Twenty Five Years Of Disney’s Tarzan, The Lord Of The Apes.

For twenty-five years, the Disney classic Tarzan has entertained audiences both young and old. The film, based on the popular Edgar Rice Burroughs novel series, is considered to be the last film of the Disney Renaissance, a period of films that helped rejuvenate the company and reestablish it as an animation juggernaut.

The story of a man raised by apes in the late nineteenth century lent itself well to an animated feature with wild and imaginative settings and action sequences. The last real animated “jungle movie” that Disney was the 1967 film The Jungle Book. Now a new generation of creatives would have a go at the unique settings of the which African jungles and the exotic wildlife. 

The film was co-directed by Kevin Klima and Chris Buck, with Tab Murphy, fresh off of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, brought on to write the initial treatment. Other writers, such as Bob Tzudiker and None White, were brought in to revise the treatment and add some more humor and some polish. 



The film gave audiences many memorable characters, such as Tarzan (Tony Goldwyn), Jane (Minnie Driver), Terk (Rosie O’Donnell), Tantor (Wayne Knight), Kala (Glenn Close), and Clayton (Brian Blessed). However, certain characters were portrayed differently in the original novels, such as the dynamic between Tarzan and Clayton, who were cousins. 

The film’s story has multiple meaningful subjects, including finding a place to belong, nature versus nurture, love, and perhaps most importantly, the meaning of family. These subjects are often enhanced by the film’s score, which was both written and performed by former Genesis band member Phil Collins. Despite having songs, the soundtrack is less of a musical and more the inner expressions of the characters and their thoughts. 

The film was released on June 18th, 1999, and would go on to make $448 Million at the worldwide box office on a $130 Million budget. There were multiple merchandise deals made, such as McDonald’s Happy Meal toys and even a partnership with Mattel. One notable product was the controversial Rad Repeatin’ Tarzan action figure, which caused parents to get upset due to the figure’s positioning in the package that made it look like Tarzan was having “too much fun”.

Following the film’s success, an animated series titled The Legend of Tarzan aired from 2001 to 2003, with a total of 39 episodes. The series expanded upon both the characters and the world, with multiple new human characters, creatures, and elements from the novels.

One of the most notable additions to the novel was the introduction of Queen La, a recurring character and ruler of the lost city of Opar. She became a recurring villain in the series and even had her own story arc. Her design was believed to have been inspired by Princess Kida from the 2001 Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

In addition to the show, there were two direct-to-video movies with Tarzan & Jane: a collection of three episodes of the show edited together in 2003 and a midquel in 2005, Tarzan II, that focuses on an adolescent Tarzan.

Multiple video games from Disney’s Tarzan were also released, first for the original PlayStation and Nintendo 64 and then Tarzan: Untamed for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube.

The film continues to entertain audiences today, leaving a lasting legacy in Disney’s filmography. The relatable story and characters, along with breathtaking animation, are enough to keep revisiting this classic all these years later.

What did you think of the film? Did you see it when it first released? What was your favorite part? Let us know.