Maya the Bee Movie

As blandly export-friendly and culturally nonspecific as an airline meal.

Lacks the zingy surprise that Pixar or Disney might have brought.

This sweet, play-it-safe adaptation of TV's honeybee heroine is as innocuous and uninspired as preschool animation gets.

"Maya the Bee" embodies the kind of self-consciously uplifting treacle some adults insist kids want. They package "Maya" like honey, but it tastes like medicine.

The film's messages about friendship, acceptance and being yourself are clear enough for the young, and grown-ups can read the story as a warning about conformity and about going to war on false pretenses.

It's a nice film but... nice.

For what it is I liked it.

Instead of a regular kids film, this one becomes tirying, squematic and really predictable. [Full review in Spanish]

It's not a bad film, but it feels a little too safe in the genre and doesn't do anything we haven't seen before. [Full review in Spanish]

The film achieves a level of proficient mediocrity early on and hovers there for the rest of its slender running time.