Tarzan 720p - (1999 Lang: English)

Disney's best animated film in 45 years - a wonder.

As much as I admired the regeneration of the Disney animators in the eight films produced since and including THE LITTLE MERMAID, the formula got to be pretty static and predictable. I couldn't see the hoopla for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST as an Oscar nommed Best Film. It was like all the others. However, I feel that the studio's latest, TARZAN, does deserve a best film nom. Why? It's thoroughly integrated, non-formulaic, and is the first Disney animated film to have a grown man as its hero (all the others have had heroines, animals, or teenage males - Aladdin and Quasimodo - as its centers).

Tarzan's issues involve an identity crisis and a social adjustment disorder and he's far more intelligent and clever than any of the human actors who have portrayed him thus far. The personalities of the leads are beautifully fleshed out - Jane is complex, funny and intelligent. Tarzan is anything but one dimensional. The score (both the songs and the background scoring) is exceptional as is the sound. The animation is amazing - especially the flying through the vines of the forest and lighting hits a new high. The gorillas are beautifully and naturally brought to life. I'm going out of my way to hype this film to everyone I know. It's a true classic - a gem.

Tarzan is a 1999 American animated adventure drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation for Walt Disney Pictures. The 37th Disney animated feature film and the last film produced during the Disney Renaissance era, it is based on the story Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and is the first animated major motion picture version of the Tarzan story. Directed by Chris Buck and Kevin Lima with a screenplay by Tab Murphy, Bob Tzudiker, and Noni White, Tarzan features the voices of Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, Glenn Close, and Rosie O'Donnell with Brian Blessed, Lance Henriksen, Wayne Knight, and Nigel Hawthorne.

Pre-production of Tarzan began in 1995 with Kevin Lima selected as director, being later joined by animator Chris Buck the same year. Following a first draft by Tab Murphy, Bob Tzudiker, Noni White, and Dave Reynolds were brought in to re-construct the third act and add additional humor to the screenplay. English musician Phil Collins was recruited to compose and record songs which were integrated with a score by Mark Mancina. Meanwhile, the production team embarked on a research trip to Uganda and Kenya to study the gorillas. Animation for the film was done in California, Orlando, Florida, and Paris with Deep Canvas, the pioneering computer animation software system, predominantly used to create three-dimensional backgrounds.

Tarzan was released to a positive reaction from critics, who praised the film's animation and music. Against a production budget of $130 million (then the most expensive animated film ever made until Disney's Treasure Planet (2002) which cost $140 million), the film grossed $448.2 million worldwide, becoming the fifth-highest film release in 1999, the second-highest animation release of 1999 behind Toy Story 2 (1999), and the first Disney animated feature to open at first place at the North American box office since Pocahontas (1995). The film has led to many derived works, such as a Broadway adaptation, a television series, and two direct-to-video films: Tarzan & Jane (2002) and Tarzan II (2005).

In the late 1880s, an English couple and their infant son escape a shipwreck, ending up near uncharted rainforests off the coast of Africa. The couple craft themselves a treehouse from their ship's wreckage, but are subsequently killed by Sabor, a leopardess. Kala, a female western gorilla who recently lost her own child to Sabor, hears the cries of the orphaned infant and finds him in the ruined treehouse. Though she is attacked by Sabor, Kala and the baby manage to escape. Kala takes the baby back to the jungle to raise as her own, an action of which the leader and her mate, Kerchak, grudgingly disapproves. Kala raises the human child, naming him Tarzan.

Years later, Tarzan begins to befriend other gorillas and animals, including a young female gorilla named Terk and the paranoid male elephant Tantor. Tarzan finds himself treated differently because of his different physique, so he makes great efforts to improve himself. As a young man, Tarzan manages to kill Sabor with a crude spear he made, gaining Kerchak's reluctant respect.

The gorilla troop's nonviolent and peaceful life is interrupted by the arrival of a team of human explorers from England, consisting of Professor Porter, his daughter Jane, and their hunter-guide Clayton. The explorers are looking to study gorillas. Jane accidentally becomes separated from the group and chased by a baboon troop, with Tarzan saving her. He recognizes that she is the same as he is: a human. Jane leads Tarzan back to their camp, where Porter and Clayton both take great interest in him; the former in terms of scientific progress while the latter hopes to have Tarzan lead him to the gorillas so that he can capture them and return with them to England. Despite Kerchak's warnings to be wary of the humans, Tarzan continues to return to the camp, where Porter, Clayton, and Jane teach him to speak English as well as what the human world is like. He and Jane begin to fall in love. However, the English explorers have a difficult time convincing Tarzan to lead them to the gorillas, due to Tarzan's fear of Kerchak.

The explorers ship soon returns to retrieve them. Jane asks Tarzan to return with them to England, but Tarzan in turn asks Jane to stay with him when Jane says it is unlikely they will ever return. Clayton convinces Tarzan that Jane will stay with him forever if he leads them to the gorillas. Tarzan agrees and leads the trio to the nesting grounds, while Terk and Tantor lure Kerchak away to avoid having him attack the humans. Porter and Jane are excited to mingle with the gorillas, but Kerchak returns and when he sees the humans, attacks them. Tarzan is forced to hold Kerchak at bay while the humans escape. Kerchak accuses Tarzan of betraying the troop. Kala takes Tarzan to the treehouse where she found him, shows him his true past, and says that she wants him to be happy whatever he decides. Tarzan puts on a suit that belonged to his father, signifying his decision to go to England.

When Tarzan boards the ship with Jane and Porter the next day, they are all ambushed by Clayton and his traitorous band of stowaway thugs. Clayton hopes and plans to seize the gorillas now that he knows where the nesting grounds are, and locks Tarzan, Jane, and Porter away to prevent them from interfering. Tarzan manages to escape with the help of Terk and Tantor, and he returns to the gorillas' nesting grounds. Clayton fatally shoots Kerchak and then engages Tarzan in a destructive and fierce battle across the treetops. Although Tarzan spares Clayton's life and destroys his gun, Clayton tries to kill him with his machete. Tarzan traps Clayton with vines, and Clayton angrily attempts to cut his way free, even cutting the vine which he was holding onto; he's then killed by falling from the tree with a vine tangled around his neck, hanging him. Kerchak, with his dying breath, finally forgives Tarzan, accepts him as his son, and names him the new leader of the gorilla troop. The rest of the gorillas are freed after scaring away the rest of Clayton's men.

The next day, Porter and Jane prepare to leave on the ship while Tarzan stays behind with the gorilla troop. As the ship leaves shore, Porter encourages his daughter to stay with the man she loves, and Jane jumps overboard to return to shore; Porter shortly follows her. The Porters reunite with Tarzan and his family and embark on their new life together.

Okay. They rewrote the whole legend. But Disney has an unerring way of doing that. Anyone remember Pocahontas? They even changed Cinderella, Snow White, and every other Disney Masterpiece sitting on your shelves, so why does it matter that this, too, was changed?

It matters on several different levels, but the most important reason it matters is because Disney, in their positioning among the children's entertainment market, is in the unique position to actually teach these legends, these snippets of history, these morals and ethics, to the children of their audiences, rather than proffering sugar-coated, merchandized over-glorifications in exchange for the great American dollar.

That having been said, this is still an entertaining introduction to the legend, but I highly suggest "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes," (1984), directed by Hugh Hudson. It is the most faithful adaptation I've ever seen, and a highly enjoyable adventure, which carries a PG rating and is safe for most ages to view.

A lot has been said about the deep canvas effect used throughout the jungle scenes, and I must admit that I found the technique highly effective and extremely well done. I do computer graphics myself, and I was very impressed with the 3D effects throughout, including the water variants and textures used in the ship scenes, the fire effects used in the jungle, and the smoke effects from the guns used by the poachers. The textures and backgrounds were absolutely stunning, and for me, as a graphics artist, that's what I look for when I view a quality animation.

Very good endeavor.

Excellent Disney fare. One of the best.