The Cobweb Hotel

A newlywed couple of flies see a place called The Cobweb Hotel. What they don't realize is that it's a trap--run by an evil spider who is waiting to ensnare them just like its other victims. Fortunately, when the pair discover the truth, they work together--freeing the other victims and mounting an all-out war on the wicked spider. Logically speaking, we SHOULD be rooting for the spider, as flies are pests! In light of this, I really didn't understand the message to this film! Despite being in nice looking Technicolor, the Fleischer Brothers' film "The Cobweb Hotel" is a mediocre sort of film--not bad, not particularly good. It's not sickeningly sweet but it also fails to engage the viewer.

The Cobweb Hotel (1936)

**** (out of 4)

Excellent short from Dave Fleischer has a newlywed fly couple showing up at a hotel ran by a spider. The two soon realize that the rooms are made of cobwebs and that the spider is just using the place to lure in food. Yes, you have to wonder why flies would book a room at a place called "The Cobweb Hotel" but just leave logical questions out of it and have a great time. This here is a highly entertaining short that works on many levels including the creepy animation. The film starts off with a very creepy spider singing a creepy song so I'm sure this thing could scare some young kids. From here we see the spider go on the attack and then the flies eventually fight back in some very creative ways. THE COBWEB HOTEL features some wonderful animation and of course the colors also look terrific.

As we read in the beginning, this hotel is "for flies only." As with a lot of cartoons, you get a lot of puns here, which is fine with me. The lyrics to the spider's song are both sadistic but funny. The first flies visiting the hotel are boxing champion ("flyweight division," of course, and his wife).

This spider is one of the creepiest characters I've seen in animated films, and I've seen probably a thousand. I'll bet he scared little kids watching this in the theater in 1936.

Make no mistake: this is a "dark" cartoon. Yes, it's not untypical with the theme of a bunch of "little people" ganging up and finding clever ways to beat an evil "big guy," but there aren't the usual amount of laughs in here, although it's smart and will keep your attention. Just beware of what you're in for, if you have little kids planning to see this.

The Cobweb Hotel is a cute, somewhat dated, cartoon with some very good moments. Strange thing is, I keep reading and hearing comments from other people that range from "scary" to "weird and strange", which tells me people haven't seen a whole lot of the output of Fleischer Studios! Though the Fleischers did do some more sedate work than this one, compared to some of the earlier shorts, this one is downright "normal" (whatever that is, anyway).

Part of the Color Classics series (where Max Fleischer tries to out-Walt Disney, instead of being Max hisownself), this is on the DVD release Somewhere In Dreamland, which is an excellent purchase. Try and chase down a copy, if you can. Well worth the effort. Recommended.

While not among the Fleischer Brother's best or the most innovative, The Cobweb Hotel is fascinating and well worth checking out. The story is on the predictable side and a bit cutesy once you take away the grim content the cartoon has and of the characters they're all good but the only really really compelling personalities come from the flyweight and particularly the spider. The animation is top notch, with the characters ranging from the cute to the grotesque, the backgrounds are rich in detail and it's very atmospheric(very well suited for such a foreboding setting) while still with a good amount of colour. It's also filled with a lot of innovative touches that are distinctive of Fleischer, especially in the opening sequence with the use of animated characters amidst live action sets. The music is lively but with a very haunting vibe, a lot of the scores in Fleischer's films are lusciously and appealingly sentimental but this score had a more ominous edge to it that suited the cartoon well without feeling too different.

It is understandable as to why some would find The Cobweb Hotel weird, the content with the way the spider traps the flies and the lengths he goes into doing so is quite disturbing. But the cartoon is not all grim, because once the flyweight gets more to do it becomes the standard hero vs villain premise that is cute and energetic while also showing the spider at his most sinister. And while The Cobweb Hotel is not a hilarious cartoon or rich with laughs, it's not without funny moments except of the dark kind, the prime example is the lyrics of the spider's song. The characters do engage, while the flyweight is a likable hero that you cheer on in the fight the most interesting is the spider, who is quite a creepy villain and added to my sister's fear of spiders. Other than his design and the freaky imagery shown in his opening song with the flies trapped Jack Mercer's voice work was a large part of the spider's effectiveness as a character, he voices the character with a menacing and quite gravelly hiss and has never sounded creepier. All in all, not quite a Fleischer masterpiece but fascinating. 8/10 Bethany Cox