The End of A Renaissance
As the 90s were ending and the New Millenium drawing near, Disney was still trying to match the incredible success of its films from the beginning of the decade. None of the subsequent films had been “flops”, but the interest in traditional animation was clearly waning. And as a studio that had built a seventy year legacy around that particular style of animation, it was almost unfathomable that Disney could ever walk away from it, despite its knell clearly tolling.
Desperate for another box office hit, Disney turned to an icon of literature and cinema that had needed an animated adaptation for years. 15 live - action films had been made of this character, including a series of MGC films in the 30s and 40s. So it was at last, the time for Edgar Rise Burroughs’ Tarzan of the Apes to be made into an animted film, which would prove to be the studio’s biggest hit in years.
This idea came to life in late 1994 when Katzenberg approached director Kevin Lima with the project. Katzenberg wanted the film to be produced by Disney newly - created Canadian satellite studio, which was intended to make animted television. Apparently, Katzenberg called Lima every second day to discuss the project, but Lima felt it was too advanced for a junior animation department and kept denying Katzenberg’s request. Just a few months later (thank GOD), Katzenberg would depart Disney to create his own studio called DreamWorks, with Lima assuming the project died with his resignation. But then, in early 95, CEO Eisner discovered Katzenberg’s plans and made Lima the offer again but this time Eisner committed to the production being done at the Feature Animation division at Burbank.
Lima spent two months studying the novel and then called on his friend Chris Buck to co - direct. But after having been a supervising animator on Pocahontas, Buck was hesitant. Only agreeing after hearing Lima’s vision for the film. So, with the directing team in place, Eisner set about procurring the film rights from Burrough’s estate. And, as fate would have it, Walt himself had approached Burroughs in 1936 to discuss a potential animted adaptation of the book. When Eisner contacted the estate, they shared with him a letter Burroughs had written Walt in reply to his request which stated “ The cartoon must be good. It must approximate Disney’s excellent”. No one could discover why this project hadn’t evolved beyond this correspondence, but the letter essentially gave the project a posthumous tick of approval from both Walt and Burroughs, and the film rights were sold to Eisner without regret.
After completing work on the screenplay of Hunchback of Notre Dame, screenwriter Tab Murphy was enlisted in January ’95 to develop a story treatment for Tarzan. While he initially stuck close to the novel, the third act featuring Tarzan leaving the jungle for England didn’t sit well with Lima and Buck’s vision for the film and its central theme of family connections. So Murphy rewrote that part by introducing a human villain named Clayton, whose intention for venturing into the jungle were revealed to be a poaching plot. But, Disney felt like the script lacked the dose of comedy that other Disney films had, especially in the supporting cast of animal characters. So in January ’97, screenwriting team Bob Tzudiker and Noni White were recruited to help add humour to the script and balance out the dramatic tone of the film. After his success at adding comedy to the screenplay of Mulan, comedy writer dave Reynolds was brough in to add humour - laced dialogue to the screenplay.
THE PLOT
In the mid 1860, an English couple and their baby son are shipwrecked off the coast of Congo. They build a treehouse in the jungle, but then are both mauled by a savage leopardess named Sabor. Sometime later, the orphan baby is discovered by a gorilla named Kala, who just lost her own baby to Sabor. So she takes him back to her nest, despite the disapproval of her mate, Kerchak, and names the boy Tarzan. Years later, Tarzan has befriended other animals, especially a female gorilla named Terk and a neurotic elephant named Tantor. Tarzan finds himself being treated differently by other gorillas because he’s a man, so takes great pains to improve himself and fit in with them. As a young man, he fights with, and manages to kill Sabor and lays her corpse before Kerchak, finally gaining Kerchak’s reluctant respect. Almost immediately after this, a gunshot is heard and the gorillas move. But Tarzan goes to investigate, finding a group of English explorers who have come to study gorillas, consisting of Professor Porter, his pretty daughter Jane and their hunter - guide, Clayton. From there, I won’t spoil anything but it's quite easy to figure out.
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Once again echoing the casting of Robin Williams in Aladdin and Eddie Murphy in Mulan, the production team were encouraged to find a well - known comedian to do the voice of Tarzan’s wise - cracking sidekick/cousin Terk. The character was originally written as a male, but Rosie O’Donnell begged for an opportunity to audition, and after she impressed the team with an ability to voice both the child and the adult Terk, the role was rewritten as a female and she landed the part.
For the neurotic elephant, Tantor, Woody Allen was cast and began early pre - production recordings. However at the same time, DreamWorks were developing their next animated film, Antz and Katzenberg wanted Allen for the role. And, being the petty asshole he was, and most likely still is, he convinced Woody to leave Disney and join Antz in return for a lucrative deal whereby DreamWorks would release Allen’s next four films. With Allen gone, Seinfeld actor Wayne Knight was cast instead. In hindsight, this was lucky, considering Woody Allen’s reputation these days.
MY VERDICT
This is the widely - accepted final film of the Disney Renaissance. Tarzan signalled the end of a period of Disney animation marked by tremendous highs that the studio could never replicate. It couldn’t quite meet the standards set by Beauty and the Beast or the Lion King, but it’s animation was the end result of a decade of computer technology advancement that took animation to places that a simple pencil and paintbrush just couldn’t go. The sequences that have Tarzan basically skating through the trees are incredible, even today; they offer a sweeping tour of the jungle in a frenetic and chaotic way that creates a genuinely jaw - dropping experience.
It was a bold move to retreat from the traditional music structure of every single Disney film of the decade and it’s a move that only works if you’re a fan of Phil Collins. Personally, I like him far more than anyone else in my family, but I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a fan. Therefore, most of the songs in this film, I can ignore, with the exception of the first song, which is awesome.
As with the Hunchback of Notre Dame, there’s only one thing about this film I legitimately detest. And that is the comedy relief. Specifically, Wayne Knight is fine, in fact he gets a bit of a chuckle out of me most of the time. But Rosie O’Donnell. That name is literally all I need to say, but let’s go on a little more. As with Jason Alexander, her voice makes me want to butt my head against a brick wall. Now, in the very little defence of these actors, the New York and New Jersey accents are very difficult to make endearing or charming, they have to be much more subtle than.. Rosie O’Donnell.
Is Tarzan a Disney Classic? Despite the dazzling CG animation, the narrative of this film offers very little new. You can pretty much see the end result coming from a mile away, including a love story without any progression. It stood as the last film in a period of incredible success, but it closed very quietly. The film has it’s fans, but it’s definitely not a Disney Classic.
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