Who payed the critics

Please don't spend money on this.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Certainly one of the best Disney movies of the last twenty years. The character design is quite good, animation are kinda perfect or - better - futuristic for the year, the dubbing works well and the "pop-ing" soundtrack is not that bad as well, this added to the funny moments makes of this movie freely inspired to Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes a nice media for kids and easy romance lovers.Now you're going to say wow this movie is perfect, right? And I'll reply you ABSOLUTELY NOT. This movie is far from perfection for quotes to movies that '99 kids wouldn't be able to understand like the baboons scene that mention Birds from Hitchcocks; on another side the easy happy ending, which is a great difference from the book, brutally cut the pathos on the last scene. OK it's Disney and it's a family movie but a little bitter never killed anyone. Speaking of the difference from Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel, Jane and prof. Porter teach Tarzan about civil life out of the jungle using a series of slides when in the book, Tarzan learn himself due to his intelligence. Don't know you but to me this scene looks like Clockwork Orange's brainwash scene where scientists works on Alex's mind to rebuilt it, or if you prefer like "your own study with books is less meaningless let us tell you what about the world" which is such a bad lessons for kids that personally I kinda hate that.In conclusion, if you're looking for a classic kid movie with nice drawing and animation you're quite welcome but if you're looking for a good book transposition or a quality and wise movie keep seeking.

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.

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.

A family is shipwrecked and stranded in the jungle. Sabor the leopard kills the parents and Kala the gorilla rescues the baby. Despite leader Kerchak's disapproval, Kala raises the baby naming him Tarzan. Brash gorilla Terk befriends him and they meet fearful elephant Tantor. When Sabor attacks, Tarzan saves Kerchak and the group with his spear. Professor Porter and his daughter Jane are studying the gorillas led by their hunter guide Clayton. Jane is chased by a pack of baboons and Tarzan rescues her. Tarzan becomes torn between the jungle and going with Jane to England.The animation is terrific and very energetic. Tarzan swinging in the trees is exciting. The traditional tale is a bit stale and I don't think the montage sequences are that compelling. The Phil Collins music may not be a great fit for a Disney kids movie. Nevertheless this is a good animated movie for the whole family. It has enough excitement and maintains the interest of the audience.