L'ape Maia - Il film

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 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!!

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.

It's hard for an small animation studio to compete with the likes of Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, Universal and Warner Bros. You can either give your best shot at CG or go back to basics and try to impress with 2D or stop-motion. Director Alexs Stadermann, Studio 100 Animation and Buzz Studios chose the former. Based on a 78-episode TV series they released in 2012, the film's budget is spread between countless characters and locations rather than cinematic detail to make it burst on the big screen. This is cookie cutter stuff. At least it's not bad choice for material, 100 year-old German literature figure Maya the Bee is well known and highly regarded – admittedly not to me until recently – but put to film it invites endless comparisons to the other CG bug movies such as A Bug's Life, Bee Movie, Antz and so on. This is familiar territory, and it's dead territory by now. Though in hindsight, these films were most likely inspired by the original Maya the Bee.

So, we have a precocious little bee called Maya exploring her hive and the outside world for the first time with inquisitive gleeful wonder. Unfortunately, this hive is a totalitarian society of militaristic conformism. Of course, Maya is the antithesis of them and the chosen one to ultimately change the attitudes of everyone simultaneously. Meanwhile, The Queen's adviser is trying to take over the throne by starving the Queen while sparking a turf war between a generations long conflict with bees and hornets. Also Maya befriends another bee eager to make friends and overcome his nerves, and they stumble upon a young hornet who has yet to learn his prejudices through propaganda. Then there are parties in the forest with other insects where they sing a random song about belonging lead by Maya the Bee's own Jiminy Cricket because why not at this point?

It's bloated with subplots and relentless introductions of new characters. It's not difficult to follow, and to writer's credit that despite the very liberal contrivances in the progressions, the story, themes and characters arcs flow fine if simply. The film is just an overload of clichés at a relentless pace. Every peril seems to last 15 seconds before it's overcome and we jump to the next plot line. It covers every cliché in the book without an original thought or personality of its own. All the comedy comes from dopey characters being dopey – or abysmal puns. While the stories do mesh together eventually, none of them have any impact or involvement. They could have benefited with some trimming and focusing. Perhaps The Fox and the Hound-esque one where the young Hornet and Maya learn hate is only taught would have been the most interesting and thoughtful to follow.

At least it is a film – outside of that musical number – that takes itself seriously. But maybe that's too seriously for its target market. Unfortunately, there's no atmosphere in the animation. Yes, bug worlds give a good space for simple shapes and movements to animate. Photorealistic textures aren't 100% essential, A Bug's Life didn't try for it outside of landscapes, but Maya the Bee is so sterile. It's the quality of a video game cut scene – from 10 years ago. Characters talk like they're chewing on tough steak. The voice acting from notable stars such as Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jacki Weaver and Noah Taylor are serviceable and they're definitely just names just to draw attention to the project. You wouldn't know it was them if you hadn't read the credits on the box. Kids will enjoy it and it'll keep their attention for all of its 80 minutes, if not be anything memorable. The brisk pace will make it an easy tune-out viewing for parents inflicted by the film, but most likely Maya the Bee will play better put back on television."

5/10

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I was lucky enough to attend the Australian premiere of Maya the Bee Movie and cannot express how much my kids (aged 7 and 4 years old) and I ADORED this movie.

It's a beautiful story about a feisty little bee called Maya who doesn't fit in with the other bees in the hive. Maya goes on a journey of self- discovery, meeting lots of insect friends along the way. The main message of the movie is the importance of BEE-ing yourself: something which is important for kids to see from a strong female character who is neither a princess or a wizard (thank goodness!).

My little ones were fully captivated for 80 minutes straight (shock horror) and talked about their favourite scenes and characters in the car on the way home. The filmmakers did a superb job making the film colourful and appealing with gorgeous CG animation, and the story is really something special that everyone can relate to.

I strongly urge all parents who have little ones to go see Maya the Bee Movie - the 'buzz' surrounding the film is well deserved!