This new DVD release takes 3 episodes from the WB Kids cartoon series and edits them into a “feature-length adventure”. It’s beyond me why one would feel the need to make (or watch) an animated version of the Mummy movies, as if they weren’t cartoonish enough already!

So the O’Connell family is digging up Egypt again, though they’re not quite the same as when we last saw them in The Mummy Returns: Evy has turned into a redhead bimbo, Rick has been toned down into a bland blonde stud and little Alex is now the star of their adventures. Ugh. Also tagging along are Evy’s brother Jonathan (who’s even more obnoxious here than his live action counterpart), the oh so mysterious Medji warrior Ardeth Bay and Alex’s pet ferret Tut. Ugh!

The plot has something to do with the usual Egyptology mumbo jumbo, with some token weasel bad guy using the Book of the Dead to resurrect Im-Ho-Tep (again), Alex getting his wrist stuck into the magical manacle of Osiris (again) and the whole gang travelling the world in search of the elusive Lost Scrolls. We’re in for an interminable hour of unfunny one-liners, cheesy animation and overall nonsense, culminating when the 3000 year old Puzzle of Horus projects a hologram (?) of the Eiffel Tower (??), which leads the O’Connell to the Opera of Paris, where they’re attacked by the Minotaur (???)! Maybe this is an okay diversion when sitting in front of the TV with a bowl of soggy cereals on Saturday morning, but if you have to buy a Mummy DVD, stick to the original Stephen Sommers movie.

DVD info
Presented Full Frame with Dolby Digital Stereo sound and optional Spanish or French subtitles. Bonus Features include an easy trivia challenge which rewards you with a Bonus episode (“Orb of Aten”, which takes Alex and his folks to New York), little texts about the characters and Egyptology in general and a bunch of trailers. In Stores October 1, 2002.