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Tarzan V.1. (Not Completely Done would like some comments. Link here.) Really Ramblings.

    Movies for children nowadays are big money. You know that, I know that, and the movie studios definitely know it. Why would there be thousands of companies that do tests for different films or even products. Usually when it comes to films for children, the movies are cartoons. These cartoons can be bad, boring and not cutting edge (i.e. The King and I and The Quest For Camelot). These cartoons can also come in smarter, cutting edge and not undermining the intellect of young people (i.e. Antz and Toy Story). These movies have characters that could be real people. There emotions seem real and their stories are closer to our hearts.

    Now Disney has had cartoons in both categories. They almost always remake stories that have been staged by people like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Jungle Book and Hercules. These stories are all very open to interpretation and is why they can be animated. Tarzan too has been the subject of many films and is therefore open to interpretation. Disney has done a great job here of interpreting this classic, modernizing without it losing any of its story and values.

    Tarzan for people who have been locked in some sort of chamber in which you can live without aging, is the story of a family who is lost in a jungle. There is a Man, his wife and their baby son Tarzan. The man and wife are murdered by a cheetah. This same leopard has taken the life of ______ and ______ child. One day _____ finds Tarzan and decides to take him in as his child. There is tension between Tarzan and ____. _____ does not accept Tarzan as part of the group. Go Forward about 20 years, Tarzan is a grown man. He is still trying to prove his worthiness to _______. At this point as well, Tarzan meets a young woman that looks like him. He has never seen a human before. Jane gets in trouble and Tarzan saves her. Jane is accompanied to the Jungle by ____. ____ is there to find some gorillas to kill or bring back home. He does not love nature like Jane, he loves money.

This film like many classic films addresses many issues. Issues like acceptance, opposites attract and the struggle between wildlife and man. Like all Disney cartoons, these themes are represented a happy, beautiful and comedical environment. The jungle is more beautiful animated than in real life. The comic relief is done by Rosie O' Donnell and Wayne Knight voicing a gorilla friend and an elephant compatriot of Tarzan respectively.

The action in the movie is very fast and some of the best I've seen in animation better than any other Disney movie. Scenes such as Tarzan being chased by the leopard through the jungle in which he slides his way through the jungle on trees and then swings from vine to vine are just astounding. The musical accompaniment/ narration by Phil Collins was nice but a little repetitive. Rosie O' Donnel's voice is very irritating and it kind of stuck out like a sore thumb in between the voice casting of the rest of the characters.

People have been saying that Disney has gone downhill since The Lion King. I agree that Hercules and The Hunchback of Notre Dame were some of the weaker cartoons since the beginning of the mouse with the big ear's reign. But I disagree with many on Mulan which I thought was very good and sort of ambitious on Disney's part in making a lesser known story. I believe that with the combination of Mulan and Tarzan Disney has reestablished itself as king of the regular animation business. With the deal they recently made with Pixar that should help they be around in the 3D animation race. Disney and Pixar are on the clock for Toy Story 2, to be out during Thanksgiving. I give Tarzan ***.