DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Harrison Chad as TARZAN George Carlin as ZUGOR Brad Garret as UTO Ron Pearlman as KAGO Estelle Harris as MAMA GUNDA Glenn Close as KALA Lance Hendricksen as KERCHAK Rated G Studio: Disney Directed by: Brian Smith Back to DVD Review Home |
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It’s the standard Disney business plan - take a successful animated film and make a sequel out of it for a direct-to-DVD release. They’ve been doing it for years. Sometimes successfully, like the “Lion King” movies. Sometimes unsuccessfully, like “Pocahontas” and “Peter Pan.” If you don’t believe me, take a trip to your local video store and check out the kids section. There are sequels to movies you never thought they made sequels to. (I think the next classic in line for this treatment is “Bambi II.”)
Some critics take issue with this, claiming that the studio is trampling on the memories of classic films. Maybe so, but I support the Mouse House’s attempt to make money wherever they can. Let’s face it, if I owned the rights to “Cinderella,” I’d be making a sequel of it as well.
When it comes to the less-then-classic modern classics like the animated “Tarzan,” this argument really breaks down. Did anyone consider the animated “Tarzan” to be a classic? I always thought it ranked up there with “Hercules” and “The Emperor’s New Groove” as the string of animated disappointments that eventually led to an end for Disney’s feature animation department.
To be honest, I never made it through “Tarzan.” I found it more irritating than “George of the Jungle,” and when catching it on an airing through the Disney Channel, I couldn’t help but switch stations. It just seemed uninspired. Maybe it was Rosie O’Donnell. (In fact, I’m pretty sure that as appropriate of a casting decision it was to cast her as an obnoxious ape, she was one of the main reasons I couldn’t stomach the film.)
Now, Disney has released “Tarzan II,” which bridges the gap between Tarzan’s childhood and adult life seen in the first film. It’s almost a carbon copy of the premise from “The Lion King 1 ˝,” without all the clever characters like Timon and Pumbaa.
As direct-to-DVD sequels go, “Tarzan II” isn’t half bad. It’s not great by any stretch of the imagination, but it moves along at a decent pace and doesn’t bog down. It’s also not a musical, which is a relief because nothing is worse than bad songs in a Disney movie. (Sadly, when we lost Howard Ashman, we lost the magic behind the Disney animated musical.)
After some excellent exposure with his songs from “Brother Bear,” Phil Collins steps in to produce new songs for this film. That’s really the highlight of the piece. Collins has stepped up from being an arena rock show guy to becoming Disney’s new version of Carly Simon. I like Phil Collins, and I will admit that it’s neat to see and hear him on this soundtrack.
The cast also brings together some decent voices. Glenn Close plays Tarzan’s mother, although her part is so low key that you don’t even recognize it’s her. More noticeable is George Carlin as the cranky old ape Zugor, who eventually befriends Tarzan and vows to help him discover what animal he is. Finally, Brad Garrett joins Ron Pearlman and Estelle Harris as a chorus of three pseudo villain apes who get relatively little screen time but work in their limited capacity. A big acting shout-out goes to little Harrison Fahn, who plays the child version of Tantor the elephant. He’s hysterical.
DVD extras are pretty slim on this disc, with a backstage Disney featurette about the making of the movie, plus several games and music videos.
When it comes to home videos for the kids, “Tarzan II” fits the bill. It’s not a bad buy to pick up in the discount or previously viewed bin. The kids should like it, and it shouldn’t get on your nerve too much after multiple viewings.
Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Widescreen (1.78:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions. French language track. English subtitles for the hearing impaired.
