Tarzan (1999 movie) facts for kids

Tarzan is an animated movie from 1999. It is based on the famous book Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The Walt Disney Company made this film.

Tarzan was a big hit when it came out. It was the first Disney animated movie to be number one at the box office right away since Pocahontas. It also had a very large budget, costing over $100 million to make.

What is Tarzan About?

Tarzan's Early Life in the Jungle

The story begins with a British couple and their baby son. They escape a ship that catches fire during a storm. They end up on the African coast, near a wild jungle. The family builds a treehouse to live in. Sadly, a fierce leopard named Sabor attacks and kills them.

Meanwhile, a family of gorillas is moving to their feeding area. One gorilla, Kala, has lost her own baby to the same leopard. She hears the cries of the human baby. Kala follows the sound to the treehouse. She finds the child there. Sabor attacks Kala, but she and the baby get away safely.

Kala brings the baby back to her gorilla family. She decides to raise him as her own. She names him Tarzan. Kala's mate, Kerchak, is not happy. He tells her the baby cannot replace their lost child.

Growing Up with Gorillas

As Tarzan grows up, he makes friends with many animals. His best friends are a female ape named Terk and a male elephant named Tantor. Tarzan finds it hard to keep up with the gorillas. He feels different from them.

One day, Terk and her friends dare Tarzan to get a hair from an elephant's tail. The dare goes wrong. The elephants run wildly into the gorilla area. They almost hurt a baby gorilla. But Tarzan manages to get the hair.

After Kerchak tells Kala that Tarzan will never truly be part of their family, Tarzan runs away. Kala finds him and comforts him. Tarzan keeps trying to fit in. He learns how to move and live like the jungle animals. He grows into a strong, ape-like man. One day, Sabor attacks the gorillas again. Tarzan bravely fights and kills the leopard. This earns him some respect from Kerchak.

Meeting Other Humans

One day, Tarzan hears a loud gunshot. He goes to investigate. He sees a group of human explorers. The group includes Professor Porter, his daughter Jane, and their hunter guide, Clayton. They are in Africa to study gorillas.

Jane gets separated from her group. A troop of baboons attacks her. Tarzan saves her from them. He is amazed to discover that Jane looks just like him. They are both humans!

Tarzan takes Jane back to her camp. Terk, Tantor, and some gorillas are looking for Tarzan. They find the human camp. They play with the items in the camp, accidentally breaking some things. Tarzan and Jane arrive back at the camp. When Clayton and Professor Porter return, Tarzan goes back into the jungle with the gorillas.

Kerchak warns the gorillas to stay away from the humans. But Tarzan believes the humans are not dangerous. He secretly keeps visiting the explorers. He learns about the human world. Tarzan and Jane start to fall in love.

A Difficult Choice

The explorer's boat arrives to take them back to England. Tarzan is sad that Jane is leaving. Clayton tricks Tarzan. He tells Tarzan that Jane will stay in Africa forever if he shows her the gorillas. Tarzan convinces Tantor and Terk to lead Kerchak away from the explorers.

The plan seems to work. Tarzan leads the explorers to the gorilla nesting grounds. The explorers are happy to meet the apes. But then Kerchak arrives and attacks the humans. Tarzan stops Kerchak to protect the explorers. This makes Kerchak angry, and Tarzan feels like he has let his family down.

Kala finds Tarzan feeling sad. She takes him to the treehouse where she first found him as a baby. Tarzan then decides to go to England with the explorers.

The Final Battle

The next day, as the group gets on the ship, something bad happens. The ship's crew turns against them. Tarzan and his friends are captured and locked up. Clayton then reveals his true plan: he came to Africa to capture the gorillas and sell them to a zoo. He and his men go into the jungle and start catching the gorillas.

Luckily, Tarzan and his friends escape. Many jungle animals help them. Together, they free the gorillas. They fight back against the poachers. Clayton shoots Tarzan, but it's just a scratch on his arm. When Kerchak comes to help Tarzan, Clayton shoots him, seriously hurting him.

Clayton then chases Tarzan into the trees. A big fight happens. Tarzan briefly holds Clayton at gunpoint, then destroys the hunter's rifle. Clayton attacks Tarzan with a machete. He wildly cuts vines, not knowing that one vine is around his own neck like a rope. Tarzan begs him to stop, but Clayton cuts the vine. The hunter is quickly hung to death.

New Beginnings

Tarzan goes to Kerchak, who is dying. Kerchak asks Tarzan to forgive him. He finally realizes that Tarzan has always been a true member of the gorilla family. Kerchak then passes his leadership to Tarzan before he dies. Tarzan becomes the new leader of the gorillas.

The next day, Jane and her father get ready to leave. Jane then realizes she loves Tarzan. She and her father decide to stay in Africa. Tarzan and Jane begin their new life together in the jungle.

Who Are the Main Characters?

• Tony Goldwyn (Alex D. Linz as young Tarzan) plays Tarzan. He is a human orphan raised by gorillas.
• Minnie Driver plays Jane Porter. She is the professor's daughter and an explorer. She falls in love with Tarzan.
• Glenn Close plays Kala. She is Kerchak's mate and Tarzan's kind adopted mother.
• Lance Henriksen plays Kerchak. He is Kala's mate and the leader of the gorillas. His own baby was killed by Sabor. Clayton later kills him.
• Brian Blessed plays Clayton. He is a smart but impatient hunter who wants to capture the gorillas.
• Nigel Hawthorne plays Professor Archimedes Q. Porter. He is Jane's father and a biologist.
• Rosie O'Donnell plays Terk. She is Tarzan's adopted cousin and Kala's niece.
• Wayne Knight plays Tantor. He is a worried elephant and one of Tarzan's best friends.
• Phil Proctor plays the English Captain and Elephant #1.
• Mickie McGowan plays Terk's Mother.
• Rodger Bumpass plays Elephant #2.
• Jack Angel plays Monkey.
• Danny Mann plays Baby Babboon.

Tarzan on TV and in Other Movies

The Legend of Tarzan TV Show

A TV show called The Legend of Tarzan was made after the movie. It ran from 2001 to 2003. The show continues the story right after the movie ends. Tarzan is learning how to be the leader of the apes after Kerchak's death.

Tarzan Movie Sequels

There are also two direct-to-video movies that continue or add to the story:

• Tarzan & Jane, released on July 23, 2002.
• Tarzan II, released on June 14, 2005. This movie tells a story that happened before the first Tarzan film.

Awards and Nominations

Tarzan won several important awards:

• 2000 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for the song "You'll Be in My Heart" by Phil Collins.
• 2000 Academy Award for Best Song for the song "You'll Be In My Heart" by Phil Collins.
• 2000 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

Annie Awards

Tarzan was also nominated for 11 Annie Awards, which celebrate excellence in animation. It won one of these awards.

See also

In Spanish: Tarzán (película de 1999) para niños