Tarzan Review
by "Steve Rhodes" (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)June 15th, 1999
TARZAN
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1999 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2
So what is it that makes the new TARZAN so special?
TARZAN, Disney's big, animated, summer movie, has great songs, nearly perfect casting, and some funny dialog that make it a wonderful choice for the entire family. But it is the movie's animation, a technological tour de force that uses computers to enhance, not replace, traditional drawings, that almost upstages everything else.
The animators use a new computer technique that the Disney Studios call "Deep Canvas" to make the background images at once more stunningly realistic and imaginatively abstract. Words don't do it justice, but I'll try. Picture a foreground with carefully drawn, brightly-colored characters, one in which you can feel the painstaking work that animators put into every cel. That they researched and rethought every human and animal movement is obvious with their incredible attention to detail.
These foreground figures are then integrated into a lavish background that is the picture's piece de resistance. With equal parts of van Gogh and Renoir, the lush, fog-shrouded, green-forested jungle looks so lovely and believable that you want to reach out and touch it, half expecting that a museum guard will arrest you if you try.
According to the press notes, "Tarzan" is the second most adapted book ever. Its 47 adaptations are exceeded only by "Dracula." It also points out that the author of "Tarzan," Edgar Rice Burroughs, suggested in a letter to his son way back in 1936 that an animated version might be best suited to realizing his vision. His only caveat was that "It must approximate Disney excellence." Talk about having your dreams come true. How about a movie made by Disney that exceeds even their own high standards? Welcome to Disney's breathtaking instantiation of the Tarzan legend.
Glenn Close, a five-time Oscar nominee, is an acting chameleon, taking on roles from sexual predators to nurturing mothers. If you were going to be raised by an ape mother, Glenn Close would be the type you'd want, which is exactly what Disney thought, so they cast her as Kala, Tarzan's adopted ape mother.
As the story opens, Kala loses her ape baby to a tiger. This same tiger kills Tarzan's parents, so, much to the chagrin of Kerchak (Lance Henriksen), the patriarch of her gorilla family, Kala adopts the orphan Tarzan.
Probably better than any other TARZAN, this version does an extremely convincing job of giving Tarzan animal characteristics. It is easy to get so mesmerized by Tarzan's movements that you lose track of everything else. Glen Keane, Disney's star animator (Beast, Aladdin, Ariel and Pocahontas among others), is the genius behind Tarzan's looks and movements. His inspiration came from two unlikely sources, his teenage son's skateboarding and the old surfer song "Wipe Out." Keane's energetic Tarzan doesn't just swing from the vines, he surfs the branches. This single piece of inspiration gives Tarzan's movements an unbounded and joyous spirit that is exciting to watch.
Phil Collins is equally inventive, using a closet full of household items to create a magical set of jungle rhythms. With one exception, the songs are performed, as they were in TOY STORY, not by the characters but as a backdrop to the action. This frees Tarzan and the others to do what they do best without having to stop their action to break into song.
The casting of the show is particularly inspired. Tony Goldwyn, as the adult Tarzan, breathes life and charm into his part without overpowering it with needless bravado. (Alex D. Linz plays the younger Tarzan.) The scene in which Tarzan mimics Jane is the film's comedic high point.
The bulk of the film's comedic legwork is done by Minnie Driver as Jane and Rosie O'Donnell as Terk, Tarzan's gorilla pal. Jane is a proper young English lady who's an independent free spirit. The charismatic Driver is wonderfully appealing as the vulnerable but tough Jane. Just as sidesplittingly funny is O'Donnell, who says she always thought of herself as an ape. They both steal every scene they are in. Too bad they aren't in many scenes together as it would have made for an interesting comedic contest.
Disney, as it has done from BAMBI to THE LION KING, has dared to introduce genuine tragedy into a kids' movie. When the nefarious Clayton (Brian Blessed) begins to hunt the gorillas, you know that something bad will happen, and it does. Life is like that. But the story doesn't dwell on it, and the film is the stronger for its introduction into the storyline.
Tarzan's fast paced, high-spirited high jinks are certain to delight one and all. Visually astounding, the film is a mesmerizing treat worthy to be counted among Disney's best.
TARZAN runs 1:29. It is rated G. Although there some moments during the gorilla hunt that might briefly scare the youngest viewers, the picture is fine for all ages.
My son Jeffrey, age 10, said he was impressed by Disney's work on the film and gave it ***. He liked the way young Tarzan and Terk looked and thought that they were really cute together. One of his favorite parts was the way that they took you into a gorilla's family. His only complaint was about the sad part. His friend Nickolas, also 10, thought the movie was okay and gave it **. He said that he liked everything but the ending.
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