Maya the Bee: The Golden Orb
| Industry | Animation |
|---|---|
| Parent | Studio 100 |
Maya the Bee: The Golden Orb (also referred to as Maya the Bee 3: The Golden Orb) is a 2021 animated adventure comedy helmed by director Noel Cleary. The production team includes Tracy Lenon, Brian Rosen, and Benjamin Ey, with a screenplay penned by Fin Edquist and story development contributed by Cleary, Edquist, Tess Meyer, Lenon, and Adam Rainford. This film draws inspiration from the characters originally featured in the 1975 anime Maya the Honey Bee and Waldemar Bonsels' German children's novel The Adventures of Maya the Bee.
As a continuation of the 2018 feature Maya the Bee: The Honey Games, this installment retains its original voice cast such as Coco Jack Gillies, Benson Jack Anthony, Frances Berry, and Christian Charisiou. The animation was produced collaboratively by Studio B Animation, Studio 100 Film, and Flying Bark Productions. Distribution responsibilities were handled by StudioCanal in Australia and Leonine Distribution in Germany.
Initially slated for release in Australia on 17 June 2020, the premiere was postponed to 7 January 2021 due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The movie has a runtime of 88 minutes and achieved a worldwide box office gross of approximately $3.7 million.
Plot
In the setting of Poppy Meadow, Maya enthusiastically attempts to rouse the hive and her friend Willy to celebrate the arrival of spring; however, they remain asleep. After inadvertently damaging both their hive and the valuable sunstone, Maya discovers that she and Willy might be separated, motivating them to demonstrate their capabilities together.
Their opportunity arises when a fleeing green ant named Chomp entrusts them with a golden orb—the egg of Smoosh, the ant princess destined to inherit the ant kingdom. Accompanied by Arnie and Barney, Maya and Willy embark on a mission to deliver the orb safely to Bonsai Peak. Throughout their journey, they confront dangers posed by beetle boom-bugs determined to seize the orb.
Meanwhile, back at the hive, Crawley faces difficulties repairing the sunstone while news arrives that Maya and Willy are missing. The group encounters obstacles including darkness that unsettles Smoosh and aggressive encounters with hostile beetles. Despite tensions and near failures, they persevere.
Chomp tracks down Maya and Willy with assistance from Flip and Miss Cassandra. After multiple escapes from capture and rescuing Rumba from peril, Maya and Willy reconcile their differences and pledge to return Smoosh safely to Greenleaf. However, Bumbulus and his cohorts trap them inside a cave.
Help comes in the form of Miss Cassandra, Flip, and Chomp who rescue them. Rumba makes peace with Maya and Willy; together they alert Greenleaf's ants about Bumbulus' scheme to annihilate their habitat. United against the boom bugs, they successfully prevent this threat. Harmony is restored when Bumbulus apologizes and acknowledges Rumba’s importance, leading ants and beetles to collaborate on establishing a new colony.
Maya and Willy return as celebrated heroes; in recognition of their bravery, the Queen grants them permission to remain together as the spring festival finally commences.
Cast
- Coco Jack Gillies as Maya
- Benson Jack Anthony as Willy, Maya's close companion
- Frances Berry as Rumba
- Christian Charisiou as Bumbulus, sibling of Rumba
- Justine Clarke as the Queen, sovereign of the hive
- Noel Cleary as Henchie
- Callan Colley as Boof
- Jimmy James Eaton as Crawley, assistant to the Queen
- David Collins as Arnie
- Shane Dundas as Barney
- Evie Gillies as Smoosh
- Darren Sabadina as Lief Cutterson
- Tom Cossettini as Chomp
- Tess Meyer as Miss Cassandra (originally voiced by Justine Clarke in the first film)
- Sam Haft as Flip (originally voiced by Richard Roxburgh in previous films)
- Tin Pang as Weeble
- Cam Ralph as Colonel
- Jordan Rainford as Interpreter
Production
Following the commercial success of Maya the Bee Movie (2014) along with Maya the Bee: The Honey Games (2018), German studio Studio 100 joined forces with Australia's Studio B for a third installment. This production emphasized broadening the franchise’s central themes of camaraderie and altruism while adopting a new "road movie" narrative approach that sees protagonist Maya venture beyond her home in Poppy Meadow. Director Noel Cleary sought to raise narrative stakes by exploring innovative storylines designed to maintain audience engagement.