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.
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.