Disney Renaissance Month - Tarzan (1999)

       Hey guys, Chuck here, and even though Disney Renaissance Month still has a a week left until the end, we've reached the final film of the Disney Renaissance: Tarzan. Based on the stories of Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs, this 1999 movie was directed by Kevin Lima and Chris Buck, and stars Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, Brian Blessed, Lance Henriksen, Glenn Close, Wayne Knight, Nigel Hawthorne, and Rosie O'Donnell. Now, this movie is very personal to me, as it would be the last movie I would see with my great-grandmother before her passing just a few years later. 

       The movie opens in the 1880's with two humans escaping their ship, which is sinking and on fire. The two, along with their infant son, row towards a nearby landmass, which is revealed to be Africa. The couple head inland away from the beach, and build a massive treehouse for shelter. It's also here where we meet a local troop of gorillas, and two gorilla parents named Kerchak and Kala playing with their own baby. Unfortunately, a deadly leopard named Sabor attacks the gorilla nest, and Kerchak and Kala's baby is devoured. On the move, Kala hears a baby's cry in the distance, and goes to investigate, coming across the treehouse. Kala comes across the human baby, and sees that his parents were killed by Sabor, who returns to finish what she started. Kala fends off the killer leopard, and takes the baby back to her troop, opting to raise him as her own son. Unfortunately, Kerchak isn't really open to the idea, given that the boy isn't their kind, and only allows him to stay as he has no other family. Kala decides to name the boy Tarzan. 

         As he grows, Tarzan becomes friends with other animals, including Kala's niece Terk (short for Terkina). One day, however, Tarzan accidentally causes and incident with a herd of elephants, who stampede towards the gorilla nest after mistaking Tarzan for a piranha (in spite of the fact that piranha aren't indigenous to Africa). Kerchak scolds Tarzan for his behavior, and he runs off, covering himself in mud in order to look like a gorilla. Kala, however, reassures him that he is her son, regardless of the difference of species. 

        Tarzan, who is now friends with one of the elephants, Tantor, grows into a man, and eventually has his chance to end the threat of Sabor for good, as she attacks once again after so many years, and he kills the deadly leopard with his spear. However, something else arrives in the African jungle, as three human explorers, Professor Archimedes Porter, his daughter Jane, and their hunter escort Clayton, are checking the jungle out on an expedition to study and research the gorillas, among other wildlife in Africa. While sketching a monkey, Jane causes it to get upset and the entire pack attacks her. Tarzan saves her, and sends the monkeys elsewhere, and he and Jane start to form a bond over the next few minutes. 

         Back with the troop, Kerchak warns all of the gorillas to avoid the strangers as best as they can, despite Tarzan's suggestion that HE try to get to know them and prove they're not a threat. Ultimately, Tarzan ignores Kerchak and grows to know Jane, her father, and even Clayton. Jane and her father teach Tarzan about the human world, London, and many things that they know, while Tarzan shows Jane the wonders of the jungle and the natural world. Unfortunately, what Jane, the Professor, and Clayton need is to see the gorillas before their boat arrives to return them to London. So, using Terk and Tantor as a distraction to lure away Kerchak, Tarzan brings Jane, the Professor, and Clayton to the gorilla nests, and introduces them to Kala and the other gorillas. Unfortunately, things get out of hand, and Tarzan is forced to fend off Kerchak as his new human friends escape. Kerchak scolds Tarzan for betraying their family, and Kala takes him to the treehouse she found him in as a baby. Now that he knows the truth, Tarzan decides to join the humans and go to London, living in a world he never knew. 

         Unfortunately, Clayton has turned on the Professor and Jane, and is using some hired hands to hunt down and capture the gorillas. Terk and Tantor rescue Tarzan, Jane, and the Professor from the boat, and it off to fight back against Clayton. The team of Tarzan, Jane, and the gorillas fend off the poachers, and Tarzan himself leads Clayton on a chase that leads to him falling and getting strangled to death from some vines. Unfortunately, it's too late, as Kerchak was mortally wounded by Clayton, and looks upon Tarzan, finally recognizing him as his son, and asking him to take care of their family. 

         The next day, Jane and her father are getting ready to depart for England, and she and Tarzan have one last goodbye, despite Tarzan's wishes for Jane to stay in the jungle. Halfway between shore and the boat, the Professor suggests to Jane that she stay and live her life with Tarzan. Now, she tries to protest the idea,. insisting she belongs with other people, but the Professor points out the honest fact, she loves Tarzan and truly belongs with him. Jane then doves off the rowboat and swims back to Tarzan, choosing to stay in the jungle. The Professor follows suit, as he decides "People get lost in the jungle everyday. Tarzan, now leader of the gorilla troop, swings through the jungle alongside Jane, ending the movie on a triumphant note. 

         Honestly, Tarzan was possibly the best film in the Disney Renaissance since The Lion King. The visual design of the jungle of Africa is absolutely fantastic. The Disney Animation team would utilize a system called Deep Canvas to bring the jungle setting to life in this movie, and it was absolutely breathtaking, especially seeing the more 3D environments in this movie. 

        Both Tony Goldwyn and Minnie Driver are fantastic as Tarzan and Jane, and the two have absolutely amazing chemistry. I also thoroughly enjoyed Glenn Close and Lance Henriksen as Kala and Kerchak, as well as Wayne Knight as Tantor. Nigel Hawthorne was pretty funny as Professor Porter, and Brian Blessed was really intimidating as Clayton. While not at the level of Jafar or Hades as far as Disney villains go, Clayton is certainly more memorable than Shan Yu and more menacing than Ratcliffe. Lastly, there's Rosie O'Donnell as Terk. Rosie does an okay job, providing comic relief throughout the movie. However, much like the gargoyles in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Terk feels more like a character meant for kids to enjoy, and adults will probably get tired of her as the movie goes on. 

        But, the one thing most everyone remembers about Tarzan is the music. Now, I will say that the score by Mark Mancina, who most '90s kids will remember for his work on movies like Speed, Twister, and Bad Boys, was really good and definitely had a lot of beats that feel like the s natural sounds of an African jungle. But, that's not what most people think of. No, they think of the songs that were co-written and performed by Phil Collins. Admittedly, this did feel like a similar situation as bringing Elton John in as a songwriter for The Lion King. But the difference is that the songs in The Lion King were, with exceptions, sung by the film's characters. In Tarzan, the songs are predominantly sung by Phil Collins, again with two exceptions being an in-movie short version of "You'll Be in My Heart," which Glenn Close sang part of as a lullaby to baby Tarzan, and "Trashin' the Camp," which was sung by Rosie O'Donnell during the scene of the same name. Now, Collins did sing in those two songs as well, but the rest of the songs were completely sung by Phil Collins by himself. Now, I recently learned that directors Chris Buck and Kevin Lima thought it would be too ridiculous to have Tarzan sing in the movie. Understandable. As for the songs themselves, I like them quite a bit. I think my two favorites are the end credits version of "You'll Be in My Heart" and also "Son of Man." 

         Overall, this was my favorite movie in the second half of the Disney Renaissance. And it was definitely a great film to end the Disney Renaissance era on. I'm giving Tarzan a rating of 5/5. 

      Alrighty guys, we have officially looked at the ten movies of the Disney Renaissance. I gotta say, I loved getting to look back on an era of Disney Animation that was a key part of my childhood. However, we still have a week left in February, so I want to take a look at a couple other things. So, join me on Friday when I talk about the impact the Disney Renaissance had at the time, and continues to have today. And then next Tuesday, I will be reviewing a Disney movie that kicked off the new millennium. One might even consider it an unofficial eleventh film in the Disney Renaissance. 

        This is Chuck signing off, and although we're done with the Disney Renaissance, Disney Renaissance Month isn't over just yet.