This review is a tad late since I didn't have time to write this review yesterday, given I was watching and reviewing two films for Throwback Thursday Reviews this week. This week I will be publishing two Throwback Thursday Reviews of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and, of course, Disney's Tarzan to coincide with the dual wide release of The BFG and The Legend of Tarzan this weekend. For the next two consecutive Throwback Thursday Reviews, I will be reviewing Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2 to tie into the new female lead Ghostbusters, I'm unsure if the tag line "Answer The Call" is a subtitle or not. Following that I will finish off my series of reviews on the J.J. Abrams' directed Star Trek films with my Throwback Thursday Review of Star Trek Into Darkness.
'Tarzan' Review
Nominated For: Best Original Song "You'll Be In My Heart" (written by Phil Collins).
Won: Best Original Song "You'll Be In My Heart" (written by Phil Collins).
Tarzan, a 1999 Walt Disney animated adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' story Tarzan of the Apes, tells the coming of age story of Tarzan. Tarzan is an orphan raised by gorillas and once he reaches manhood, he comes into contact with humanity and must face the struggle of loyalty to his kind or those who raised him.
I have a special place in my heart for Tarzan because it was one of the first films I ever saw in a cinema (I believe the first was either Tarzan or Dinosaur, both Disney productions) and remains to be one of my favorite animated films, so it was interesting to watch it with a different perspective.
Chris Buck and Kevin Lima co-direct, and the collaboration works out as their vision certainly embodies the heart of the character with adventure and sentiment. The animation blends two-dimensional cartoonish character design with three-dimensional photorealistic backdrops that's just stunning to look at and makes for an interesting aesthetic. Tarzan has plenty of heartfelt and heartbreaking moments, but the best of these are sequences with no dialogue that are propped up by the gorgeous animation that brings an incredible amount of emotion to subtle movements and expressions for the characters and the film's terrific score from composer Mark Mancina.
While I do enjoy the film's underlying score, the accompanying soundtrack of Phil Collin's hits is phenomenal and unfortunately upstages the great work done to accompany the feature, my favorite of the bunch being the Oscar winning "You'll Be In My Heart." The film's narrative effectively tells Tarzan's origin while ensuring a sense of adventure is maintained throughout thanks to the screenplay penned by Tad Murphy, Bob Tzudiker, and Noni White.
The characters are all engaging with a great voice cast behind the scenes. Tarzan is a compelling protagonist given his dual nature of being human yet ape at the same time, and the conflict between those parts of his personality make for an interesting character arc. Tony Goldwyn voices the ape man and brings a rugged physicality through his voice that feels extremely true to character. Minnie Driver articulates the British scientist Jane Porter and makes for a engaging female character that doesn't fall into either the damsel-in-distress trope or the basic love interest.
Glenn Close lends her voice to Kala, Tarzan's gorilla mother figure, an emotional cornerstone for the film when focusing on the parental child relationship. Lance Henriksen portrays the leader of the gorilla pack and Kala's spouse Kerchak and brings a tough demeanor with him that allows for an interesting dynamic between him and Tarzan.
The villain of the piece is the hauntingly realistic poacher Clayton, a man incentivized by riches and actor Brian Blessed makes for a dastardly foe opposing Goldwyn's Tarzan.
There's supporting comedic relief found in the form of Rosie O'Donnell's charismatic simian Terk and Wayne Knight's germaphobic geeky elephant Tantor who make for a unique contrasting duo. The work from the vocal ensemble is all around great and further supported by not only great animation but fantastic filmmaking.
Tarzan is a terrific animated film that boasts wonderful animation, incredible music, and terrific characters voiced by an equally great voice cast, culminating in what I believe to be one of Disney's finest animated features.
Won: Best Original Song "You'll Be In My Heart" (written by Phil Collins).
Tarzan, a 1999 Walt Disney animated adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' story Tarzan of the Apes, tells the coming of age story of Tarzan. Tarzan is an orphan raised by gorillas and once he reaches manhood, he comes into contact with humanity and must face the struggle of loyalty to his kind or those who raised him.
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