171. Maya The Bee - The Honey Games; movie review

MAYA THE BEE - THE HONEY GAMES
Cert U
85 mins
BBFC advice: Contains very mild threat

During the Easter school holidays, the the rains were accompanied by an avalanche of children's movies.
And, while I watched Maya The Bee, Honey Games, it occurred to me that most of them are aimed at the under 7s.
Indeed, there wasn't that much out there at holiday season to grab those between eight and 14.
I digress. Primary aged children will be perfectly happy to spend 85 minutes watching Noel Cleary Sergio Delfino and Alexs Stadermann' film.
In 2015, I wrote of the original Maya The Bee: "Its messages about friendship and loyalty are common to many children's films but, on the downside, I was left wondering whether it added that much to the genre." 
Ditto the 2018 retake. Its central message is the same but this time it is focuses on the insect world's honey games - a championship between teams from different communities.
Poppy Meadow where Maya (Coco Jack Gillies) lives with her friend, Willi (Benson Jack Anthony), has not competed before but she is determined to lead a team.
Meanwhile, she is too naive to realise that she has dropped into a power game between a mean and powerful empress (Marney McQueen) and her weak and humble sister (Justine Clarke).
Maya always sees the best in people and, at first, that seems as if it may be her undoing.
However, this is cartoon land and we all know the way the story is going to conclude, don't we?
Maya The Bee - the Honey Games is easygoing stuff but I am not sure it is worth a cinema visit.
Probably one for a rainy day in the summer holidays after it has been released on itunes etc.

Reasons to watch: It will keep younger children happy on rainy days
Reasons to avoid: Seen it all before

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 6/10

Director quote - Nick Cleary: "My Neighbor Totoro was a big influence, especially Mei the little girl, how she’s so fun and free like a real child. She was an inspiration for Maya’s behaviour, as Maya’s defining character is being a free spirit and wanting to explore the world."

The big questions - Do insects have the power of thought?

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