Tarzan DVD Review:

TARZAN

Starring the vocal talents of: Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, Glenn Close, Brian Blessed, Nigel Hawthorne, Lance Henriksen, Wayne Knight and Rosie O'Donnell

Directors: Chris Buck and Kevin Lima

Running Time: 88 mins

Certificate: U

Shipwrecked off the coast of Africa, a young family tries to survive the perils of the jungle but when tragedy strikes, a young child is left alone. Hearing his cries a mountain gorilla rescues him and takes him back to her family to rise as her own. Years later the boy grows into a man and rumours start to spread throughout the African continent of someone in the jungle who swings through the trees with the power and skill of an ape and his name is Tarzan.

Now that computer generated graphics have dealt to the final killing blow to the traditional, hand draw animation for Disney, you have to remember it was this style that made the company what it is and ‘Tarzan’ was their last great 2D animated feature.

‘Tarzan’ was the last of the great traditional animated features released by Disney in the 1990s. After huge success with ‘The Little Mermaid’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘The Lion King’ which was a mini renaissance for the company but it was one of their own subsidiary companies, Pixar that contributed in striking that killer blow to something that started in 1937 with ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’. While most will say that there is still a place for traditional 2D animation, box office takings have now dictated that big budget animation projects have to be computer generated but Tarzan was a brilliant combination of the two.

Using a process called ‘Deep Canvas’, Tarzan swings and slides around a 3D jungle with immense speed that makes all of this movie amazing to watch. This is the first chance you will ever get to see Tarzan as Edgar Rice Burroughs originally envisioned him. He is truly an ape-man, who flies through the trees with the greatest of ease and really is the Lord of the Jungle. This technique makes Tarzan probably the best looking 2D animated feature that Disney ever created.

The main reason why 3D animated features killed off the traditional style wasn’t all due to looks however, the most important thing that hits like ‘Shrek’, ‘Toy Story’, ‘The Incredibles’ and ‘Finding Nemo’ have is great characters. Tarzan was the last 2D animated feature to create great characters that the audience could instantly get behind and enjoy.

Minnie Driver provides the voice for Jane, the strong-willed daughter of explorer Porter (Nigel Hawthorne). She is a modern woman in a time when women were just trinkets and things to be adored. The character is wonderfully realised for a modern audience however, as she goes against convention and heads into the jungle. Brian Blessed is your typical Disney villain called Clayton. A hunter turned guide, he is hired to take Jane and her father to the gorillas but he has his own evil agenda.

There are also some great animal characters in the film. Lance Henriksen voices Kerchak, the silverback and leader of the band of Gorilla’s that have taken Tarzan in. This is a strong character, a father figure for Tarzan and a powerful leader. Glen Close provides the voice for Kala, Tarzan’s adopted mother and the heartbeat of the young man’s life. It was her who found him and brought him up as part of the gorilla group. Rosie O’Donnell and Wayne Knight provide the voices for Terk, a tomboy gorilla and Tantor, a permanently scared elephant, Tarzan’s two best friends who provide most of the comedy for the piece.

A major change for a traditional animation, Disney took the decision not have the characters singing in the film but have songs by one artist. For Tarzan, Phil Collins provides the rhythmic jungle beats and some decent songs, even for those of you who can’t really stand the ex-Genesis star. The fact that the character don’t just break out into song really helps the flow of the story as this is a very different type of animated movie for Disney, as it is much more character and action based than their previous outings.

‘Tarzan’ is the last great traditionally animated that Disney ever produced. With great characters that really capture what writer Edgar Rice Burroughs had in mind for Tarzan because animation is the only real way you could ever visualise them. Tarzan is the Lord of the Jungle in this movie and this deserves the definition, Classic.

Star Rating = * * * * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with a THX enhanced Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, transfer is very good. As with most animation transfers, especially the modern ones that utilise computers in the filmmaking process, the picture quality is superb. The same can be said about the sound, as ‘Deep Canvas’ and the surround sound take you into the jungle.

BONUS FEATURES

Disc 1

Deleted Scenes (9.35 mins)

Producer Bonnie Arnold introduces three deleted or alternate scenes entitled ‘Alternative Opening’, ‘Terk finds the Human camp’ and ‘Riverboat fight’. These scenes are in story reel form with the dialogue and sound effects added.

Music & More (9.09 mins)

Watch the music videos for ‘You’ll be in my heart’ and ‘Stranger like me’ by Phil Collins. Also go behind the scenes of the recording of the ‘Trashing the camp’ studio session with Phil Collins and ‘N Sync.

Games and Activities

Terk’s Tree Surfing Challenge

Play the interactive games ‘Jungle Memory’, ‘Banana Roundup’ and ‘Clayton’s Trap’ with Terk as your guide.

DisneyPedia: Living in the Jungle (5.55 mins)

Take a look at real live Gorillas, Leopards, Baboons and Elephants in their natural environment.

Backstage Disney

Audio Commentary

Producer Bonnie Arnold and directors Chris Buck and Kevin Lima provide a fun and informative commentary about the making of ‘Tarzan’. Animated movie track are usually very interesting as it is a completely different process than live action and this is no exception. The trio cover the full production process of the film, taking you through the design process, casting, vocal performances and the power of ‘Deep Canvas’. They also talk about what the actors brought to their characters and what the music of Phil Collins gave to the film. This is an interesting track that offers a fascinating insight into animation.

Disc 2

History and Development

From Burroughs to Disney (2.34 mins)

Directors Chris Buck and Kevin Buck, supervising animators Glen Keane, Bruce Smith and Dave Burgess, producer Bonnie Arnold, president of Disney Feature Animation Thomas Schumacher and director of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc Danton Burroughs talk about the creation of Tarzan from his first appearance in ‘All Story’ magazine on to the animated movie.

Early Presentation Reel (1.54 mins)

A montage of early designs, location drawings and character designs for the film, showing how the visual style changed during development

Research Trip to Africa (2.53 mins)

Director Kevin Lima, art director Dan St. Pierre, supervising animator Glen Keane, artistic supervisor: backgrounds Doug Ball and artistic supervisor: effects Peter Domund go to Africa to find inspiration for characters, settings and backgrounds.

The Music of Tarzan

The Making of the Music (2.44 mins)

Composers Phil Collins and Mark Mancina talk about writing the songs and the score for Tarzan.

Tarzan goes international
Directors Chris Buck and Kevin Buck and Phil Collins talk about recording the songs in different languages for international distribution.

Original Phil Collins Song Demos
Music supervisor Chris Montan introduces Phil Collins’ early versions of the songs ‘6/8 intro’, ‘lullaby’, ‘son of man/celebration’, ‘rhythm piece’ and ‘I will follow’.

Story and Editorial

Building the Story (3.06 mins)

Editor Greg Perter, artistic supervisor: story Brian Pimental and president of Disney Feature Animation Thomas Schumacher take you through the design process of the story from storyboards, animated showreels through to early animation.

Storyboard to Film Comparison (3.15 mins)

A split screen presentation of the opening sequence showing the animated storyboards and the final finished footage at the same time

The Characters of Tarzan

Tarzan

Creating Tarzan (3.52 mins)

Directors Chris Buck and Kevin Buck, supervising animator Glen Keane, producer Bonnie Arnold, president of Disney Feature Animation Thomas Schumacher and director of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc Danton Burroughs and vocal star Tony Goldwyn talk about producing the most realistic Tarzan that has ever been seen on the silver screen.

Animating Tarzan (6.23 mins)

Supervising animator Glen Keane introduces footage of how the character of Tarzan development including his look and movement.

Tarzan Designs

A gallery of designs for baby, young and adult Tarzan

Jane and Porter

Creating Jane and Porter (2.51 mins)

Directors Chris Buck and Kevin Buck, producer Bonnie Arnold and vocal stars Minnie Driver and Nigel Hawthorne talk about creating father and daughter Porter and Jane.

Jane and Porter Designs
A gallery of early sketches and designs for Porter and Jane

Kala and Kerchak

Creating Kala and Kerchak (2.47 mins)

Producer Bonnie Arnold, supervising animators Russ Edmonds and Bruce Smith, president of Disney Feature Animation Thomas Schumacher and vocal stars Glen Close and Lance Henriksen talk about creating Tarzan’s gorilla parents Kala and Kerchak.

Kala and Kerchak Designs

A gallery of early sketches and designs for Kala and Kerchak

Terk and Tantor

Creating Terk and Tantor (2.53 mins)

Directors Chris Buck and Kevin Buck, supervising animators Mike Surrey and Sergio Pablos, producer Bonnie Arnold, screenwriters Noni White and Bob Tzudiker and vocal stars Rosie O’Donnell and Wayne Knight talk about creating Tarzan’s best friends in the movie.

Terk and Tantor Designs
A gallery of early sketches and designs for Terk and Tantor

Clayton and Sabor

Creating Clayton (3.14 mins)

Directors Chris Buck and Kevin Buck, supervising animator Randy Haycock, producer Bonnie Arnold and vocal star Brian Blessed talk about the importance of the Disney villains and the design of Clayton and Sabor.

Clayton and Sabor Designs
A gallery of early sketches and designs for Clayton and Sabor

Supporting Characters
A gallery of designs for Tarzan’s mother and father, the gorillas, baboons and Clayton’s men.

Animation Production

Concept Art
A gallery of concept art and designs

Colour Keys
A gallery of colour stylings and schemes to get the tone of the film

Layouts and Backgrounds
A gallery of blue prints for the competition of a scene and the backgrounds created to fit the animation

The Deep Canvas Process (2.36 mins)

Directors Chris Buck and Kevin Buck, producer Bonnie Arnold, president of Disney Feature Animation Thomas Schumacher and the technical teams talk about creating a 3D jungle and a moving camera that will take you into Tarzan’s world.

Deep Canvas Demonstration (4.53 mins)

Artistic supervisor: computer graphics shows you how the deep canvas technique works, showing you the motion tests and how 2D and 3D animation combines.

Production Progression Demonstration
A multi-screen presentation that allows you to watch the ‘Storyreel’, ‘Rough animation’, ‘Cleanup animation’ and ‘final scene’, switching between them with your ‘Angle’ button on your remote control.

Intercontinental Filmmaking (2.00 mins)

Directors Chris Buck and Kevin Buck, producer Bonnie Arnold, supervising animator Glen Keane and composer Phil Collins talk about making the film at the animation studios in Los Angeles and Paris.

Publicity

Poster and AD campaign
A gallery of posters and advertisements used to promote the movie

Trailer (2.05 mins)

Watch the theatrical trailer for ‘Tarzan’

OVERALL

Disney has done a good job with this two disc special edition of Tarzan. While the featurettes are far too short and should have been gathered together into one big documentary, they do cover all aspects of the movies production. The commentary tracks and interactive games also add to the value making this a very good buy for traditional animation fans.



Jamie Kelwick