Die Neuen Abenteuer Der Biene Maja
The New Adventures Of Maya The Bee

Wer zum Teufel ist "Biene Maja"?

Who the hell is "Maya the Bee"?

Biene Maja ist die Hauptfigur der Romane "Die Biene Maja und ihre Abenteuer" und "Himmelsvolk" des deutschen Schriftstellers Waldemar Bonsels (1880 - 1952). Die beiden Bücher erschienen 1912 und 1915 und spiegeln die Kindheitserlebnisse des Autors wider. Mittlerweile sind die Werke in über 40 Sprachen übersetzt worden.

Maya the Bee is a little honey bee and the main character in two novels by German writer Waldemar Bonsels (1880 - 1952). The books are called "The Adventures of Maya the Bee" (1912) and "Heaven Folk" (1915) and reflect the childhood memories of the author. They have been translated into more than 40 languages.

Weltweit erfolgreiche TV-Serie

Successful TV series worldwide

Basierend auf der literarischen Vorlage wurde ab 1975 eine Zeichentrickserie geschaffen, die erstaunlicherweise vom Trickstudio Zuiyo Enterprise in Japan produziert wurde. Die Designs der Figuren und die Drehbücher dagegen stammten von Zeichner Marty Murphy in den USA. Insgesamt wurden zwei Staffeln mit 104 Episoden produziert. Die Ausstrahlung der japanisch-deutsch-österreichischen Serie in Deutschland erfolgte ab 1976; seitdem werden regelmäßig Wiederholungen gesendet.

Based on the novels an animated TV series was produced by the cartoon film studio Zuiyo Enterprise in Japan. The design of the characters as well as the books were written by US artist Marty Murphy. Altogether two seasons with a total of 104 episodes have been produced. In Germany the Japanese/German/Austrian co-production was first broadcast in 1976; there have been countless repeats ever since.

Die Grundhandlung der ganzen Maja-Saga besteht darin, daß die Biene Maja ihr Leben nicht in einem Bienenstock zubringen möchte, sondern sich vielmehr nach Freiheit und der großen weiten Welt sehnt. Zusammen mit der Arbeiter-Drohne Willi entkommt sie ihrem Schicksal und muß infolgedessen zahllose Abenteuer bestehen. Die Serie ist ein echter TV-Klassiker und wirklich schön gemacht.

The basic outline of the TV series is that Maya the Bee refuses to live in her beehive but is longing for freedom and the big wide world. Together with the drone Willy she escapes her fate and subsequently faces countless adventures in the big outdoors. The series really is a classic of TV culture and fun to watch.

Wie steht es um den HeliGraphix-Ableger?

What's behind the HeliGraphix spin-off?

Bis heute ist unklar, woher Tobias Wagner seine Ideen nimmt, und wie sein Gehirn funktioniert. J Eines morgens tauchte er mit dem enthusiastischen Vorschlag auf, wir würden nun "Die neuen Abenteuer der Biene Maja" verfilmen – was immer das auch heißen mochte. Da Boris Matuschka immer für gute Designarbeit zu haben ist, gab es wenig später bereits eine Art Maja-Rumpfverkleidung zu bewundern; seitdem gilt er als "Vater der Biene Maja". Mit Steven-V (offizieller Trainer von Maja) und Commander Saskia (persönliche Assistentin und Beraterin der Biene) gibt es zwei weitere bunte Charaktere in den Filmen. Und eine Vielzahl von Gaststars, einige davon wohlbekannt, wird im weiteren Verlauf der Serie ebenfalls zu sehen sein. (Hintergrundinformationen finden Sie auch in Frage #163 unter Q&A).

Till present day it is unclear where Tobias Wagner gets his ideas from and how his brain works. J One day he would show up with the enthusiastic suggestion we now do "The New Adventures of Maya the Bee" – whatever that meant. Since Boris Matuschka is always good for great design artwork, he came up with something like a Maya fuselage not long after; he is thus known as "the father of Maya the Bee". With Steven-V (the official trainer of Maya) and Commander Saskia (personal assistant and advisor to Maya) we have two more lively characters in the films. And a number of guest stars, part of them well-known, will also be featured in the course of the series. (For background information, have a look at question #163 in Q&A).

Die Konstruktion der Biene Maja fliegt nicht über die Maßen präzise – aber gut genug für eine ganze Reihe neuer, ebenso gewagter wie unterhaltsamer HeliGraphix-Abenteuer. Die ersten Stunts sind bereits erfolgreich absolviert worden, und wir werden künftig gelegentlich an neuen arbeiten. Sollten Sie irgendwelche verrückten Ideen für die Biene haben, dann lassen Sie uns einfach eine kurze Nachricht zukommen! J

The whole Maya construction flies not overly precisely – but well enough for a whole number of new, both daring and entertaining HeliGraphix adventures. The first stunts have been performed successfully, and we will be constantly working on new ones from time to time. Should you have any crazy ideas for the bee, then feel free to drop a line! J

Die Neuen Abenteuer Der Biene Maja – Episodenführer The New Adventures Of Maya The Bee – Episode Guide (click on episode to download)
Episode	Title	Quick description
Fantastic Pilot Film	The New Adventures Of Maya The Bee	Lavish pilot film introducing Maya The Bee with a number of scenic shots, also seen through the eyes of Maya. Co-starring Marina, Monika & Raimund Zimmermann (editor of ROTOR).
Episode #01	The Burger Quest, part 1 – The Return Of The King	Maya is hungry and decides to fly through the drive-thru (drive-in) at Burger King's. We try to order via a radio and to pay with a money bill taped to a carbon rod on Maya's skids.
Episode #02	The Burger Quest, part 2 – The Empire Strikes Back	Encouraged by the nice people at Burger King's, Maya continues to McDonald's – and faces serious trouble when running out of battery while ordering …
Episode #03	Mission Elevator	Steven-V, official trainer of Maya, places some sugar water for Maya on the 3rd floor of a multistorey building. In order to get it, Maya has to take the elevator!
Episode #04	Open Water	Two motor boats are racing along a river, and Maya flies in between. Equipped with special floats on the skids she tries to do touch-and-go on the water several times. Will she survive?
Episode #05	Free Fall	Using a 90 size I/C helicopter Maya is pulled up to 300 feet and dropped! Time is ticking while Maya tries to wind-up her blades in order to land rather than falling to her death.
Episode #06	Kiss Of Death	We got a lot of feedback regarding our piro loops around overhead power lines. And in her ultimate adventure, Maya finds out what happens if you fly into them.
Halloween Special	Maya The Bee – Other Realms (FSK 18; parental advisory: rated 18+)	Still confused after her "Kiss Of Death", Maya escapes from hospital as half zombie and flies around killing people. Better stay out of her way … Great cinema!
Episode #07	The Sugar Bomb	After a long stay in hospital, Maya is back on her skids and ready for her next big adventure. This time, she tries to get the "Sugar Bomb", surrounded by 60+ fly catchers …
Episode #08	Gone With The Wind	Packed brimful with action & gags, this episode marks the beginning of a new era in the Maya saga. The little bee this time tries to escape the massive blades of a 100 m diameter wind power station.
Episode #09	Jet Stream	If insanity were to choose a means of transport, it would choose a turbine! Maya finds out what happens if you fly into an exhaust jet with 1400 km/h and 700 °C!
Episode #10	Rocket-Maya	In the final episode of this CULT series Maya tries to travel to a parallel universe by means of rocket drives. Two bundles are attached to her skids – but in a way that they will make her spin ultra-ultra-fast! Will it work?

Maya The Bee – Other Realms
Episode #10 – Rocket-Maya
Episode #09 – Jet Stream
Episode #08 – Gone With The Wind
Episode #07 – The Sugar Bomb
Episode #06 – Kiss Of Death
Episode #05 – Free Fall
Episode #04 – Open Water
Episode #03 – Mission Elevator
Episode #02 – The Burger Quest / The Empire Strikes Back Episode #01 – The Burger Quest / The Return Of The King
In Episode #1 beschließt die sehr hungrige kleine Maja, zu einem Schnell-Restaurant zu fliegen. "The Burger Quest" ist ihr erstes ganz großes Abenteuer. Episode #1 features a very hungry little Maya, and she decides to fly to a fast-food restaurant. "The Burger Quest" is the story of her first big adventure.	Die alte HeliGraphix-Philosophie ... "Denkst Du, es wird funktionieren?" – "Nein." – "OK, dann mal los!" The old HeliGraphix philosophy … "Do you think it'll work?" – "No." – "OK, then let's do it!"

Hier noch ein interessantes Beispiel eines Storyboards, wie wir es an einigen Stellen unserer Filmarbeiten einsetzen. Es hilft den Kameraleuten, eine Szene so einzufangen, wie es sich der Regisseur wünscht (Beispiel 1, Beispiel 2).

And finally, here's an interesting example of a story board as we use it for part of our filming. It is intended to help the camera operators to capture a scene as the director would like to have it (example 1, example 2).