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by Raul Burriel Published: June 17, 2005
 Disney's "Tarzan" is one of my favorite animated films of the past decade, which is why I'm so wary of this project. Disney will often make sequels to their popular animated features. Some of them go straight to video, others are deemed "good enough" or "popular enough" to be released in theaters. But they rarely - if ever - capture the magic of the original material. Such is the case with "Tarzan II". But with that said, when judged on its own merits, "Tarzan II" is a pretty good movie. No, it's not an epic Disney animated blockbuster, but then again, it's not supposed to be. "Tarzan II" gives viewers - mostly pre-tween kids - exactly what they want. We have young Tarzan - in the company of young Terk and young Tantor - learning important life lessons and living exciting adventures at the same time.When young Tarzan, voiced by Harrison Chad, narrowly escapes death he comes to realize that his lack of ape skills is a danger to his adoptive gorilla mother Kala, voiced by Glenn Close. He runs away only to run afoul of gorilla brothers voiced by Brad Garrett and Ron Perlman and their mother voiced by Estelle Harris (George's mother on Seinfeld) who have been trapped on a desolate mountain for years by the mysterious Zugor. To say any more would be to ruin the plot, but I can say that besides Glenn Close, Lance Henriksen also reprises his role as Kerchak from the original film. Also be on the look out for George Carlin playing a pivotal role in the story. Bonus Material The DVD features "Disney's Fastplay" which automatically starts the film and selected features when inserted into the DVD player without the need to press any buttons on the remote control. I imagine this is so that kids can get straight to the movie without having to navigate the menu. Trailers on the disc are for "Cinderella" and "Lilo & Stitch 2" on DVD, as well as the feature release of Disney's CGI animated "Chicken Little". Extras include a music video of Phil Collin's new song for the film "Who Am I?" as performed by Tiffany Evans, a brief featurette where the film's creators and voice talent are interviewed, a simple interactive memory game, an encyclopedia of jungle animals hosted by Terk and Tantor and narrated in a David Attenborough style, and a way to watch the film with pop-up-like factoids such as "an elephant's tail weighs about 22 pounds" and "gravity is the force that pulls two objects together." There's nothing too heavy or in-depth here, but you shouldn't expect anything like that on a film clearly aimed at children. Inserts include a single leaflet listing scenes and features and a booklet with coupons for Disney merchandise. At only 72 minutes, the film moves quickly, with hardly a slow or dull moment. The film rehashes some of Phil Collin's songs from the original film but also introduces a couple of new songs by the artist which keep the soundtrack fresh. Despite being rated G, some scenes are pretty intense so keep an eye out. Overall, it's a fine movie and enough to keep your children entertained. It's also short enough that parents will hardly mind watching it over and over. And having anti-establishment comedian George Garlin voicing a lovable gruff is always good for a laugh. Film Rating: B Bonus Material: C |
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