La abeja Maya

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

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!

'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!!

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!

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.