Tarzan meets Jane. © Burroughs and Disney, Tarzan® Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. All rights reserved.

The film stays true to recent Disney feature clichés (the outsider hero who questions his familial traditions, kid-friendly comic sidekicks, the stock villain, songs, etc.), but departs in some exciting ways. The music by Phil Collins is incorporated nicely into the story, for example, as a lullaby sung by Kala to baby Tarzan, or, another instance, the sequence when the gorillas discover the Porters' camp and explore it musically while comically tearing it apart. The good news is that Tarzan and Jane never stop the story to sing.

Technology and Performance Combine
The visuals are powerful on all fronts, particularly this new CGI "Deep Canvas" technique which puts the characters into what look like three-dimensional background sets. One early shot, from Kala's POV (point of view) as she looks into little Lord Greystoke's cradle through fallen drapery is masterfully done. This tiny moment is an example of subtle realism that this CGI technology achieves.

Moving backgrounds have come of age. This type of shot, which dates back to silent Felix the Cat cartoons, has been perfected with astounding shots of Tarzan "surfing" through the trees. The trees look painted, as any traditional cartoon background would look, and yet we can climb into them, move around them, feel them. This is the most exciting use of the computer as a tool in creating animation, and for cartoon storytelling, in the past decade.

Stock villain Clayton uses friendly persuasion on Tarzan. © Burroughs and Disney, Tarzan® Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. All rights reserved.

The performances of the lead characters are particularly good. For Tarzan, the performance is in the animation. Glen Keane's strong animation and poses are unlike any other screen portrayal of the character. When Jane calls him "an ape man," we totally understand what she means. He is half animal, half man, and a total creature of animation. His large soulful eyes (as "Charlie Dog" used to say) and flaring nostrils (how can I not mention those?) communicate his inner thoughts better than his limited dialogue. Jane is my favorite character in the show. I love her character design and personality which are the best parts of Megera and Ariel combined, and Minnie Driver gives a true performance that is both touching and funny. Her casting was a stroke of genius. Rosie O'Donnell also stands out as gorilla best friend, Turk. The comedy relief is well done and never feels padded. Last year, I felt Eddie Murphy as Mushu (in Mulan) was strictly stunt casting and his "antics" stalled the story; this time out the comic characters were all true to the situations and storyline.

If Tarzan lacks anything it's perhaps the traditional touch of Disney fantasy that usually enhances these productions. There are no genies, dragons or talking candlesticks (although there is a clever in-joke involving a teapot). But this is a story that might have been marred by such an intrusion (as was Disney's Hunchback Of Notre Dame). This is a fantastic tale based on real characters, real motives and real danger. If Walt Disney Feature Animation wants to evolve beyond the musical fantasies it's most famous for,Tarzan is a terrific step in that direction.

Jerry Beck is a cartoon historian, writer and animation studio executive. He was editor of The 50 Greatest Cartoons (Turner), recently co-wrote Warner Bros. Animation Art (Levin) and is currently a freelance writer and consultant through his own company, Cartoon Research Co.