I prefer this short to The Spider and the Fly because I like spiders, and the main character of this cartoon is a likable arachnid. Like the spider in the later short, he also plays his web like a harp, but here, rather than using it to seduce his prey, he seems to be playing to entertain himself. He then immediately breaks the forth wall as he beckons us, the viewers, to accompany him on a visit into an Egyptian tomb. There’s not much plot to Egyptian Melodies, but that doesn’t mean it’s not breathtaking. The corridor scene anticipated first-person shooter video games by more than 40 years, and the 2D/3D experimentation rendering the art on the wall was a breakthrough. (By the way, the attached image shows our hero parodying Al Jolson, by getting down on two (out of 4) knees and singing “Mummy!”).

Don’t forget to visit The Silly Symphony Collection page for details on the massive vinyl box set.

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