DAC 37: Tarzan

Tarzan - 8.8/10

When this movie came out I was a freshman in high school, and though I never considered myself "too old" for animated movies (shocker, eh?) I remember thinking that this one looked stupid and I wanted nothing to do with it. I didn't end up watching it until I was an adult in my twenties, and boy was I missing out. First off, say what you want about Phil Collins, but his soundtrack for this movie was excellent. I really liked it, and it also gave the movie a somewhat different feel to have the characters not sing.

The story was pretty basic, but that's not what I love about this movie at all. I love the attention to detail. Tarzan's behavior, even in small things like investigating a spent shell, are so very ape-like and they took great care in that. The animation and background art are simply stunning; I haven't seen this quality of animation since Beauty and the Beast. The movement scenes, chase or otherwise, were always a joy to watch and incredibly well constructed. Also, the various montage scenes are well done too, and interesting in their contrast: the first shows Tarzan growing up and learning to be an ape, while the second shows him learning to be a man. And of course they are both accompanied by fantastic music.

May I also say that I really liked Minnie Driver's performance as Jane. It was natural, nuanced, and she infused the character with such a likable personality. One of my favorite vocal performances in all the Disney films. The only thing I will question about this film is this: was a villain really necessary? I mean, not that it took anything away from the film, and he was after all voiced by BRIAN BLESSED, but was it needed? The circumstances alone could very easily have provided the conflict required. They've shown before that they can do this in films like Bambi and Lady and the Tramp, after all. But I digress. As I said, it didn't take anything away from the film, and they managed to foreshadow it enough so that it didn't feel tacked on. I just wonder what could have been.

I think my younger self would have really enjoyed this. Too bad he was such a dumbass.