Walt Disney Productions, 1999
Rated G

Now In Theatres.
Audience: 6 and up.
Profanity: None.
Nudity/Sexual References: None.
Alcohol/Drug Abuse: None.
Violence/Scariness: Characters in peril, some characters killed (offscreen).
Tolerance/Diversity Issues: A metaphorical theme of the movie.

Disney's latest animated epic owes as much to "The Lion King" and the tale of the ugly duckling than to the Johnny Weissmuller live-action series or the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels. Like "The Lion King," it begins with a brief introduction to the world of the African jungle. Two sets of mothers and fathers care for their babies. One set of parents is human, shipwrecked and making a new home for themselves in a tree. The other parents are gorillas, raising their baby in the gorilla community. When the baby boy's parents and the gorillas' baby are killed by a tiger, the gorilla mother adopts the human baby and raises him as her own. Her mate, the leader of the gorillas, agrees reluctantly, but insists that the boy is an outsider, who can never be one of them. The boy, called Tarzan by his gorilla mother, is hurt by this, and tries to fit in.

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He grows up to be brave and loyal. He cannot do everything his gorilla family can do, but he uses the strengths he has to create tools and get around the forest through a combination of swinging and something that looks like surfing along the branches. He meets three humans who have come looking for gorillas, a kindly professor, his beautiful and spirited daughter, and their guide, Clayton. Seeing his own species makes him both curious and confused. He learns their language, walks upright, and even begins to think about going to England with them, so he can stay with Jane.

But Clayton betrays them. He tricks Tarzan into leading them to the gorillas, so he can capture and sell them. Tarzan must find a way to keep his gorilla family safe, and at last gets the chance to show his gorilla father that he is one of them after all.

The Phil Collins songs are kept as background, commenting on the story without interrupting it. The computer-assisted animation is integrated seamlessly, adding sensational depth to the scenes in the forest and detail to the water. The obligatory wisecracking sidekicks (a girl gorilla voiced by Rosie O'Donnell and a boy elephant voiced by Wayne Knight) manage to help the story without being overly cute. And, as the voices of Tarzan and Jane, Tony Goldwyn and Minnie Driver bring personality and sweetness to the characters.

Parents should know that some children may be upset by the (offscreen) deaths of Tarzan's parents and the young gorilla baby and the onscreen death of the gorilla father, and that there are tense and exciting scenes with characters in peril. Families may want to discuss how it feels to be an outsider, and why differences matter more to some people than to others. Kids who enjoy this movie may want to see some of the Johnny Weissmuller classics, but stay away from the Casper Van Dien, Christopher Lambert, and Bo Derek versions.