prize for Best Film | Nominated |
A sequel,Maya the Bee: The Honey Games, was released on 26 July 2018. having the same cast but having a somewhat different crew and production companies. Another sequel,Maya the Bee: The Golden Orb, was released on 7 January 2021. It was scheduled to be released in Australia on 17 June 2020, but due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the film was pushed back. An upcoming spin-off film called "Arnie & Barney" is scheduled to be released in Q1 2026.
