Tarzan 2: The Legend Begins

This straight-to-video Disney sequel, taking place when Tarzan is still a boy, is so perfectly executed, it feels as though it could've been additional material cut from the first movie.

Tarzan, finding that he can't keep up with the other gorilla youngsters, begins to question who and what he is, and the film is more or less about his self-discovery and how he begins the transformation from just being a human boy to becoming the 'Tarzan' we all know and love.

All of your favorite characters are back (except Jane and the professor of course), as well as the voice talents of Glenn Close as Kala and Lance Henrikson as Kerchak. The casting director did a wonderful job in finding a young voice talent to perfectly match the young Tarzan from the original. Furthermore, it appears that most of the original animators are back as well, for the animation is something to behold, and a few new songs as well as a reprise from the first film by Phil Collins make it that much more convincing.

This film has the passion and heart that is usually lacking in the great majority of Disney sequels—you can really feel the care and respect for the material by all involved in the production. It's both touching and humorous, and not just for children—adults will find this amusing as well. Now if Disney will just follow suit and continue to make sequels such as this one, maybe they can actually put more than one every ten years in the theater.

VERDICT: Disney succeeds in finally making a worthwhile sequel, much of the caliber of the original. Recommended to all—if you liked the original Tarzan, you'll like this one. And to all you collectors out there, this one is definitely worth the $20—I know I'll be adding it to *my* collection sometime in the near future.

7.5 out of 10.0

~AleXa~

I didn't know what to expect considering Disney's negative reputation with their direct-to-video sequels. So when I watched it I have to say it was pretty good. It was well animated, acted and paced. The story's about a young Tarzan (Harrison Chad) trying to find his place in the jungle. After trying to keep up with his pack during a storm he gets separated and decides to run away feeling he doesn't belong with him. This leads him to a grumpy gorilla named Zugor (George Carlin) who pretends to be a monster in order to scare off the other animals near his home including a grumpy gorilla named Mama Gunda (Estelle Harris) and her two sons the irritable, aggressive Kago (Ron Perlman) and the happy yet dimwitted Uto (Brad Garrett) who think they are trapped by the "monster".

In exchange for keeping his secret Zugor reluctantly agrees to help him find out who he is. The movie's not as good as the first one but it's still good in its own right. The animation's a slight downgrade as the characters aren't as fluid as the original but it's still pretty good by direct-to-video standards. The characters are well-defined and enjoyable to watch. What Tarzan goes through is relatable as there's been a point in our life where we were trying to find out our place in this world. Mama Gunda and her sons antics are fun to watch as well. They really have good chemistry which leads to some good laughs. The songs aren't as memorable as the first but they're still written and performed by Phil Collins so they're ok. The pacing's pretty good. While there're moments of bouncing around there're also quiet thoughtful moments and I think they're done pretty well.

Tarzen 2's definitely a diamond in the rough. It has something for both kids and adults. It may not be memorable but it's still enjoyable nonetheless. If you have kids I'd say check it out.

This was much better than I had originally anticipated. That's just the cold hard truth. This is the story of Tarzan as a young boy, with all of his young friends, having fun. This is a great movie for children, mostly those between the ages of about 5 and 12, who will enjoy it the most. And parents will like the story line too, it is a good thing to talk to your children about. What to do in the situation, and what NOT to do. It seems as though Disney is trying to put these movies out as fast as they can now, but I don't think this one was for the money. They did take time on this video to make sure it was WORTH buying, and believe me, it is. And if you want this title, you can find good, inexpensive ones at either HTTP://www.amazon.com ,or HTTP://www.ebay.com. Thats my story, and I'm sticking to it!! This was a good movie, and I gave it an 8 of 10.

(2005) Tarzan II ANIMATION/ CHILDREN/ ADVENTURE

After the moderate success of Disney's animated "Tarzan" cartoon movie released in 1999, the studio decided to produce a sequel which went straight-to-rental and it's a very good move on their part because that's where it needs to go, since it's just a simplistic recycled mess out of many other Disney classics that came before it especially the supposedly comedy scenes! Retelling the "Tarzan" legend created by Edgar Rice Burroughs -Disney style centering way too long about 'how come young Tarzan can't do some of the same things as his other apes friends' besides not looking like one almost made me like not wanting to care at this point, for as the movie progresses with the help of an older ape, he was able to identify the features he already has such as his using hands and his feet but it's so boring. For children, they may suck up to this since they may not have seen many as much as you, but a warning to all parents and adults the only reason to see this (if theirs any reason at all all) is to hear some of our favorite actors/ actresses doing the voices which can also be distracting since a lot of the dialogue is repetitive and somewhat annoying. These voices include George Carlin as Hugo, Glenn Close as Kala, Brad Garret as Uto, Lance Henrickson as Kerchak and Ron Pearlman as Kugo. Besides the cartoon being straight forward, conventional and unfunny was Phil Collins annoying songs throughout- they were so boring that I used a remote control to whiz through them. It's sole message is okay, but even at a running time of 1 hour and 12 minutes still felt quite long, perhaps it should've been 35 or 45 minute and at the same time cut out the uninspiring singing, the cheap jokes and I might've like this one a little more.

Tarzan II I would say is maybe the best looking of the direct-to- video sequels. I was pretty overwhelmed by the beautiful landscapes and how grand they were made.

To shortly sum up my impression of the idea of making a so-called midquel: I think it was a great idea, because we did not see that much of how Tarzan coped with his identity issues in the original. Is it handled perfectly, you ask? No, not exactly, but when the movie has that theme in its undivided focus it works out well without any need for words. George Carlin's role as Zugor did make a good impression on me, because I was a little skeptical to begin with. He and Tarzan share some heartfelt moments together, even if the pay-off of Tarzan's search for his identity comes off as underwhelming.

The harshest criticism I have towards Tarzan II is that these three apes, Mama Gunda, Kago and Uto were really unnecessary as bad-guys. They could have made the same impact on Tarzan's life with a smaller role. But it could have been awesome to see more of how Sabor thretened the gorillas, because he seemed like a real threat in the original.

Tarzan II is an okay watch, and kids can enjoy the adventure and the comedy while adults may find it pleasant to see the heartfelt moments. Again, this is a Disney sequel so therefore the original is by far a better movie, but with that said, this is not insulting to its predecessor.