This Tarzan is as energetic and fluid as only animation can make him.

Rating: 9/10 (28 January 2016)

Disney's 1997 film Tarzan is often overlooked, partially because it's a stand alone film that hasn't been inducted into a franchise of princesses and also partially because the rights to the character of Tarzan are still tightly guarded by the estate of his creator, Edgar Rice Burroughs. Even still, it has proved itself to be a technological feat with a story, music and design worthy enough of being called a Disney classic.
Coming at a time when Disney was struggling to recreate the success of The Lion King, it was probably a wise choice to do a story that most audiences would have already read or seen in some form. The general story is really already set, but Disney's presentation of the action swells while being comedic, romantic and even kinetic in a way that live-action filmmaking most likely could not pull off. Tarzan's movements swinging and sliding through the trees are inspired by modern skateboarders with lots of high energy. At the same time, the movie manages to balance its action with calm scenes focusing on character growth and romanticism. Tarzan learning a new culture and language is something mostly skipped over in Disney's earlier Pocahontas, so they get the chance to really explore through it here, and add in some laughs as well. Tarzan balances all of these aspects at once, creating a nice and natural flow.
One thing that helps this natural movie flow is the music, presented not in crazy song and dance numbers, except one, but more so in several musical montages that not only cover a lot of time and growth, but does so in, again, a very organic way that doesn't feel too abrupt. Phil Collins' original songs are not only catchy and upbeat when they need to be, but also lullabying. They give us a sense of what the characters are thinking and feeling without them having to stop and sing it to us, adding to that flow.
In fact, Tarzan is probably one of Disney's most fluidly animated films. Characters move smoothly and instinctively through the atmosphere so that it feels like they are gliding, yet they still are weighted and grounded. Long shots of Tarzan tree surfing or battling Sabor allow the camera to move with and around the characters seamlessly which, during the time that this film came out, was technically unheard of in animation. The production team created a new program called Deep Canvas just for this purpose, allowing them to take digitally painted backgrounds and animate them in 360 degrees. It's quite an achievement.
Deep Canvas manages to pull the characters into the scenes even more than previous films, so that they become one. The bright colors of the characters are mimicked in the backgrounds, and even characters themselves hearken to other characters with their designs. Tarzan's lean but muscular design is exactly what it should be for someone who is constantly moving around on his knuckles the way his family of gorillas do. Along with his matted dreads, he is believably someone who has been stuck in a jungle for most of his life. While Disney has made a reputation out of giving animals human characteristics, perhaps only Mowgli in The Jungle Book has been an example of the opposite before Tarzan. These visual cues are memorable and strong.
So Tarzan is not an animated movie to easily turn away from, despite it being often overlooked. The beautiful Deep Canvas technology aids a familiar story in being new, with perfectly balanced aspects of comedy, romance and action. Catchy music and stark designs also help to make Tarzan a Disney classic that should stand the test of time. It's a wonderful jungle to get completely lost in.