fairly dull version of the classic story

Rating: 5/10 (11 August 1999)

"Tarzan", the newest animated feature from the Disney studios, has gotten such universally positive reviews that it is a bit surprising to discover it actually ranks several notches below the best of the recent Disney fare. Lacking the sophisticated wit of "Aladdin", the rich emotionalism of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", and the frenetic imaginativess of "Hercules", "Tarzan" settles for a basically dull, straightforward take on the Edgar Rice Burroughs' legendary tale of a human orphan raised by gorillas who makes the jungle his home.
Like many Disney films, "Tarzan" continues the tradition of the sentimentalizing of nature, wherein wild animals become either cuddly lowbrow comics or mushyheaded preachers of strictly human virtues. The message of "Tarzan" - respect for both nature and the differences of other - is certainly an admirable one, especially for youngsters, but the heavyhandedness with which it is conveyed weakens its effectiveness.
Much of the weakness of the film lies with its screenplay, which fails to deviate much from the formula we have come to expect from children's films. Tarzan is, essentially, a misfit among his peers, trying desperately to earn acceptance from the "stepfather" who refuses to acknowledge Tarzan's value as an individual. Tarzan's childhood peers - a gorilla "cousin" and a sissified elephant - are simply weak echoes of far more entertaining sidekicks in other Disney films. With the arrival of Jane, her eccentric explorer father and the traditional muscled villain who wants to trap the gorillas and ship them back to England, Tarzan is forced to choose between loyalty to his own kind or to those who raised him. This leads to dull romantic overtures, some impressive action sequences and even a little much needed wit in the interplay between Jane's father and the other characters in the story.
On the positive side, Phil Collins has provided a soaring, driving score, which is beautifully orchestrated and recorded and which, wisely, is performed as voiceovers rather than in the more traditional form of character's themselves singing. Moreover, much of the animation is impressive, especially Tarzan's swinging frantically through the jungle, and many of the backdrops are lushly gorgeous.
It is hard for me to evaluate how well children will respond to this film. For an adult, requiring a bit more imagination to help fill up the time, "Tarzan" requires more patience than those with less time left may care to give.