Maya the Bee - The Movie

Maya the Bee flies again! And this time, the world's most famous honeybee even gets to experience her adventures on the big screen - and in 3D, too! Maja has barely hatched out of her honeycomb when she already causes a lot of commotion in the well-organised beehive. Her thirst for knowledge and her unconventional nature are a thorn in the side of the sneaky Gunilla, the queen bee's advisor. For Gunilla wants to seize power in the hive. To do so, she has stolen the queen's vital royal jelly, which the curious bee girl has observed. But no one wants to believe Maja and before she knows it, she has been driven out of the hive. Now, in the vastness of the corn poppy meadow, she and her best friend Willi must find a way to save the queen bee and prevent an impending war between the bees and the hornets. But what a great adventure awaits the two bee friends on the great meadow and what dangers await them, Maja and Willi do not yet suspect.

In the 1970s, Maya the Bee became the most successful animated series of ZDF. Up to 4 million children followed the adventures of Maya and her friends, based on the novels by Waldemar Bonsels. The theme song, sung by Karel Gott, became a big hit and is still one of the singer's best-known songs today. In March 2013, ZDF revived the hit series. Instead of Karel Gott, pop star Helene Fischer was now allowed to warble the accompanying catchy tune and the cartoon characters were replaced by CGI characters. This was not well received by all fans, but was successful enough to now bring the series to the cinema. Maya the Bee - The Movie is a nice animated adventure for little ones, but it lacks the charm of the original series.

No question, many of the new or redesigned characters are very lovingly implemented and the rather simple story was garnished with many nice ideas. It's sometimes very exciting, often funny and sometimes just beautiful. The narrators are okay, even if Jan Delay as Willi never reaches the great Eberhard Storeck and the casting of Nina Hagen as the evil bee is a bit unimaginative, because Nina Hagen is just always Nina Hagen and doesn't show any ability to change. Anyone who watches the animated fairy tale The 7th Dwarf after Maya the Bee will understand what is meant by this. But all in all, the dubbing of Maya the Bee - The Movie can be called absolutely successful.

The fact that there doesn't seem to be any poppies on the poppy meadow is just as unimportant as many other biological liberties that the makers have taken here. Because let's be honest: even though we adults might notice it when we're bored and looking for any movie mistakes, the kids, who are absolutely captivated by Maja's exciting adventure, couldn't care less. And that the little cinema fans will be carried away by the film should be beyond question. Because Alexs Stadermann and his team don't just rely on speed and the rollercoaster ride effects that have become standard for animated films, but also on really successful humour and lots of charm. And even if this, as already mentioned, does not reach that of the classic series, it makes Maya the Bee - The Movie overall a really cute and worth seeing children's film.

Whether the CGI Maya in 40 years will still be as cult as her drawn predecessor, remains to be seen. For an enjoyable cinema afternoon she provides with Willi, Flip, Miss Cassandra and all her new friends but all the time. And therefore: for all little Maya the Bee fans between 4 and 8 and all young-at-heart accompanying persons absolutely worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp