Maya the Honey Bee

This article is about the Japanese anime series. For the CGI series, see Maya the Bee (TV series). For the novel (and the character), see Maya the Bee.

Maya the Honey Bee
Japanese DVD cover
みつばちマーヤの冒険
(Mitsubachi Māya no Bōken)
GenreComedy, adventure
Anime television series
Directed byMasahiro Endō
Hiroshi Saitō
Produced byYoshihiro Ōba
Written byNiisan Takahashi
Music byTakashi Ogaki
Karel Svoboda (title song)
StudioZuiyo (eps. 1–6)
Nippon Animation
Original networkANN (ABC, NET)
English network
Original run 1 April 1975 – 20 April 1976
Episodes52
Anime television series
The New Adventures of Maya the Honey Bee
Produced bySōjirō Masuko
StudioNippon Animation
Wako Productions
Apollo Film Wien
Original networkZDF
TV Osaka
Original run 1 September 1979 – 13 September 1980
Episodes52

Maya the Honey Bee (Japanese: みつばちマーヤの冒険, Hepburn: Mitsubachi Māya no Bōken, lit. "The Adventures of Maya the Honey Bee") is an anime television series produced first by Zuiyo Enterprise[5] and Asahi Broadcasting Corporation of Osaka. After the first 6 episodes, Zuiyo Enterprise would split into Zuiyo Company and Nippon Animation, which retained the rights of the series. The series consisted of 52 episodes and was originally telecast from April 1975 to April 1976 on all ANN affiliates. Based on the classic children's book The Adventures of Maya the Bee by Waldemar Bonsels, the anime series has become extremely popular in Europe and has been rebroadcast in countries and languages all around the world since its premiere. A film edited from the first few episodes was released on 15 December 1977.[6]

Two English-dubbed versions of the series exist, a South African version produced by Sonovision for the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC),[7] using a translated version of the theme tune used for the German dub, and featuring South African accents for the characters; and a United States version with an entirely new theme tune, and a Canadian voice cast, produced by Saban Entertainment, which was broadcast from 1 January 1990 to 31 December 1992 on the children's television channel Nickelodeon. Maya the Bee aired alongside other juvenile-targeted anime such as Adventures of the Little Koala, Noozles and The Littl' Bits as part of Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block of programming for young children. 65 episodes were dubbed.[8]

A second Maya the Bee series, Shin Mitsubachi Māya no Bōken (新みつばちマーヤの冒険, The New Adventures of Maya the Honey Bee), was a co-production made in 1979 by Wako Productions and Austrian/German Apollo Film, Wien. The second series first premiered in Germany (ZDF) from September 1979 to September 1980. Different and cartoon-like second series, which lasted for 52 episodes, was not much popular and did not premiere in Japan until 12 October 1982, on TV Osaka, and aired through 27 September 1983.[9]

  1. ^ "A Critical Guide to Today's Programs". The Age. 27 July 1984. p. 2. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Christmas Eve". The Province. 22 December 1983. p. 71. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  3. ^ "Wednesday Morning". Vancouver Sun. 21 September 1990. p. 130. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  4. ^ "Morning Viewing". Ottawa Citizen. 12 December 1992. p. 127. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Maya the Honey Bee | OTTWatchList". ottwatchlist.com. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Die Biene Maja – Ihre schönsten Abenteuer | Film | 1977 | Moviemaster – Das Film-Lexikon". moviemaster.de. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  7. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Maya the Bee South African English credits". 17 March 2019 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ "ABC FAMILY WORLDWIDE INC – Securities Registration Statement (S-1/A) EXHIBIT 10.19". sec.edgar-online.com. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  9. ^ 新みつばちマーヤの冒険 (1982). allcinema (in Japanese). Stingray. Retrieved 4 July 2014.