Line #44 YMMV/Tarzan


1	!!The books and general franchise
2	* AudienceColoringAdaptation:
3	** The Weissmuller films made Jane (and her father) British instead of American, and later films followed suit including the Disney version, which further cemented this in viewers' minds. This resulted in many people being surprised when ''Film/TheLegendOfTarzan'' portrayed Jane as an American again. It was previously only done in ''[[Film/GreystokeTheLegendOfTarzanLordOfTheApes Greystoke]]'' and the Pre-Weismuller films.
4	** The Weissmuller films are also responsible for the popular image of Tarzan speaking in HulkSpeak, as well as establishing what his SignatureRoar sounds like (which, in the book, is just described as "the victory cry of the bull ape").
5	** The Weissmuller films cemented the idea that Jane moves into the jungle with Tarzan and becomes a vine swinging ActionGirl living the same wild lifestyle as her mate. In the books, while Jane returned to the jungle many times with her husband, she never lived there with him and never became an animal skin-wearing, treetop-dwelling vine swinger, as Tarzan had already returned to civilization by the time they got married.
6	* BrokenBase: What year was Tarzan born in, 1888 or 1872? This single question has led to numerous fan debates and conflicting chronologies picking one or the other.
7	* FairForItsDay: The books are rife with Burroughs' ''[[NobleBigot well-meant]]'' ethnocentrism and sexism. Burroughs repeatedly mentions the vicious and exploitative treatment the African natives received at the hands of white men, and attributes at least part of their bloodthirst to an understandable desire for {{revenge}}. He usually finds something to praise about his various ethnic characters, even if it might be in a way [[YouAreACreditToYourRace that would be extremely offensive today]]. Jane may not be an ActionGirl (let's not be ridiculous!), but she's intelligent and remains level-headed no matter how dire the emergency. While later stories introduce the Waziri people and have them as subservient to Tarzan and Jane, they are shown to be intelligent, dignified, competent, beautiful, and kind even before Tarzan met them and helped save them from exploitation; something virtually unheard of in literature at the time's portrayal of native Africans.
8	* HilariousInHindsight:
9	** In 1996, a subspecies of chimpanzee has been discovered in the Bili Forest of the Congo Republic that shows many gorilla-like behaviors -- much like how Burroughs' Mangani mix traits of those same apes with some primitive human. Doubles as AccidentallyCorrectZoology.
10	** Tarzan's interactions with the civilized characters in ''The Return of Tarzan'' are remarkably similar to those of Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian. Especially when his "veneer of civilization" slips.
11	* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: When Tarzan first lets loose his signature yell you know the awesomeness has only begun. The best known version from the Johnny Weissmuller films was a combination of two chorus singers and a hog caller. Intriguingly, the yell for the Disney version was provided not by Creator/TonyGoldwyn, but by Creator/BrianBlessed (who was ironically playing the villain Clayton) since Goldwyn couldn't create his own satisfactory version of the yell.
12	%%* TheScrappy: Cheetah is outright hated by Burroughs purists.
13	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The Weissmuller films and their imitators have received outcry from Burroughs purists for making multiple changes to the source material, from the introduction of TheScrappy Cheetah to [[{{AdaptationalDumbass}} portraying Tarzan as less intelligent than his literary counterpart]].
14	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: Thanks to the [[DisneyFication Disneyfied]] animated adaptations, the books are sometimes mistaken for being child-friendly jungle adventure stories. In reality, Burroughs' novels present a fair amount of violence, racist and sexist content, and occasionally even {{Gorn}}y torture scenes.
15
16	!!The Disney film
17	%% Before anyone adds Clayton as an example of Complete Monster, bear in mind that he isn't one according to the Disney CM list. If you consider him one, please take it to the Western Animation Disney CM thread.
18	* AccidentalAesop: Even though Kerchak has the understandable FreudianExcuse of losing his own child, quite a few people have found him to be UnintentionallyUnsympathetic due to how coldly he treats Tarzan for most of the film. For said many, you can read it as "[[FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse Grief at losing a loved one doesn't justify treating foster family harshly.]]"
19	* AccidentalInnuendo: In the song "Strangers Like Me", one of the lyrics is "Why do I have/This ''growing need'' to be beside her?" Then again, the entirety of the song could be considered a metaphor for Tarzan's own romantic awakening.
20	* {{Adorkable}}:
21	** As a child, Tarzan is quite awkward at trying to fit in. As an adult, he's a lovestruck fool whenever he's around [[LoveInterest Jane]] and is endearingly curious about everything to do with human culture.
22	** Professor Porter. Smart, spacey, and lovable? Indeed. When he finally gets to meet the gorillas, he's so overwhelmed with joy he passes out.
23	** Like the professor above, his daughter Jane is nerdy, bookish, and awkward, but that just serves to make her more endearing.
24	** Tantor's a huge, clumsy and awkward elephant who's scared of almost everything.
25	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
26	** Did Kerchak not accept Tarzan for so long because he was different, or because he never got over the death of his first son? [[TakeAThirdOption Or both?]]
27	** Did Terk not want Tarzan hanging around with her and the other gorilla children because she was embarrassed by him, or because she knew they didn't like him and didn't want him to feel like any more of an outcast than he already did?
28	* SugarWiki/AwesomeArt: At the time the film came out, Tarzan himself was Disney's most impressively animated character. Impressive not just because of surface detail but because Tarzan was rendered with as much anatomical accuracy as possible; he moves like a gorilla and pulls off spectacular acrobatics, all while his muscles still flex and move believably. For the majority of the movie he wears very little, with his physique on full display, which is very difficult to pull off in animation. Not to mention the groundbreaking use of CGI for backgrounds that beautifully blended 3D movement with a classic hand painted look.
29	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Considering that the entire soundtrack is done by Music/PhilCollins, it's to be expected. In particular, the optimistic main theme of the film, "Two Worlds", will get stuck in your head for days.
30	* BaseBreakingCharacter: Some people love Terk for being a rare example of a female comic relief character who isn't overtly feminine in appearance and personality, no doubt due to her being written as male in earlier drafts. Others dislike her because of Creator/RosieODonnell's performance and her schtick with Tantor being a blatant repeat of [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 Timon and Pumbaa]], who are themselves base-breaking characters.
31	* BrokenBase: Phil Collins' soundtrack for the film is still divisive as hell even after the re-appraisal of Collins' music. Viewers think it's either an awesome and effective collection of songs that complements each scene well, or a mess of unfitting, generic pop songs with Collins' sudden voice feeling awkwardly placed in. Some viewers in the latter are even fans of Collins' music or think the songs themselves are good but feel their placement in the actual film is clumsy and off-putting.
32	* CommonKnowledge: Although popularly thought of as an EvilPoacher, dues to the standards of the time, Clayton does not actually commit any poaching. Yes, he tries to capture the Tribe of Kerchak, but there were no breeding programs at the time, meaning that was the only way animals were brought to civilization. Clayton's actual crimes include mutiny and attempted murder, but not poaching.
33	* CrossesTheLineTwice: Tarzan trying to peek under Jane's dress. If a civilized person did it, it would be totally unacceptable, but when it's done by a savage that [[InnocentlyInsensitive doesn't know the norms]] because he's never interacted with people before, it becomes funny.
34	* {{Fanon}}: It's a popular notion among fans that Sabor is female, mainly because in the original novel that name was used to describe lionesses in the apes' language (male lions were referred to as Numa). The movie never gives any indication of the leopard's gender, neither does the sequel or the tv series, leaving Sabor as an example of AmbiguousGender. The film commentary, however, has the creators referring to Sabor as male and Sabor is also credited as male in the Franchise/KingdomHearts universe. However, Disney books have explicitly referred to Sabor as female.
35	* GeniusBonus:
36	** It may just be a coincidence, but Tantor freaks out when a skull is bounced between his tusks in "Trashin' the Camp"; elephants are the only other animal besides humans who recognize bones.
37	** Another one that's likely unintentional, but [[spoiler:Tarzan has no idea what Jane is doing when she kisses him]]. Other species of ape ''do'' kiss, gorillas included, but protracted, romantic, mouth-to-mouth face mashing is only really seen in one other species, and that's bonobos.
38	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff:
39	** Thanks in no small part to the fact that the hugely popular Ákos Kovács did the songs for the Hungarian dub of the movie, this film's music is immensely popular in Hungary, enough so that Ákos regularly performs them at mainstream concerts.
40	** [[AllMusicalsAreAdaptations The stage musical]] had a short run on Broadway due to audiences and critics not being impressed, but in Germany it ran [[LongRunners from 2008 to 2018]], moving from Hamburg to Stuttgart and then Oberhausen.
41	* HilariousInHindsight:
42	** Terk is forced to dress up like Jane, which Tantor compliments her on. In an episode of the TV series, Tantor himself would have to crossdress as a distraction.
43	** A movie heavily featuring gorillas and music by Music/PhilCollins is rather funny when many years later, the Cadbury chocolate company would release a [[DadaAd bizarre ad]] that quickly went viral [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnzFRV1LwIo featuring]] a gorilla [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext playing the famous drum solo]] from Collins' "In the Air Tonight".
44	** The reason why ''Tarzan'' isn't a traditional musical was because of the filmmakers weirded out about Tarzan, a half-naked man raised by gorillas, suddenly bursting into song. And then the film got its own Broadway musical, and Tarzan would burst into song multiple times because of that. In addition, the animated version of Tarzan would get to sing in the finale of ''WesternAnimation/OnceUponAStudio''.
45	* JerkassWoobie: Kerchak. The movie opens with him and Kala losing their original child to Sabor. This loss is implied to have made the silverback bitter and dangerously protective of his family.
46	* MemeticMutation: Combined with MemeticBadass, the Phil Collins soundtrack is so widely acclaimed nowadays that it has reached masterpiece status, along with memes that [[https://preview.redd.it/mj5h6ejwwgg61.jpg?auto=webp&s=acd4a77b1cb7ef70afbb2aa20ef89dfc983be1d9 Phil Collins didn't had to 'go that hard' on the soundtrack.]]
47	* {{Moe}}:
48	** The design Disney used for Jane evokes a protective instinct - but then again, this ''is'' one of literature's archetypal DamselInDistress characters.
49	** Tantor as a calf as well, especially since his voice actor was too young to read his lines.
50	* MoralEventHorizon: Clayton from the Disney version crosses this when he shoots Kerchak, Tarzan's adoptive father, then, much like [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast Gaston]], tries to kill Tarzan [[UngratefulBastard after being spared]][[labelnote:*]](Granted, Gaston did [[DirtyCoward beg for mercy]], whereas Clayton tried to goad Tarzan into [[StrikeMeDownWithAllOfYourHatred pulling the trigger]] [[ARealManIsAKiller like a man]], but still...)[[/labelnote]], resulting in a gruesome KarmicDeath afterward.
51	* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: The Tarzan yell, performed by the inimitable [[Creator/BrianBlessed BRIAN BLESSED]]. The sound of triumph, pure and simple.
52	* SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames: The PSX/N64 game is actually a really fun platformer with various difficulty settings based on the levels and it's actually quite complete. The version for GBC is also really good, having gameplay similar to that of the Donkey Kong Country games.
53	* ObviousJudas: Clayton is an EgomaniacHunter who is rude, condescending and shows an open disregard for the wildlife in the jungle. Is it really a surprise that he's plotting against the protagonists? It should be noted that according to various texts, such as ''Disney's Tarzan'' by Russell K. Schroeder and Victoria and Saxon and ''The Tarzan Chronicles'' by Howard Green, they didn't want Clayton to be an obvious villain from the start, but rather wanted to keep the audience guessing whether or not he was a villain.
54	* OlderThanTheyThink:
55	** The combining of Kerchak and Tublat originated with the first Tarzan film in 1918.
56	** Sabor as an individual animal was previously seen on the television series starring Wolf Larson, the difference being that Sabor only appeared a few times either playing with her cubs or in the company of other lions, thus being a more neutral character than her Disney counterpart. Likewise, Tantor being portrayed as an individual originates with the Wolf Larson series as does Tarzan having been raised by gorillas rather than the fictional Mangani, albeit it took three seasons to establish gorillas as the apes that raised Tarzan.
57	** Sabor being a leopard rather than a lioness has a forerunner in ''Film/GreystokeTheLegendOfTarzanLordOfTheApes'', in which the episode of Tarzan's youth where he learned to swim featured a lioness ("Sabor" as the Mangani called them) being replaced by a leopard, a black leopard in this case, but a leopard nonetheless.
58	* SignatureScene:
59	** The shot where Tarzan "surfs" across the jungle foliage at the end of the "Son of Man" sequence. It was everywhere from the commercials, trailers, it was even incorporated into video games and served as a way to make this version distinct from past screen versions.
60	%%** [[TearJerker The intro]], under Phil Collins [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic "Two Worlds"]].
61	%%** When Tarzan realizes that he and Jane have the same hand shape.
62	** Clayton's FamilyUnfriendlyDeath due to being perhaps the darkest villain death of the Renaissance, if not the entire animated canon, though it is not without some fierce competition.
63	* SignatureSong: It's a Phil Collins soundtrack so there's bound to be some memorable songs. Two of those being:
64	** "Two Worlds" When thinking of epic intros to Disney movies, this is usually brought up aside from ''Lion King'' and ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame''.
65	** "You'll Be In My Heart" is seen as the "other" song in the movie everyone remembers, from it's gentle lullaby sung by Kala, and as the end credits song. It was so popular that it got Collins an Oscar, AND a Golden Globe for "Best Original Song"!
66	* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The opening music of "Two Worlds" is very similar to the opening music of the Village stage of ''VideoGame/GoldenAxe II''.
67	* ThemePairing: Jane and Captain Amelia from ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' are similar characters -- cultured women with 18th-19th century aesthetics and British accents. ''WebVideo/{{Illuminated}}'' has them as its main pairing. It helps that Ken Duncan was the supervising animator of both characters.
68	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Despite being introduced as a formidable threat with a personal vendetta against Tarzan, Kala and Kerchak, Sabor is killed by Tarzan before the halfway point of the film and not mentioned again afterwards. Many audiences were disappointed when she was replaced with Clayton, who is mostly a two-dimensional greedy hunter with no real personal connection to the protagonist.
69	* ViewerGenderConfusion: Terk, though she was apparently based off a male character. It doesn't help that in the stage musical [[GenderFlip Terk is now male]]. It's at least alleviated a ''little'' when you know she was voiced by a woman. The animated series [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this and makes it something of a RunningGag.
70	* VindicatedByHistory: Not for the film itself, but its soundtrack. By 1999, Music/PhilCollins had become so widely detested for his sheer overexposure in [[TheEighties the preceding decade]] that many were vocally apprehensive towards the ''Tarzan'' soundtrack simply because it was Collins' work. However, the critical and public redemption of Collins in the 2010s, spurned on by a mix of '80s nostalgia, nostalgia from people who grew up with the movie, and endorsements of Collins by popular [=R&B=] artists, ended up extending to the ''Tarzan'' soundtrack as well. Nowadays, it's gone from being seen as gimmicky treacle to one of the best film soundtracks for a Disney film to date, with the soundtrack album being considered Collins' best release since ''Music/FaceValue''. It's certainly still a divisive soundtrack, but [[BrokenBase its number of detractors have been balanced by its number of fans]] rather than outnumbering them.
71	* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The hand-drawn animation is beautifully blended with CGI backgrounds in several shots, some of which move in strong perspective and constantly change angles.
72	* TheWoobie:
73	** Kala. One of her first scenes involves her losing her child, she has to watch her adoptive son struggle to be accepted by the other gorillas and by her mate Kerchak, [[spoiler:and at the end of the movie, she loses Kerchak too]].
74	** Tarzan himself. Throughout much of his childhood he is rejected by the other gorillas and especially Kerchak, who later forbids him to interact with the first humans he sees, and ends up being torn between the two sides. And by the time Kerchak finally accepts Tarzan as his son, the gorilla is on his death bed.
75	* {{Woolseyism}}: During the song "Strangers Like Me", there's a scene where Jane asks Tarzan to lead her, her father, and Clayton to where the gorillas are, and asks if she understands him, which he confirms by saying "I... understand." Some dub versions of the movie have Tarzan use imperfect grammar in this scene to further show Tarzan's difficulty with learning a human language. For example, in languages where verbs change depending on who's performing the action, it's not uncommon for Tarzan to use the "(you) understand" form that Jane just used.

Context YMMV / Tarzan