Tarzan Review
by James Brundage (brundage AT alltel DOT net)July 26th, 1999
Tarzan
Directed by Chris Buck and Kevin Lima
Written by Tab Murphy, Bob Tzudiker, and Noni White
Based upon "Tarzan of the Apes" by Edward Rice Burroughs
With the voices of Brian Blessed, Glenn Close, Minnie Driver, Tony Goldwyn, Nigel Hawthorne, Lance Henriksen, Wayne Knight, and Rosie O'Donnell
As Reviewed by James Brundage (MovieKritic2000)
Normally, whenever Disney gets a new tech toy, it takes them a while to get used to it, to learn it fully and bring their films back up to par. With Tarzan, this gap is nonexistent. With its first outing, Deep Canvas takes Tarzan's animation to incredible levels, giving us the best quality animation in years.
Perhaps then it is fitting that Tarzan is the movie that finally pulls the Disney animation team out of its slump. Ever since The Lion King (not inclusive), they have been slacking on the quality of animation and the quality of film that they turned out. And, if there is one thing that Tarzan doesn't do, its slack.
Tarzan also doesn't mess around. It begins quickly with a ship burning at sea and the last-minute self-saving action of a man and his family, and never stops in pace from there. Unlike the last several Disney films, which drag their feet, Tarzan never wastes a minute of its running time. Its characters are simple but good, the voices perfect. Instead of making an American fake a British accent, they import actual Brits for British roles.
The movie is, sadly, a very old and unoriginal story. Anyone familiar with the Tarzan story knows it, knows the famous and infamous line ("Me Tarzan, you Jane"). We've been inundated with the line since birth. Like the Jaws theme it has been parodied innumerable times. However, by keeping it simple and adding a Disney-style humor, they manage not to let the movie fall into a slump.
Another thing that almost kills the movie are the songs by Phil Collins. The movie has a fine musical score, one that goes in sync with the feel of the moment. However, whenever one of the musical numbers comes on, it feels highly distant from the movie. The sound of the song, the lyrics, all of them go completely against what is happening off screen. It has a way of getting under your skin, and causing an itch.
The true saving grace of the movie comes in the form of the animation. Tarzan literally surfs through the jungle, flying from vine to vine and sliding up and down trees like the ultimate circus acrobat. Whenever each one of those sequences comes on, you are given the feeling that you are right there, experiencing it. It's like an animated roller-coaster ride.
The voices on the movie are excellent. Minnie Driver, a true brit, takes the role of Jane and gets to have some fun in it (rather than play the ultimate oppressed woman). Brian Blessed voices Clayton, a game hunter who is out to poach Gorillas, and he does it with all the appropriate charm of a snake. Lance Henriksen, from "Millenium" fame, does the appropriately deep-voiced Kerchak, the silverback head of the gorillas. Wayne Knight voices and elephant. Rosie O'Donell plays a sarcastic ape. In short, they all do voices that fit exactly with who there characters are.
Tarzan, the first good animated film I've seen in '99, is definitely going to pull Disney out of its slump. Fiscally, it's always been able to keep going, but now the quality has risen to match. Finally, I can breathe a sigh of relief. The five-year Disney reign of terror has ended.
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