This is a one shot short from the MGM studio. There will be spoilers ahead:
In the 1930s, many of the animation studios did shorts where characters from books/magazines come to life and interact. Warner Brothers did a number of them. This short is from MGM.
The witches from Macbeth are mixing a concoction in a cauldron and come to the realization that they need a worm. The raven from The Raven is enlisted in the search for a worm and he goes leafing through books and magazines seeking a bookworm, lingering over an "Art Studies" magazine for inspiration.
Meanwhile, we meet the bookworm, who is unhappy at only being a bookworm. The raven chases him, only to fail spectacularly the first time. A ghost-like version of himself gives the raven "a few pointers" and then we see the raven wearing a blue dress, weeping and carrying on about having lost her yellow basket. The bookworm tries to guess what color the basket was, driving the raven to distraction by constantly asking if it's virtually every color but yellow.
The bookworm runs into the section of books where the villains are and they unsuccessfully try to catch him. Paul Revere hears the commotion, goes over to Black Beauty (the ensuing gag here will definitely offend some people!) and moves around sounding the general alarm to call out the good guys-Robin Hood, the cops, a statue of Napoleon and some octogenarian "Heroes of Gettysburg" tottering and hobbling out of a book.
The bookworm gets away, only to be caught between the witches and the raven-until the Boy Scouts come to the rescue. The ending is fairly decent, so I won't spoil that here.
This short is well worth watching if you have the opportunity. Recommended.
In the 1930s, many of the animation studios did shorts where characters from books/magazines come to life and interact. Warner Brothers did a number of them. This short is from MGM.
The witches from Macbeth are mixing a concoction in a cauldron and come to the realization that they need a worm. The raven from The Raven is enlisted in the search for a worm and he goes leafing through books and magazines seeking a bookworm, lingering over an "Art Studies" magazine for inspiration.
Meanwhile, we meet the bookworm, who is unhappy at only being a bookworm. The raven chases him, only to fail spectacularly the first time. A ghost-like version of himself gives the raven "a few pointers" and then we see the raven wearing a blue dress, weeping and carrying on about having lost her yellow basket. The bookworm tries to guess what color the basket was, driving the raven to distraction by constantly asking if it's virtually every color but yellow.
The bookworm runs into the section of books where the villains are and they unsuccessfully try to catch him. Paul Revere hears the commotion, goes over to Black Beauty (the ensuing gag here will definitely offend some people!) and moves around sounding the general alarm to call out the good guys-Robin Hood, the cops, a statue of Napoleon and some octogenarian "Heroes of Gettysburg" tottering and hobbling out of a book.
The bookworm gets away, only to be caught between the witches and the raven-until the Boy Scouts come to the rescue. The ending is fairly decent, so I won't spoil that here.
This short is well worth watching if you have the opportunity. Recommended.