The End of Another Era in Disney Animation

Rating: Null/10 (23 October 2006)

Most people may assume that "Tarzan" was the last good animated film that Disney ever did. Not exactly true. I won't deny that every Disney animated feature released after this never reached the box office returns of this film, but doesn't mean Disney has never made a good film since "Tarzan" ("Lilo & Stitch" for example).
"Tarzan" is once again another adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' ape man. For starters, it finally captures what Burrough's envisioned. Glen Keane, master animator at Disney, outdid himself by bringing Burroughs' ape man to life and he moves the way Burroughs' imagined, something no live-action Tarzan film could capture.
Story-wise, it succeeds. The screenplay is strong. The animation is amazing. Disney devised a system known as "Deep Canvas" for the artwork. The outstanding work on the jungles of Africa is eye-popping. So in terms of art direction, "Tarzan" is one of Disney's best-looking films. It ranks up there with the Golden Age films. There is also some outstanding work on the gorillas, the leopard Sabor and the human characters. It sure didn't pale alongside Pixar's "Toy Story 2" that same year.
Also, the soundtrack is great. Love him or hate him, Phil Collins did a phenomenal job with the songs. It's a matter of taste when it comes to the soundtrack.
But like all the 1990s Disney films, the executives wanted to throw in things that would appeal to squirmy children. The answer was Terk, Rosie O'Donnell's outrageous and sometimes funny ape character who often falls flat throughout the film. Her musical number is now unnecessary, but as a kid, I loved it. That particular scene was put together for kids in mind, and when I was a kid, I loved it. Seeing gorillas trash a camp site was entertaining to me. Seeing it now is a bit nostalgic, but most adults found it to be an insult to the artistry of the film.
Corporate tinkering aside, "Tarzan" is a work of art with a strong story and great characters. It wasn't the last great Disney film (see "The Emperor's New Groove" and "Lilo & Stitch"), but it was a film that was an animated masterpiece.
A 9.7 out of 10.