Tarzan Review
by Edward Johnson-ott (PBBP24A AT prodigy DOT com)June 18th, 1999
Tarzan (1999)
Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, Glenn Close, Lance Henriksen, Rosie O'Donnell, Brian Blessed, Nigel Hawthorne, Alex D. Linz, Wayne Knight. Songs by Phil Collins. Written by Tab Murphy, Bob Tzudiker and Noni White. Based on "Tarzan of the Apes" by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Directed by Kevin Lima and Chris Buck. 87 minutes.
Rated G, 4 stars (out of five stars)
Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly
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One of the most amazing things about "Tarzan" is that it has taken this long for someone to produce an animated version of the Edgar Rice Burroughs adventure. With a lead character who talks with apes and routinely performs physical feats of superhuman ability, the jungle king has always seemed a natural for the form. Even Burroughs said so back in the '30s, with the caveat "the cartoon must be good. It must approximate Disney excellence." Done and done. Disney's "Tarzan" is a corker; a robust, remarkably kinetic realization of Burroughs' grand, preposterous fable. The most successful melding of classic and modern Disney styles to date, "Tarzan" takes the essence of the venerable tale and presents it in a streamlined form, filled with drama, humor and amazing vitality.
The enduring popularity of "Tarzan" (47 films prior to this one, not to mention the TV series, comics and, of course, Burroughs' many books) is easy to understand. A kid grows up in the wild, away from all societal rules, to become a living legend, a hero routinely having fantastic adventures in an exotic world. Burroughs cooked up an incredibly juicy premise that neatly encapsulates virtually everyone's escapist fantasies, not to mention their sexual ones. Be honest, between Tarzan, the near- naked jungle stud, and Jane, the prim Englishwoman who defies propriety to embrace the wild life, you've had a dirty thought or two.
Unfortunately, most "Tarzan" movies are formulaic crap. For every gem like 1934's "Tarzan and His Mate" (starring Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan, the definitive Tarzan and Jane), there has been a steady stream of pure dreck, with trite situations and stock footage substituting for creativity. The nadir came last year with "Tarzan and the Lost City," a godawful mess with walking mannequin Casper Van Diem striking poses for 108 torturous minutes.
Disney restores the luster to the franchise with its "Tarzan," a lush, economic offering which minimizes many well-known story points in favor of character development and swirling visuals. Although romance plays a part in the film, this "Tarzan" is primarily a coming-of-age story, as the young ape-man wonders why he is so different from the other apes and tries to find his place in the family, while his disapproving surrogate father glares from the distance (for a family-friendly company, Disney sure produces a lot of movies where at least one parent is either emotionally inaccessible or dead).
"Tarzan" takes care of the story basics with a dazzling opening montage set to Phil Collins' song, "Two Worlds," adroitly jumping between parallel shots of humans and apes. One breathtaking image flash-cuts from a human family cowering in a boat to an ape family huddled in the jungle. In short order, Tarzan's parents are killed by a leopard in their treehouse sanctuary, and Kala (Glenn Close), a grief-stricken gorilla mother who lost her child to a leopard, discovers the infant orphan. She adopts the squirming pink baby against the wishes of Kerchak (Lance Henriksen), her mate and leader of the tribe. As the child grows, he struggles to be accepted by his ape brethren, keeping up with the tribe by swinging on vines and "surfing" moss-covered tree limbs. Eventually, of course, humans show up and yadda yadda, you know the rest.
Thankfully, "Tarzan" is not a musical and Phil Collins' songs serve to propel, rather than interrupt, the story (incidentally, while I've been burned out on Collins for years, his rhythm-heavy tunes are surprisingly effective in this context). Although the artwork represents another leap forward for Disney, the company continues to cling to the tried and true, so Tarzan is provided two comic sidekicks. Wayne Knight is fine as a neurotic elephant, but Rosie O'Donnell, as a smart-ass ape, is a bit annoying, largely due to her grating voice.
The rest of the actors are exemplary. Alex D. Linz voices Tarzan as a boy, with Tony Goldwyn as the adult ape-man, and both are very good. Particularly strong is Minnie Driver, providing Jane a nicely layered personality. Together, they make the oft-told story seem fresh and Tarzan's identity and cultural crisis genuinely poignant.
But the main appeal of the film remains the knockout combination of art and music. Beyond the thrilling action scenes, some of the best images are the smallest. When the infant Tarzan yawns and stretches, watch the movement of his tiny rib cage and belly. This baby actually moves like a baby - a rarity in cartoons. The depth and detail in the jungle vistas are equally impressive, as Disney continues to up the ante in animation. "Tarzan" may not be quite as compelling as some Disney films, but it still ranks as one of their strongest efforts to date, a rich melange of comedy, drama and adventure surrounded by some of the dandiest eye candy I've seen in a long time.
© 1999 Ed Johnson-Ott
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