User reviews

Like a lot of the early Silly Symphonies made at the Disney Studio, "Egyptian Melodies" is an essentially plot-free mini-musical that takes place in an atmospheric locale where everyone and everything bobs to the rhythm. This one follows the pattern set by the very first Symphony, "The Skeleton Dance," in its focus on an eerie setting where even the dead can join the party; but instead of skeletons, this time we're presented with mummies eager to jump out of their cases and boogie.

The opening shot is a striking one that sets the tone for what follows: while exotic, pseudo-Middle Eastern music plays and palm trees sway in the foreground, the camera tracks in on the Sphinx . . . a Sphinx that features what appears to be a large wooden door just under its face. On one side of this door is a spider in his web, playing it like a harp. When he hears a commotion inside the Sphinx the spider decides to investigate, first turning to the camera to "shush" us, then beckoning us to follow. (This spider, who is our guide and central character, has been granted the Oliver Hardy-like power to communicate with the viewer.) Our entry into the Sphinx is a fascinating, scary passage through winding corridors in sharp perspective: impressive animation for its time. Once we're fully inside, the spider loses his self-confidence and seems at a loss, frightened by those dancing mummies and other unpleasant surprises. Meanwhile, our attention shifts to the hieroglyph figures on the wall, which come to life. Egyptian soldiers march, and slaves perform a cymbal dance for the pleasure of the Pharaoh. Then there's a chariot race, and the factions following each competitor get increasingly frenzied as the race progresses. When the situation reaches a crescendo the spider flees in terror.

This is a fun cartoon for animation buffs. When I was a kid I tended to get impatient with these little musicals, as I preferred a strong central character like a Donald Duck or a Bugs Bunny. Now, however, I can appreciate the sheer off-the-wall creativity that went into these things. The Silly Symphonies series served as a training ground for the Disney animators, and when you watch a cartoon like this one you can see where the innovations that led to such classics as "Fantasia" and "Pinocchio" were initially honed and perfected.

This early black-and-white cartoon features a little spider sneak his way into the catacombs beneath the Sphinx and wander around. The scaling effects as he does so are quite good, especially for 1931. A bunch of mummies comb out of their sarcophagi and dance around. From here on it's the usual movement timed to music animation showcase that many early Silly Symphonies were known for. The monochrome does add a nice atmosphere though, I just wish that they did more with it.

Eventually the little spider freaks out at the madness on show and high-tails it out of there. That's your lot for this plot less cartoon, but it's not a complete obscurity and worth watching once.

When you watch old cartoons, you need to understand the context of the times in order to appreciate them and make allowances for these films. For example, during most of the 1930s, cartoons were not nearly as enjoyable as they would be in the 1940s. Much of it is because many of the 30s cartoons were black & white but the differences are far greater than just color. The 30s had a ton of cartoons which were essentially sappy....filled with singing and dancing and cutesy characters. But they also rarely had a lot of humor or edginess to them. And, the artwork was often a bit suspect.

One company that bucked this cutesy and cheap trend was Disney. Their characters were often quite funny and have held up very well over the years...such as with Goofy and Donald Duck. Even with Disney's line of musical shorts, their 'Silly Symphonies', they generally had more to them than the competition...such as with "Egyptian Melodies". While it is a musical, the characters are not saccharinely sweet nor cute and their isn't any singing...just dancing. And, most importantly, the animation was tops for 1931.

The plot to "Egyptian Melodies" is scant. A spider-like creature climbs into a vault where there are dancing mummies and the like. There really is nothing more to the plot. But, as I mentioned above, the animation was lovely and you can't help but enjoy the film even if the plot is practically non-existent.

A spider enters the Sphinx. What "Egyptian" stuff does he see. Let's think a moment. There are mummies. Of course, sarcophagi. He has already seen pyramids and the aforementioned sphinx. Mostly, we have perpetual motion hieroglyphics. Why the spider is in there--who knows. It's a bit of a lark and that's about it.

The only quote in this film is 'Mummy!' by the little spider. Other than that, the music is brilliantly done. The mummies are great, The palm trees are great, The spider was great, The Sphinx was great, The long johns were great (!), The sound effects were great, Even the creeping pyramid was great!, My compliments to Walt Disney! The colour usage works just fine. It's just wonderful how Disney films are non-violent and without bloodshed (most of the time). Silly Symphonies are brilliant (and musical, like they're supposed to be!) If you like 'Egyptian Melodies', then try 'China Plate', a Chinese/Japanese short film with the same black and white colouring and cute music. Available on DVD, thank goodness.

A Walt Disney SILLY SYMPHONY Cartoon Short.

A large spider enters the Sphinx at Giza and makes its way to the burial chamber. Once there, the adventurous arachnid gets the scare of its life when the mummies & wall paintings come to life to the strains of EGYPTIAN MELODIES...

This is a wacky, wonderful black & white cartoon. Forget the plot - there almost isn't any. When the stylized wall paintings awake, the animators indulge themselves in a perfect riot of humorous movement which delights the eye. These few moments are one of the great unheralded gems of early Disney animation. Also noteworthy is the sinuous ease with which the `camera' flows along the corridors & down the staircases inside the Sphinx.

The SILLY SYMPHONIES, which Walt Disney produced for a ten year period beginning in 1929, are among the most fascinating of all animated series. Unlike the Mickey Mouse cartoons in which action was paramount, with the Symphonies the action was made to fit the music. There was little plot in the early Symphonies, which featured lively inanimate objects and anthropomorphic plants & animals, all moving frantically to the soundtrack. Gradually, however, the Symphonies became the school where Walt's animators learned to work with color and began to experiment with plot, characterization & photographic special effects. The pages of Fable & Fairy Tale, Myth & Mother Goose were all mined to provide story lines and even Hollywood's musicals & celebrities were effectively spoofed. It was from this rich soil that Disney's feature-length animation was to spring. In 1939, with SNOW WHITE successfully behind him and PINOCCHIO & FANTASIA on the near horizon, Walt phased out the SILLY SYMPHONIES; they had run their course & served their purpose.

The best thing to do when watching Egyptian Melodies is to forget looking for a plot, as there isn't one. Other than that, this Disney Silly Symphony is very entertaining. The black and white animation looks very clear and smooth with good character designs, but visually I found the camera work to be the most striking asset of Egyptian Melodies. The two standouts for me in that regard were the slow motion movement of the hallways of the Sphinx, almost from the eyes of somebody following the Spider, and the final dizzying shots of the Spider reacting in horror to the motions of the wall figures. The music has energy and some authentic flavour, while the dance routine, while the least compelling scene of the cartoon, is nicely choreographed. There are also some great gags, the best ones being the chariot race and when the soldier marches off and corrects himself. What takes up most of Egyptian Melodies is where the figures on the wall come to life, to great effect, and there is a wonderfully nightmarish finale. The characters are memorable too, the Spider being the most memorable, but the mummies and hieroglyphics also make an impression. Overall, very entertaining. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This is a plotless Silly Symphony, where a spider makes his way in an ancient Egyptian tomb and witnesses mummies dancing and hieroglyphics move. That would have been an enchanting scene had there been Egyptian-style background music. Instead of that, jazzy-type music was used.

There's really no excitement or substance to this short. And, a spider as a main character is kind of awkward. Overall, one of the least entertaining, and downright boring, Silly Symphonies.

Grade D---

Just watched this Walt Disney Silly Symphony on YouTube. In this one, a spider goes inside the Spynx as the camera dollys with him through the corridors. Once at the heart of the place, the little arachnid sees mummys come out of their homes and start dancing. And then the hieroglyphics come to life and do the same...There's really nothing else that goes on there other then what I described though I don't want to reveal what happens to the end. You'll just have to see for yourself. It's certainly fascinating to see the early works of the Disney animators during the initial talking picture era before they would become even more accomplished when they would all do features several years later. So on that note, Egyptian Melodies comes highly recommended.

Some of the funniest "bits" are things I missed the first viewing: As the mummy cases open ominously, the spider strikes an Al Jolson pose, and cries "Mummy!" Also note that as the mummies turn around in their dance routine, they have button flaps on their wrappings, like old-fashioned long underwear. I wonder what else I may have missed? Maybe I should go run it again...

This is another of the many ''Silly Symphonies'', the shorts made by Walt Disney studios from 1929 to 1939 that had lots of music, different characters for each short, and not the usual Disney characters like Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Donald. While many of the black and white ones are forgettable and derivative, this one is among the best and more innovative for its time. The animation is great for a black and white toon, and I personally liked very much the shoots of the spider walking through the hallways of the Sphinx, the sequence of the dancing mummys was very cute, and the sequence of all the figures in the wall moving is very extraordinary! The soundtrack is very energetic, and all the characters - the spider (I have to admit it but I found him very cute), the mummys and the figures in the wall - are very likeable and endearing. All in all, a must see for everyone who calls himself a Disney shorts buff.