Walt Disney Animation Studios Review: Tarzan

Walt Disney Animation Studios 37th feature film.

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My opinion right after watching film

My opinion right after watching the film is that it is a good film to end a great era with. It is enjoyable, a bit tense at times, emotional, and a film that is for adults and little children. The break from the musicals is an extremely smart move for this film, the animation is brilliant, and the characters are extremely likable. It is sad that this film is somewhat forgotten because of when it is released, because this is easily one of the better films in the canon.

Production

Production started in 1995, and at this time, the studio was breaking away from the Renaissance style, so they were incorporating more “tom boyish” aspects in their films (which won’t really surface for another few years), and meaning they were cutting down on the songs as well. They created a program called Deep Canvas, which practically produces CGI backgrounds, but to make them look 2d, and this is one of the reasons why it was the highest grossing animated film for a while. This technique would be used again for Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Treasure Planet.

Glen Keane’s son was very into skateboarding, so he studied his son and Tony Hawk’s skate moves, and would interpret then into the movie, with Tarzan sliding through the branches of the tree. They also had a professor of anatomy enter the studio to draw the muscles on Tarzan, to exemplify a young man at the peak of his physical strength and prowess.

Patrick Stewart and Ina McKellen were considered to be Clayton, but they chose Brian Blessed, after liking his deep voice. Terk was supposed to be a male in the movie (like in the book), and many men tried out, but they were not impressed, giving the role to Rossie O Donnel (who always wanted to be a film), saying that a best friend does not have to be a guy.

Story

So in the late 19th century (1880s), a couple and their newborn son Tarzan (Alex D. Linz and Tony Goldwyn) escape a ship on fire, and land in an African jungle. To start over, they build a hut to stay in, with Kerchack (Laace Henrikshen) and his mate Kala (Glenn Close) enjoys their newborn song. This is a small prologue, with the theme song Two World, One Family playing. At the end of the song, both of Tarzan’s parents, and Kala’s son is killed by a jaguar, with Kala running to get a baby, where she meets Tarzan for the first time.

This film is probably one of the best in the canon when it comes to silent scenes. There is an automatic bond between Kala and Tarzan, and when the subtle music plays, it makes the scenes so strong and powerful.

The jaguar Sabor shows up for more, and interrupts their moment. Kala has a hard time trying to save herself and Tarzan, but manages to do so. When she returns to her troop, they ask if she is okay, which she shrugs off and tells them that she found a baby. Kerchack looks at him and tells her to put him back, with her refusing to do so. It makes sense why Kerchack would want Tarzan put away. Kala assures him that there are no others, so he lets her keep him, but tells her that he will NEVER replace the one they lost and will NEVER be his son. She then starts singing You’ll Be In My Heart, which of course Collins could not let her finish so he could use it as a single. This song won a few awards. It is a nice song, but it is not the standout one to me.

It skips to a few years, and Tarzan is now an adventurous, reckless child who wants to fit in. His cousin, half sister Terk (Rossie O Donnel) ditches him and refers to Tarzan as a pest to her friends. What an ass. Anyways, she told Tarzan that he cold come along with her if he could catch up  His friends are like wtf when they see the hairless Tarzan, so to ditch him, Terk tells him to get an elephant hair. This causes him to jump in the river that the elephants are in, scaring them shitless to run in the jungle bad break shit up. Kerchack lectures Tarzan as he gives him a cold look, with the human apologizing. We also meet the hygienic elephant named Tantor (Wayne Knight).

After Kerchack says that Tarzan is a menace and will never fit in, we get a nice scene of him trying to cover himself with mud to look like them. Kala tells him that they both have 2 eyes, a nose, 2 ears, and 2 hands. I am glad that they have a relationship involving a mother being a part of a Disney film. It is so rare. And it is nice that it is a mother/son relationship. This leads into a pep talk, that will lead us to Son of Man, which is a montage for Tarzan to adapt in the jungle with tools, and his own strengths, leading him into the adult badass we knew now.

Now that Tarzan can beat up Terk (who always beat him up), he sees a bigger predator in Sabor, who has come back for another round of Gorilla. Kerchack goes to fight this jaguar, but the jaguar is too strong for Kerchack. When Sabour is about to finish him off, Tarzan jumps in, and the action kicks off by 10. He is swinging through vines, surfing through branches, and the animation is so well done, with the fast pace, and all the cool movements. Anyways, Sabour is soon dead.

So all the gorillas are cheering for him, and Tarzan goes to approach Kerchack, almost asking for his approval. As Kerchack is about to say something, a gunshot is heard, signifying that Clayton (Brian Blessed), Professor Archimedes Q. Porter (Nigel Hawthorne), and his daughter Jane Porter (Minnie Driver) have made their debut in the film. The 3 are looking forward to study (or sell in one person’s mind) Gorillas. Jane gets left behind (as Tarzan is checking her out) to draw a picture of a baby baboon. The baby takes her picture, but she steals it back, which leads into an epic battle with all the baboons chasing after her. This entire scene is comedy gold as she is freaked out by being chased by a herd of baboons, and being dragged around by a semi naked man. They finally avoid the herd and gets stuck on a tree.

She is trying to escape from Tarzan, as he speaks to monkeys, but has nowhere to go. After he tries to cop a feel looks to see if they are similar, she kicks him off. After listening to her heartbeat, and put their hands on one another, he realizes they are similar. He then imitates her (causing her to think he can speak English), and fins him extraordinary (in many ways).

I am glad that they did not do no “Listen With Your Heart” bullshit to get them to automatically understand one another.

Terk, Tantor and co. look for Tarzan, and bump into the Porter’s camp, and they end up singing Trashing the Camp, which is not really song, but it does make you want to dance and shake for a few seconds. When Jane and Tarzan arrive, she is fascinated with them. Her and Terk look at one another, right before Kerchack makes her fall, and about to whoop that ass, but decides he has no time for her, so he demands everyone to leave. Tarzan is stuck as he looks at Jane, but his mother drags him away.  Jane is thrilled from the man in the loincloth (of course she would).

There is a gorilla meeting, where Kerchack tells everyone to not go near them again. Tarzan does not like this and tells him nothing is wrong. Now that Tarzan is worthy, Kerchack tells him if he wants to protect the tribe, he needs to listen. He does not understand why Kerchack is afraid of anyone different from him, and Kala tells her son to listen to Kerchack for once. He bitterly asks his mother why she never told him there were people like him, before he runs off.

Jane describes her interest and lust in Tarzan, which her father weirdly encourages, and Clayton rolls his eyes at her girlish fantasy. Tarzan shows up, and Clayton tries to get him to tell him where the gorillas are, but Jane says that he cannot speak English, and sit would be best if she teaches him.

This leads us into another montage in the form of the song Strangers Like Me. We see a lot in this segment. We see Tarzan learn English, how to walk like a human, Astrology, how to ride a bike, and more. We also see him spend more time with the humans, with Kala and Terk feeling abandoned. His relationship with Jane blossoms and reaches its peaks when he takes her to the parrots, and teaches her how to swing on a vine. This is kind of a shortcut to deal with and develop their relationship.

It is time for them to leave and because Jane was too busy living out her fantasy, they did not get to see the Gorillas (Kerchack is to blame for that as well). She asks him to come to London forever, which he refuses, so he asks her to stay with him, an she runs off crying because she has to choose between interacting with humans, air conditioner, proper food, etc, and a man who is 7/8 naked and has a body to show for it. Clayton tricks Tarzan into letting them see in the gorillas (with him thinking Jane will stay if she sees the gorillas). He takes them to meet Kala, who runs off. Soon enough, all of the gorillas are around them when Tarzan teaches Jane to speak Gorilla.

So the Porters and Tarzan are having fun with the Gorillas and the pair talk about her having to leave, until Terk and Tantor return (Tarzan asks them to dress up as Jane and her father, so they can distract Kerchack from them hanging with the Gorillas) with Kerchack losing it from the fact that they are with humans, and is about to attack Clayton, but Tarzan holds them off, as they run. Kerchack tells him that he betrayed them all, causing the confused man to run.

Kala takes him to the home his birth parents lived at ad tells him everything she knows about his past. He tells her that he is going to go to London with Jane, as he wears his father’s clothing.

Terk and Tantor show up too late to say goodbye to their friend, causing Terk to lash out at him for not even saying goodbye to him. As Jane, her father and Tarzan hop on the ship, they talk about how everyone in London is going to like him, but as soon as they hope on the shop, they are trapped by Clayton’s men. Tarzan tries to escape, and when Clayton shows up, he realizes that Clayton set this all up, and thanks Tarzan for his help. He reveals that he came to Africa to trap all the gorillas to sell them off. Did we really need a villain for this film? Clayton was so half assed and boring at being a villain, and a villain is not even needed for this type of story. Tarzan’s psychological battle with gorilla life and human life is a conflict on it’s own, so I do not think Clayton was needed. He only slows down the movie.

Tantor hears Tarzan’s scream, causing them to head over to save them from the ship. Clayton and his crew trap all the gorillas, and he is about to shoot Kerchack, but Tarzan saves him. He sets free most of the gorillas, but Kala (who is saved by Jane). Tarzan helps Jane, but Clayton shows, up, ready to kill Tarzan. He proceeds after he pushes Jane off, causing them to climb the trees and has a battle in the vines, causing Clayton to cause his own death, by not chopping the vine around his neck.

So Kerchack (who was shot) dies as he tells Tarzan to lead the pack, causing him to walk off with his tribe. Professor Porter is about to follow them, but Jane stops him, as it is not their place to do so. It travels to the next morning I believe, and Jane and Tarzan share a painful goodbye, causing her to run off to the boat with her father, who convinces her to stay with Tarzan. She runs to kiss him, which she apologizes, but he grabs her and kisses her again. Her father tells the ship captain to tell England that he never found them, as he joins his daughter. The movie ends with Two Worlds, One Family, with everyone (all the humans in loincloth clothing) swinging through the forest and Tarzan yelling his caveman yell.

Like I said before, this film knows when to be emotional and slow, and when to be fast paced and action packed. It does not try too hard with being funny, the characters are likable and developed, and this not a bad film at all. The music really helped this film, whether it is by montages, or re-establishing the theme of the movie. While the villain is not good at all, and unneeded, there is not much to complain about in this film, though many could say that they use the montages as copouts. This is a good way to end an era.

Characters

The characters that we need to focus on is good. They have enough to them that is entertaining and relatable, and most of the interactions between the characters are really good as well.

I think the biggest thing about him is that he wants to belong (at first), and that he wants to find his place. He is reckless often not thinking of the consequences of his actions, always willing to learn, and he wants to have fun. He is likable and relatable enough, so we feel his pain and understand why he does the things he does. I have to say, he is not the strongest when it come to characterization, but there is something there. I guess the biggest thing about him is his heart.

She is very entertaining. She is quirky, artistic, knowledgeable, and she is proactive in her own way. Some say she is more comedic relief than a character, and I can see some points. I wish we got to know a little bit more about her, because she is kind of an asset. She has her own flavor, and she stands out among-st the heroines (even though she is a brunette with a yellow dress).

He is very serious, and a bit cold, but it makes sense because he is a leader in a crazy jungle, lost his child to a jaguar, and has to be the protector and provider. I m glad that they did not paint him off as the type we are supposed to hate.

She is a very supportive, calm, level-headed, and understanding mother. Her relationship with Tarzan was really great to watch, and she is really one of the first (I believe she IS the first mother) to have an important role in the film. Though she is not unique compared to the other mothers, she is a good character.

Oh lord. It was really obvious that he was a villain, and he proved to be unneeded. There was already conflict in the film, and if you really look at it, not much would have changed if he was not in the film. He was pretty weak, his motivation was eh, and he was not interesting. Kind of a dud.

Terk is plain old annoying. Sure, she could have been worse, but that does not mean she is good. Her relationship with Tarzan is decent enough.

There is really not much to say about him. He is likable, but I think that is only because he contrasts Terk. I like that he is a clean freak though.

 

Animation

The animation is very good. The Deep Canvas technique is brilliant and efficiently used, and I can barely tell that it is CGI instead of traditional animation. The character designs are brilliant. Tarzan (character) captures how well the animation is. How he has the ape-like and human movement and posture in him, how his muscles move and shift in detail, and his expressions. The backgrounds are great to look at, and the colors are perfect.

Music

The music is pretty good. I like the fact that they did not make it a musical, but had a person sing the songs all the way throughout. Some of the songs are used as montage songs, and does get the overall message of the montage pretty well. All of the songs (except for Trashing the Camp) serve a purpose, and very entertaining to listen to. It has a jungle-esque score, which is very memorable and enjoyable to listen to.

Reception at Release

When the film was released on  June 18th, 1999, it opened at #1, which has not happened since the release of Pocahontas. It was the biggest success since The Lion King, and would go on to gross $171,091,819 domestically , and $277,100,000, with a worldwide total of $448,191,819, with a budget of $130 million. Toy Story would be released 5 months later, taking the focus off this film, and start the increasing image in CGI, as the latter grossed a bit more.

Critically, it did really well (about the level that Mulan was). Many liked the animation, characters, the Phil Collins soundtrack, and liked that Disney was not trying too hard to be too exceptional. Some complained about Tarzan’s physique, and thinking some of the characters are boring, but overall, the positives were A LOT more than the negatives.

It won a bit more awards than it’s last 3 predecessors, but not as much as the early Renaissance. It won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for You’ll Be in My Heart, nominated for 11 Annies, and winning an Annie for the technical achievement of the Canvas system.

Reception Today

Well, this film is not really that forgotten about, but Disney does not talk about it much, and I do not know why. It was one of the company’s biggest financially, and it received critical acclaim; something tells me it is because it was released after The Lion King. It had a musical for a few years after it was released, but it was eventually closed down. You will see some merchandise all over the theme parks if you look hard enough. Jane was to become a Disney Princess in 2000, but they dropped it after a few magazine shoots. This film is known for being the biggest box office success until Tangled 11 years later, and the last to stick to the Disney formula and have heart for many years to come, as the company did everything Disney was not for the Post Renaissance era.

Final Score

Story: 8.5/10

Characters: 7.5/10

Animation: 9/10

Music: 8.5/10

= 33.5/40 = 84%

Next Time..

Review: September 1st, 2014

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