Die Biene Maja - Der Kinofilm

I went and saw Maya the Bee movie the other day and I loved it.

It has a great storyline, characters, animation, message for kids and kept me entertained.

There's a perfect balance of action & events as Maya discovers her place in the world and how to make friends along the way. I loved the dung beetle, thought he was hilarious and cannot believe that was Jacki Weaver's voice as Buzzlina. She was unrecognisable! I was also happy to see the Umbilical Brothers in their element as a duo bouncing off one-another.

I was brought into Maya's world with the great animation and the message "Bee yourself" isn't lost on me as an adult either.

Two thumbs up, Maya!

I loved this film. The story was great, the characters were lovable and I thought the message of the film (be yourself and just because someone is different from you doesn't mean you can't be friends) was a great one for little kids. It never resorted to being too corny either which I appreciated. The voice actors did a great job and the whole cinema was laughing out loud in parts (the ant soldiers played by the umbilical brothers were particularly great). I even got a little teary near the end! A movie that is enjoyable for both kids and parents a like.

I think the crew and the director did a fantastic job and I would recommend this to anyone with little ones in their life. Maya the bee is this year's Finding Nemo!

Maya is one of the most delightful and sparkling characters to come out of a kids film in a long time. In a way reminiscent of Miyazaki's youngest heroine's this little bee stands up to authority and keeps just asking questions.

The movie is spectacularly beautiful. There is a rich meadow world that comes alive. My two girls were spellbound for the whole film. The 4 year old can get scared easily in films (the poster of The Boxtrolls was enough to scare her) but she was happily cheering Maya on. The whole bug world comes alive in song and dance that is so charming - the girls were singing all afternoon.

There was enough humour for grownups too. There are a couple of ants (voiced by the Umbilical Bros) that really steal the show. Jackie Weaver as evil Buzzlina had just the right amount of scare and fun in her portrayal. The other voices, Richard Roxburgh and Noah Taylor, etc. did such a great job.

Take your kids, it's a great time at the movies.

No violence whatsoever, an uplifting message (hatred comes from fear and fear comes from lack of understanding), an intelligent story, beautiful pictures and animation, humor adjusted to the level of small kids. I found not a single flaw in this movie. My 3 and a half year old daughter was delighted.

Of course, and this results from the above, adults should prepare themselves for an hour and a half nap. This is not "Shrek", people. But this is no reason to lower the rating of a movie that is clearly directed at preschoolers.

Some people complain that they did not find it as amusing as the original Maya series 30 years ago. Of course they didn't! They were 4 years old back then and now they are 30+. So how could they feel the same emotions?

My rating: 10/10

'Maya the Bee' Movie is a lovely and very sweet film for children (and children at heart) of all ages.

We are introduced to the uber colourful world of a sweet little bee called Maya. She is trying to find her way in the world, asking anyone and everyone she meets questions such as, "who am I?" and "where do I fit in?"; much the same questions as I'd imagine my 2 y.o. daughter will start asking sooner than I'd like!

Inquisitive little Maya just can't seem to stay out of trouble! Along the way, she meets all sorts of creatures in the meadow outside the hive, including Flip (voiced by the very handsome Aussie actor, Richard Roxburgh; check out the TV show 'Rake' all you mums out there ;) ), as well as an assortment of other cute, vibrant, and hilarious creatures and insects (loved the crazy-eyed ant soldiers, and the dung beetle- so funny).

I just loved this film. It's a really sweet, innocent, feel-good story, and what a treat to watch; the animation is just second to none- it really blew me away! You find yourself really immersed in the whole world that's been so deftly created and in Maya's quest to 'find herself'.

I highly recommend this film to any parents out there struggling to find movies for their kids to watch that are more than just the same-old wham-bam violent rubbish that I keep seeing around nowadays.

Go, Maya!!