1999 was a cinematic year marked by the seal of originality and self-questioning that fitted the upcoming New Millennium timing, it is also the year where animated movies like "Toy Story 2" and the "South Park" movie came out and they were so in-line within the modern mood of their era, that they might overshadow "Tarzan" despite not being as visually breathtaking.Indeed, for all its spectacular jungle canvas and spellbinding animation (the animators really outdid themselves), not to mention its heartfelt story not devoid of a few existential undertones, "Tarzan" might be too 'classic' for its own good. The film is often noticed for being the last of the Disney Renaissance era, and it is true that if we forget the sorry streak of straight to video sequels of the early 2000's, Disney had definitely surrendered to the CGI wave after that. But "Tarzan" was made a bit too late, when the pulse of animation was beating in 3D and when the torch of traditional animation had already passed to Hayao Miyazaki. "Chihiro's Travel" is light years ahead of "Tarzan".I liked Tarzan a lot despite my criticism, I loved the relationship he had with his environment and the character of Kala, his adoptive mother voiced by Glenn Close, who is certainly one of the most memorable mother figures of Disney canons. There must be something about Close's voice as she was also remarkable as Homer Simpson's mother. The character of Jane is also a nice twist on the usual love interest figure and Minnie Driver delivers a fine performance as a girl always in good mood, curious about everything and whose awkwardness with Tarzan is both touching and funny. I loved the lighthearted tone of the encounter between Tarzan and Jane, the way they both try to communicate (we get it that the English spoken with animals is just the usual artistic license and that it's meant to be a series of articulate grunts and adequate body language) and how a well-meaning Tarzan tries to fit between the two worlds. Voiced by Tony Goldwyn, Tarzan is certainly deeper than most Disney protagonists, torn between the love and friendship of some and the defiance of other, most notably, Kala's mate, voice by Lance Henrikssen, who refuses to recognize him as a son.We do root for Tarzan, he's certainly an engaging hero but just when ou try to except something really worthy of this character, the film just never feels like delivering something reasonably new and fresh, if we except the splendid special effects, but from the trailer, viewers already knew about the surfing across the trees sequences, perhaps one of Disney's greatest moments. The problem is that the relationships, as original as they are, fail to blow the mind of an audience who's seen "The Jungle Book", "Beauty and the Beast" or even "Pocahontas". The blame might also be on the weakness of the main villain (Brian Blessed) and the too distractingly old and goofy father (Nigel Hawthorne), I couldn't believe he would be Jane's father but Disney has a tendency to make little goofy midgets fathering beautiful and tall women, at least Tarzan looked like his real parents. Both the bad guy and the professor were rather dependable and maybe the story could have worked better without them, but I guess the purpose of the film was to culminate with a men vs. animal confrontation with Tarzan as the common denominator, but they could have found a more original climactic action sequence. The songs are touching and poignant like Phil Collins' songs but in a year where the "South Park" movie provided at least three Oscar-worthy songs, I won't forgive the Academy for having taken the easy choice. So I won't develop that chapter and will conclude by saying that "Tarzan" is certainly the last hurrah of Disney Renaissance and a great animated film in the sense that the animation is great and the story engaging but not to the point you'd want to watch it a second time.I'm a father and since today is Christmas, I just remembered I often bought Disney DVDs to my daughter and "Tarzan" is one of the rarest ones, there must be a reason, don't you think?

Plot; A young baby, orphaned after he and his parents are shipwrecked off the coast of Africa, is taken in and raised by apes. After reaching adulthood he finds himself caught between two worlds and must make a choice between his now foreign homeland and the only home he's ever known.Razor thin, Cliff notes version of the Tarzan story skates by (or is that swings?) on gorgeous visuals, a surprisingly strong and emotional bond between Tarzan and his adoptive ape mother and a charmingly quirky performance from Minnie Driver as Jane.As a courtesy I must warn you that approx. 79 of its 88 minute runtime contains music by Phil Collins. The type of which you typically hear in the candles section at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Tarzan is considered to be the final film of the 'Disney Renaissance'. It's hard to argue with that, as it was the studios last big box office hit and widely acclaimed film for a number of years. It is also a story that is perfectly tailored to Disney's style given its strong underlying themes and emotive characters. Importantly it understands the key aspects within the story as it provides a lot of feeling and intrigue to what is a straight-forward story. Tarzan's parents are killed in the jungle, he is raised by apes and he later battles the feelings that he doesn't belong with them. It is rather bare when you look at it like that, but Disney knows that what is important is seeing these characters grow and change through the challenges put in their way. Tarzan (Tony Goldwyn) himself is near perfect. He's kind, he's curious, he's smart, but he is also very much human and makes mistakes in realising that. He is someone that we can get behind and care about. Seeing him grow throughout the film and become more ape- like whilst becoming less human is really engaging. You do feel for him and connect with his struggle of getting his adoptive father to accept him as his own. I wasn't a fan of the stuff with the young Tarzan, but once he gets older the story keeps on becoming more interesting as we see Tarzan questioning who he is.The other characters are good too. Jane is just fantastic. She takes such joy from the little details, has plenty of funny moments and Minnie Driver does a superb job. Plus I found the romance between her and Tarzan very believable, more than I can say for many Disney efforts. Kala (Glenn Close) is nicely sympathetic and her bond with Tarzan is well developed, while Karchak has legitimate reasons for his hostility and Lance Henriksen is excellent as always. Clayton is a slightly weak villain and another who is just after money (which is a bit of a cop-out), but Brian Blessed's booming voice gives the character something of an edge. The professor (Nigel Hawthorne) gets some funny lines too. The animation is just spectacular. To see Tarzan effectively surf across the trees and vines is wonderful to see. What impresses me is how well the animation flows because at times it moves so quickly, especially in those surfing scenes. The jungle setting lends itself to some creative visuals too. There's some fabulous action sequences too that are always full of energy and really suspenseful, especially with the climax. The story is told relatively serious which is a suitable for a story like this. The comic relief can feel out of place but it is mostly kept to a minimum and most of the humour simply comes from the situations.The music is simply brilliant. I'm not a big fan of Phil Collins, but the songs here are really good songs and the lyrics perfectly convey the emotions that Tarzan is going through like they should. 'Two Worlds' and 'Strangers Like Me' are especially good. They might get in the way for some, but for me they were really impressive and never felt out of place. Of course the film isn't without flaws. Though Tarzan's dilemma is addressed, I would have liked to see the film look deeper into his problems. I also found characters like Terk (Rosie O'Donnell) rather annoying and not really needed. Plus I wish the cheetah that killed Tarzan's parents was given more of a story, he could have been a great obstacle for Tarzan to overcome given the personal history.Tarzan is a very impressive piece from Disney and it knows exactly where to keep its focus. It crafts a character that the audience cares about and puts him through a journey that we want to see the outcome of. I enjoyed how serious the story was kept and how the relationships between the characters felt real. It isn't perfect and stumbles at times, but its heart is always in the right place and when it works it is frequently brilliant. I like the characters, the animation is just great and the music is really effective. Tarzan is a worthy take on a well-known story, frequently striking a chord and doing what Disney do best.

From its dramatic opening sequence, to its jubilant, high-five finale, Disney's "Tarzan" is, without question, a very entertaining re-telling of Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic tale of a helpless, human baby reared to adulthood, in the jungle, by a band of gorillas.Featuring some excellent action sequences (mixed generously with moments of slapstick comedy and the excitement of adventure), 1999's "Tarzan" certainly turned out to be a mighty fine example of first-rate story-telling that actually tugged on this viewer's heartstrings, occasionally.In this animated feature film, the lean and athletic Tarzan (as the story's hero) comes across as being a truly likable and endearing character.Punctuated by songs (which seemed a bit out of place) from pop star, Phil Collins, "Tarzan" is still a delightful movie-experience that can definitely be enjoyed by all ages, young and old.