Tarzan

The legendary story of the human child raised by apes is given new vivacity in Disney's animated adaptation. Directed By:  Chris Buck, Kevin Lima Starring:  Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, Rosie O�Donnell, and Glenn Close Length:  1 hour, 28 minutes Content Filters:  None

Tarzan is Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic tale of a human child raised by gorillas, and the conflict he faces when he meets others of his own kind. The animated retelling of the tale contains some of the typical Disney suspension of disbelief, but most movies do. For example, the king of apes performs the linguistic impossibility of instantaneously acquiring the English language. And the stereotypical deep-eyed brawny villain, essential in the Disney formula, appears as always. Nonetheless, Tarzan succeeds as Disney’s best animated feature since Aladdin. The characters in Tarzan have more depth than those of recent animated Disney films such as Hercules and Mulan. The famous "me Tarzan, you Jane" exchange translates in Disney’s version to something more like "me Tarzan, you ‘no, no, no, no, no, I’m Jane,’" as though Tarzan thinks Jane’s name is "No, no, no, no, no—I’m Jane." In contrast to the quiet yet curious Tarzan, Jane is energetic and engaging. She tells her father, "I was saved by a flying wild man." The story is well-paced, with only a couple of overly sentimental moments. And, of course, the art is incredible--Tarzan appears to be surfing through the trees as much as swinging on vines. The Phil Collins soundtrack is good enough to stand on its own. This is a movie for all ages.

Reviewed By:  Matt Lemmon
Screenplay Writer:  Tab Murphy, Bob Tzudiker, Noni White, Henry Mayo, David Reynolds, Jeffrey Stepakoff
Author of Book:  Edgar Rice Burroughs
Production Studio:  Walt Disney Pictures
Musical Score:  Phil Collins, Mark Mancina