The Disney Renaissance was a period between 1989 to 1999, where Disney had their animated films be huge hits, both critically and financially, beginning with "The Little Mermaid". Despite this period being responsible for classics that many will talk about to this day, such as "Aladdin", "Beauty and the Beast", and "The Lion King", the last film in this period, "Tarzan", seems to be one that people don't love as much. Today, Disney seems to avoid recognizing the film's existence as the characters are never brought up or lack of any news that a live-action remake can occur, probably due to licensing rights. I feel that this film deserves much more respect from the company and the public, as I feel it's on par with the classics I mentioned above. When a couple get stranded in Africa, they are killed off by a leopard, leaving only their baby boy behind. A female gorilla finds the baby, just after losing her child from the same leopard, choosing to adopt the human baby and naming him Tarzan, despite the distain of Kerchak, her husband. Throughout his life, Tarzan tries proving himself to the gorilla community as well as Kerchak, which by the time he reaches adulthood, has earned a touch of respect from the silverback. However, Tarzan discovers a trio of explorers that are human, including a woman named Jane. Jane and Tarzan bond as she starts educating the ape-man, despite Kerchak's warnings of humans, which will prove right at the end. While the story is good, the issue many people talk about is the "wasted" potential of the film, pointing to how the film could have been more powerful or perfected. A key example is the choice for making the animals have dialogue, which I disagree with, since I loved the voice actors they got for the characters they play. Other examples that get tossed around include the villain and the use of songs by Phil Collins, which I will get around to later. What I love about the movie the most is the tone. The opening sequence is very mature and the film centres on Tarzan's journey of belonging somewhere, which is really touching to see in a Disney film. It's also intense as the action sequences and dark story moments prove, setting off a much more unique identity compared to the tamer films from that time. People will complain though that the tone should have been adult throughout the film, which is a ridiculous complaint. It's a Disney film at the end of the day, and no one complains that "Beauty And The Beast" or "The Lion King" can be childish and silly at times. To be fair, the film has the childish, lighthearted tone when it is either called for, or established with the comedic sidekick, which is a staple in Disney films.
The characters are what makes this film stand out in the Disney catalogue, despite a few weak links. Tarzan is one of the best male leads in the roster, just due to his journey in the film and personality. He is skillful in the jungle and amongst his gorilla peers, yet naive when it comes to human interaction. Pretty stoic and on top of things, but shows that he likes to goof around as well. Has a child-like mind from his curiosity despite his age, but can be a hardened warrior and rage-filled badass. Tarzan is quite an interesting and complex character as you go underneath the surface. Jane is also one of the best love interests that Disney has created, but refuses to acknowledge. She is smart, eccentric, and kindhearted, but is also out of her comfort zone being in an environment that is so different from London, which will of course cause her to freak out sometimes. I think the reason why Disney refuses to add her in the princess lineup is probably due to the fact that she acts like a damsel or screams more than the rest of the roster, which is really ridiculous seeing how that given the time period, any Victorian era women would behave the way Jane does onscreen. Clayton is one of the biggest criticisms towards this film, which I can understand, but I also feel that he was needed in this film. Some actually wanted the leopard that killed Tarzan's parents to be the villain, which is a stupid idea, seeing how the animals are acting as they intend. The leopard isn't evil, it's just a predator, which will not work as a real antagonist. As for Clayton, while he is a generic villain trying to make money, I enjoy his personality and voice acting, which shows that he has some cunningness rather than just being a dumb hunter. Then, you have the side characters, which are just as enjoyable in my opinion and well-written in my eyes. Terk and Tantor are the comic reliefs of the film, who are generally unliked, Terk in general getting a lot of hate. I feel that Rosie O'Donnell as Terk was enjoyable and gave Terk personality, but not everyone is a fan. Not all of the jokes land, but most of them do. Jane's father is my favourite of the comedic relief as it is his bubbly personality, character design, and passion of finding gorillas that makes him enjoyable to watch Kala as Tarzan's adoptive mother is a nice supporting character who gets some of the more emotional driven scenes in the film with Tarzan. Finally, there's Kerchak, who being the only silverback gorilla in the group gives him a very intimidating look and his constant anger adds on to the design, though he's not a bad guy since he just cares for his community, despite the harshness on Tarzan. Overall, the characters are really good and enjoyable to watch onscreen.
The animation is one of the most beautiful in the hand-drawn style. The film also incorporates some CG environments, such as the vines and trunks Tarzan surfs on. It's very polished and is very impressive in the action sequences due to how fast the pacing and characters are in those scenes. It's also a visual marvel with the soft darkness of nightfall and the bright sunlight mixing in with the heavy, jungle foliage. The animators did a fantastic job there. So, then we get to the music. The filmmakers decided to not go for a traditional musical, instead having songs being played over a montage or scene of the film. These songs, as we know, are written and sung by Phil Collins, which I feel is Disney's attempt to recapture the success of Elton John's soundtrack in "The Lion King" and Micheal Bolton's single in "Hercules". While I'm not the biggest fan of his work, Phil Collins made a killer soundtrack for this film, no matter how you argue about how it "ruins" the film. All of his songs co-relate to the scenes they are used in with "Strangers Like Me" being about Tarzan's fascination with humans and so on. The stand-outs are of course "Two Worlds" and "You'll Be In My Heart", which the latter won the Oscar for Best Original Song. I don't care about what the "South Park" fans complain about, but Collins earned that award. What I love about these two songs, other than the songs themselves, is how they are used throughout the film. "Two Worlds" is used in the opening and closing of the film, though it is sung differently and sounds more upbeat in the end compared to the beginning. "You'll Be In My Heart" is briefly sung in one scene and is orchestrated in multiple dramatic moments with Kala and Tarzan. The scene where a dressed-up Tarzan gives his gorilla mother a goodbye hug is powerful with the help of the soft, somber tune of the song. However, the best version of the song is in the end credits. Phil Collins is no Alan Menken, but I prefer his songs in "Tarzan" compared to many of the songs from the Disney Renaissance.
"Tarzan" remains my second favourite film not just from the Disney Renaissance, but also from Disney Animation as a whole, with "Hunchback of Notre Dame" being my favourite in general. With a solid story, great cast of characters and voice actors, neat comedy, intense action, perfect tone of adult and childish, amazing animation, and a great line-up of songs by Phil Collins. Perhaps the villain is a bit weak and the film could have been much more mature, which could have made it my favourite film from the studio, but I don't mind. I wish people give this film another chance and go in with an open mind, while not comparing it to other films from Disney's catalogue. I also hope that Disney doesn't remake the film into live-action, since they would make so many bad decisions if you look at their many attempts in the past years. So, take a blind jump and perhaps this film will swing into your heart.
Verdict: 9/10. A great film that still holds up 20 years later, please give it a shot and put your prejudice of Phil Collins away while you watch.
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