While not one of my definitive favourites when it comes to Silly Symphonies, The Spider and the Fly is very interesting and fun, and I'd go to say it is one of Disney's best early efforts. What stuck out for me was that there were shorts of that time that there is lots of music and dancing, singing also as well as playful gags but not always a succinct story, truly memorable characters or signs of conflict. The Spider and the Fly is somewhat different though. The animation as always is crisp and beautiful, with some very cleverly done shots also in the opening involving the room being upside down and then rotated the opposite way. The music is energetic and characterful and not just enhances the action but also the story and characters in my opinion. The story is simple but there is definitely one(one of the clearest examples of good vs evil in a Disney shorts) and one that's told charmingly and there are some very inventive set pieces such as the Spider being attacked by pepper bombs, flies riding on horseflies and the exciting ending. The characters also help. The flies are appealing, surprising as I normally can't stand flies and the horseflies are well drawn and cute, but the most memorable character is easily the Spider, who right from his first appearance exudes menace. In conclusion, absolutely great, definitely worth seeing at least once. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Review of The Spider and the Fly
