For a franchise that has been kicking around for over a century, the only truly remarkable thing about Maya The Bee is… well, just how safe the creatives backing it get with these cinematic iterations. This is the third time I’ve found myself reviewing one of these things, and I find myself struggling to really say much of anything that I haven’t already gotten into in the past. Other than this being slightly better than what I’m used to seeing from this series.
Once again, we have Maya (Coco Jack Gillies) dragging Willy (Benson Jack Anthony) into yet another adventure that is mainly the result of Maya trying to fix her own screw-ups, in this case being a mishap with her hive’s spring festivities that bears little to no relevance to the larger “we’re trying to be A Bug’s Life” narrative. Like, from the colony of ants under siege by bigger bugs, to the finale involving a combination of birds and everyone grouping together to become one giant predator facsimile, the parallels are a little… conspicuous, and it’s kind of adorable to consider that this is what happens when you completely water-down The Magnificent Seven to make it utterly kid-friendly.
And speaking of adorable things, I’ll admit that the plot itself wasn’t even that big an issue for me because, along with the two Jacks holding the fort on the vocal front, the addition of the baby ant princess… d’awwww! I mean, c’mon, she is just too cute for words, and the bond she forges with Willy (pretty sure there’s a better way I could phrase that, but whatevs) brings a touch of emotion to the proceedings. It also serves as a child-friendly depiction of the stress parents go through raising these creatures, which isn’t half-bad.
Then there’s the sense of humour on display… and bloody hell, did I desperately want to pull out the bug spray just so I could get Henchy to stop freaking talking! His place as part of the initial villain trio along with Rumba (Frances Derry) and Bumbulus (Christian Charisiou) is mainly to do stupid things for the sake of extending the plot, which at less-than-90-minutes as it is isn’t a good sign. There’s also hearing the Umbilical Brothers once again trying to work with the bland material they’ve been given as the discount buddy act Arnie and Barney, although I will admit, once it gets into the rhyming gag and the puns especially… I dunno, it kept nudging at my tastes to the point where I wound up respecting it for getting this close to being genuinely funny. It was certainly a reprieve from Henchy’s antics, that’s for damn sure.
Getting back to the Bug’s Life comparison for a second, while the reference point feels rather obvious, the filmmakers at least found ways to differentiate itself from that reference and give this film its own identity. Like how the aforementioned finale also includes shadow puppets, a tickle fight, and a rousing musical number right the hell out of nowhere. That’s a weird quirk with Bumbulous throughout the film, as his inclusion alone ends up turning this into a musical because of how much singing Christian is given. It’s all very bland and forgettable, but it only just registers because it stands out from everything else here in how… sudden it is.
But even with all that said, I maintain that this is probably the best Maya The Bee film Flying Bark and Studio100 have released thus far. Damning with faint praise, I know, but between the adequate animation (save for the still-irksome water effects), the off-kilter sense of humour, and the ultimate message about working together and unity that feels… apt nowadays, I can at least see it gaining traction with its intended audience, and even with Henchy and the random singing, parents shouldn’t be too aggravated if they get caught in the cross-fire.
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