The Ape Man, Disney style.

Rating: 7/10 (23 June 2015)

This is Disney's 37th full-length animated film, a story about Tarzan, an orphan who was raised in the jungle by gorillas. While he befriends many wild animals and considers himself an ape, he must choose which side of the world he belongs in when he meets Jane Porter, a human on an expedition in the jungle.
Like most Disney movies, the animation is colorful and vibrant. The overall story has a good combination of drama, adventure, romance and humor, with some suspense built-up during the fierce-some appearances of the antagonistic leopard and the sly human Clayton. The relationship between Tarzan and his adopted gorilla mother Kala is touching, and his friendship between the elephant Tantor and ape Terk is pretty funny. The two provided most of the comic relief in what is otherwise a dramatic film.
There are adventurous scenes in abundance, from Tarzan sliding and swinging on trees in the jungle to him do battle with the leopard, Sabor. The first human scenes were a bit boring and dragged the film somewhat and I think some scenes were too intense for a family film, ***spoiler ahead*** the death of Tarzan's parents and some of the gorillas. Those events really brought down the film.
***spoiler ends*** Overall, it's not a bad Disney movie, with some great, touching songs by Phil Collins. There are better ones out there, but family might find this one quite entertaining with all the adventures and action.
Grade B-