Tarzan

Movie review by Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Tarzan Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 6+

Kids will be drawn to Disney's fast-paced version.

G 1999 88 minutes
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Parents say

age 7+

Based on 15 reviews

Kids say

age 7+

Based on 42 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

Stands out for .

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Tarzan is a 1999 Disney movie. Several important sympathetic characters die in this film, some off-screen and some onscreen. In separate instances a baby gorilla and Tarzan's parents are killed by a rampaging leopard. Though these incidents occur off-screen, in both cases the aftermath is clear: grieving gorilla parents coming to terms with their loss, and Tarzan's parents' lifeless bodies seen surrounded by bloody paw prints on the floor of their house. There's also a climactic onscreen death of the heroic leader of the gorilla band, shot by a scheming human. There's lots of cartoon action: an escape from a burning ship; the leopard's fierce threat to the animal kingdom in numerous scenes; Tarzan's fight to the death with the leopard; rampaging frightened elephants; and, finally, villainous humans attacking and trapping Tarzan and his gorilla family, resulting in a lengthy final battle.

Community Reviews

Mariromanelli
Mariromanelli Adult
April 21, 2021
age 8+

Wait for sensitive children

My son is very sensitive, he is 7 years old and this movie ended up being quite traumatic to him. I think what is hard in this movie for him is not the action, that can be quite scary, but the sadness of the deaths during the movie and the intensity of the bad characters. It was way to much for him. So I would advice sensitive children to wait and watch it when they are older.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
3 people found this helpful.
MJB2014
MJB2014 Adult
June 21, 2017
age 7+

Entertaining and some good role models but scary for younger kids

Since this movie is rated G, I thought it would be fine for my nearly 6 year old and it was certainly a fun movie to watch but had some scary elements that would give me pause to recommend for his age group. Two scenes in particular were difficult: the scene where Tarzan the baby is alone and crying and rescued by the mother gorilla and the scene at the end when the father gorilla is shot by poachers. I had to watch with my son and carefully explain the context in an age-appropriate way. He was also upset at the scene where Tarzan leaves his gorilla family behind to go on the ship. The animation is beautiful and it has quite a bit of humor to appeal to kids. Jane is also a good role model and fights her way along with Tarzan rather than sitting and waiting to be rescued. Overall I would recommend this as a fun movie but if you have sensitive or younger children I would avoid it.

This title has:

Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
See all 15 parent reviews

What's the Story?

TARZAN begins with two sets of mothers and fathers care for their babies. One set is human, shipwrecked, and making a new home for themselves in a tree. The other parents are gorillas, raising their baby in the gorilla community. When the human baby's parents and the baby gorilla are killed by a tiger, the gorilla mother, Kala (voiced by Glenn Close), adopts the human baby and raises him as her own. Her mate Kerchak, the leader of the gorillas, agrees reluctantly, but insists that the boy is an outsider, who can never be one of them. The boy, called Tarzan by Kala, is hurt by Kerchak's snub, and tries desperately to fit in. He hurtles through trees at lightning speed and even walks on his knuckles. He's comfortable in his world until more humans come ashore, bringing with them curiosities good and bad. While Jane (Minnie Driver) makes the human world tempting, the hunters and their cruelty draw him back to the jungle. Which life will he choose?

Is It Any Good?

Although there's some pretty serious peril and a few upsetting moments, most kids will be charmed by this version of the popular story. Disney's engaging animated epic owes as much to The Lion King and the tale of the ugly duckling as it does to the Johnny Weissmuller live-action series or the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels.

The storytelling is solid and the characters are memorable, especially Rosie O'Donnell as Tarzan's trouble-loving gorilla friend and Nigel Hawthorne as the bumbling professor. Kids will immediately be drawn in to this version because of its pace and action. Tarzan whips through trees and slides down their trunks like Tony Hawk (indeed the animators watched videos of skaters as inspiration). The music is catchy, too. Phil Collins won an Oscar for the tearjerker "You'll Be in My Heart."

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Tarzan and his life between two worlds. Do you think he belongs with the apes or with humans? How did he adapt to life with the apes? Why wasn't he accepted right away? Why does an ape decide to raise Tarzan?

  • Have you seen any other versions of this story? Which do you like best?

  • The animators were inspired by skateboarders when they created Tarzan's scenes swinging through the trees. Can you see any skateboarding moves in the animation?

Movie Details

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