After featuring lesser known, at least among North American children, stories for several years, Disney returned to a character which, thanks to countless film and television adaptations, every child was familiar with and could easily imitate with 1999’s Tarzan. It sought to follow the Lion King formula by mixing heavy doses of action and comedy, set to music written by a pop artist, in this case Phil Collins. The film was relatively successful, making more than other recent releases, but still nowhere near the early ‘90s levels.
Visually, the film is stunning, with excellent animation throughout. Especially gorgeous are the scenes of Tarzan swinging and surfing through the tree tops, where Disney’s new “Deep Canvas” technology really shines. The music, too, was strong caught on quickly with audiences. Directors Chris Buck and Kevin Lima do a very good job with the script they are working from, keeping the action moving and never giving the audience the opportunity to get bored. It is only once the film has concluded that the viewer realizes that there simply isn’t much to it. The entire plot could be effectively summarized in a couple sentences without leaving anything out.
I believe that it is this thinness of the plot that leaves me indifferent to the film. In the moment, it is a lot of fun, with some great lines, fantastic animation, and thrilling action. Once it’s over, however, I realize that I never really connected with any of the characters, I merely watched them go through their paces. That doesn’t make this a poor film, it’s certainly one worth watching and that can be enjoyed by both young and old, but it does likely explain its status as a second class Disney film.
Up next: Fantasia: 2000 (2000)
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