Tarzan

Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Lord of the Jungle makes the transition to Disney animated hero in a splendid, eye-filling adventure that harkens back in many ways to the 1967 animated version of The Jungle Book. Oddly enough, Burroughs gets more reverence than Kipling—despite the customary cute touches and comic relief, this adaptation is more faithful to the book than any other sound film version. The jungle scenes are lushly exotic, the characters are well-drawn in every sense of the phrase, and the story is economically and crisply told with just the right balance between comedy and drama, fantasy and realism. This version could actually change the public perception of Tarzan for the first time since the days of Johnny Weissmuller. Phil Collins’ songs complement rather than interrupt the action.