Wishing for more

Rating: 8/10 (4 June 2000)

May contain spoilers.
Disney's Tarzan has a good, strong story with interesting characters and great talent providing the voices. It is full of rich scenery loaded with detail. It is a charming, family film which one would expect from Disney. However, it's one downfall is is the character artwork.

I felt more detail would have improved the film 100 fold. Too often, characters (especially the human ones) tend to look out of place in the pseudo-realistic scenery forcing them too look almost lampoonish, many of which practically are. The scenery comes off as superior animation while many of the characters tend to look like excerpts from a Saturday morning cartoon misplaced amongst the rich animation of some animals and almost all scenery. Animation fans will find many fanciful scenes that will please them, but will also find many that will disappoint them.

In example, Kerchak is a superior piece of animation but tends to look out of place with the rest of the gorillas as none really compare to the effort which was so obviously applied to him. Tarzan himself is simplistic from start to finish and amazingly resembles the actual artist's face who drew him. Nor can the artist seem to decide just how defined Tarzan's muscles should be from time to time.
Otherwise, the film is great. However, some parents might find some of the violence to graphic for little ones, in particular a hanging. The story might prove to advance for smaller children as well.