Maya the Bee (2014 film)
| Maya the Bee | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Alexs Stadermann |
| Produced by |
Barbara Stephen Thorsten Wegener |
| Written by |
Fin Edquist Marcus Sauermann |
| Based on |
Maya the Bee by Waldemar Bonsels |
| Starring |
Coco Jack Gillies Kodi Smit-McPhee Joel Franco Richard Roxburgh Justine Clarke Jacki Weaver Miriam Margolyes Noah Taylor Andy McPhee |
| Music by | Ute Engelhardt |
| Edited by | Adam Smith |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universum Film AG (Germany) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 87 minutes[1] |
| Country |
Australia Germany Belgium United States |
| Language |
English German |
| Box office | $14,361,000[2][lower-alpha 1] |
Maya the Bee (promoted theatrically as Maya the Bee Movie) is a 2014 German-Australian-Belgian 3D computer-animated comedy adventure film directed by Alexs Stadermann, based on the German children's book of the same name by Waldemar Bonsels. It features the voices of Kodi Smit-McPhee, Noah Taylor, Richard Roxburgh, Jacki Weaver, and Miriam Margolyes. It was released theatrically in Australia on November 1, 2014 and in the U.K. on October 23, 2015.[3] The film is also released in the U.S. as a direct-to-video release on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD on May 19, 2015 by Shout! Factory.
Summary
Maya is born in a world of rules, but when she discovers villainous Buzzlina Von Beena's plot to steal the Queen's royal jelly, Maya is banished from the hive and into the meadow. With her best friend Willy tagging along, Maya meets a young hornet named Sting. Together they have to stop the plot and the fight between bees and hornets before it's too late.
Voice cast
- Coco Jack Gillies as Maya, the main protagonist[4]
- Kodi Smit-McPhee as Willy, Maya's best friend[5]
- Joel Franco as Sting, Maya and Willy's best friend and sidekick
- Richard Roxburgh as Flip, a grasshopper[5]
- Justine Clarke as Miss Cassandra, teacher at the Bee-School and Maya's mother figure[5]
- Heather Mitchell as The Nurse[5]
- Jacki Weaver as Buzzlina Von Beena, the main antagonist, former villain[5]
- Miriam Margolyes as The Queen[5]
- Noah Taylor as Crawley[5]
- Andy McPhee as Hank, Sting's father, Maya's best friends and former arch-nenemies[5]
- Cameron Ralph as Momo, a Moth[5]
- Glenn Fraser as Kurt, a Dung beetle[5]
- Heather Mitchell as Thekla, a Spider, Maya's occasional arch-nenemies[5]
- Stavroula Mountzouris as Lara, a Ladybug, Willy's love interest[5]
- Jimmy James Eaton as Paul, a ant colonel[5]
- David Collins as Arnie, a ant colonel[5]
- Shane Dundas as Barney, a ant colonel[5]
Production
Animation World Network announced in May 2013 that Universum Film would distribute all German rights of the film.[6] In November 2014, Variety announced that distributor Shout! Factory picked up all North American rights to the film. The film is directed by Alexs Stadermann, and produced by Patrick Elmendorff and Thorsten Wegener from Studio 100 Animation; Jim Ballantine and Barbara Stephen from Buzz Studios.[7][1] The film was produced in association with Flying Bark Productions and ZDF.[8][9] This film was Coco Jack Gillies film debut as she voiced the role of Maya. Gillies was 9 years old at the time of production.[1][5]
Reception
Maya the Bee Movie received mixed reviews from critics, scoring a 50% in Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 6/10 as of May 2015.[10] Frank Hatherley from Screen Daily stated that "this merry movie is for young children, mainly girls: step aside, Dora the Explorer!" with vivid colours and plenty of unthreatening action.[1]
Accolades
| Award | Category | Subject | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia Pacific Screen Award | Best Animated Feature Film | Barbara Stephen & Thorsten Wegener | Nominated |
| Bavarian Film Award | Best Animated Film | Patrick Elemendorff & Thorsten Wegener | Won |
| Screen Producers Australia Award | Best Feature Film Production | Barbara Stephen & Thorsten Wegener | Nominated |
| Seattle International Film Festival | Youth Jury Award | Alexs Stadermann | Nominated |
| Stockholm International Film Festival | Grand Jury Prize for Best Film | Nominated | |
See also
Notes
- ↑ As of November 2014.
References
- 1 2 3 4 Frank Hatherley (24 October 2014). "Maya The Bee Movie". Screen Daily. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ↑ "MAYA THE BEE MOVIE". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ↑ "UK Release Dates 2015". Film Detail. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ↑ Scott Roxborough (5 November 2014). "AFM: Shout! Takes 'Maya The Bee' for North America". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Everyone's favourite little bee Maya makes her big screen debut in Maya the Bee Movie.". Flying Bark Productions. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ↑ Jennifer Wolfe (20 May 2013). "Studio 100 Launches 'Maya the Bee' Animated Feature". Animation World Network. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ↑ Patrick Frater (November 10, 2014). "Shout! Factory Takes North America on 'Maya The Bee Movie'". Variety. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
- ↑ Jerry Beck (18 January 2015). "TRAILER: "Maya The Bee"". Indiewire. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ↑ Etan Vlessing (8 May 2012). "Canada's Thunderbird Films Steers 'Maya the Bee' into North America". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ↑ "Maya The Bee Movie (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
External links
- Official UK website
- Official German website
- Maya the Bee at the Internet Movie Database
- Maya the Bee at Rotten Tomatoes