Maya the Bee – Film Review by Stephen McDermott

Director: Alexs Stadermann
Stars: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Richard Roxburgh, Noah Taylo

Bees, we’re told, are a serious and industrious bunch. There’s a long list of things they don’t do: they don’t dream, they don’t have fun, they don’t sing, they don’t talk to other insects, and they definitely don’t leave the hive alone.

But while they move in swarms and thrive in large colonies, the message behind Maya the Bee is more individualistic: be yourself. It’s a simple message taken from an adaptation of Waldemar Bonsels’ children’s book, which charts the adventures of a young bee called Maya and how she befriends various insects she meets in the meadow around her hive.

From the beginning, we’re shown how Maya is not like the other bees. She’s a fun-loving outsider in a hive where she’s constantly reminded of each and every one of the strict rules. We’re told how she doesn’t feel like she fits in at all, and that although she wants to find her place and know her role in the swarm, she feels she’ll never make it as a bee.

After a series of conflicts with the other bees, including the Queen’s royal advisor Buzzlina, Maya is banished from the hive and sets out exploring the meadow with her straight-laced friend Willy. But as free-spirited as she wants to be, Maya must avoid the terrifying monster Gorgo and the hornets who live not far from her hive.

All of which is pretty much the film in a nutshell. While there’s a ultimate resolution and plenty of lessons along the way, complete with plenty of bee puns in between, Maya the Bee is mostly content to reinforce its individualist message at every turn.

It doesn’t really add anything to the countless number of insect-driven kids’ movies already out there. Likewise, the laughs are seldom heard and the plot trundles along so slowly (even for a 79 minute film) that it’s not a particularly enjoyable film for an older audience to have to sit through.

However Maya the Bee should at least keep an audience under the age of 7 entertained, and even if it gives parents nothing to get excited about, it should act as a distraction while you go about your buzz-ness.