Buena Vista Pictures | Release Date: June 18, 1999
7.9
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greedybadideaMay 25, 2020
In the late 19th century, an English couple and their infant son survive a shipwreck. They end up near an uncharted rainforest on the Congolese coast, where they build themselves a treehouse from the ship's wreckage. Meanwhile, Kerchak, theIn the late 19th century, an English couple and their infant son survive a shipwreck. They end up near an uncharted rainforest on the Congolese coast, where they build themselves a treehouse from the ship's wreckage. Meanwhile, Kerchak, the leader of a troop of gorillas, and his mate Kala mourn the death of their baby at the hands of a savage leopard named Sabor. Soon afterward, Kala hears the infant son's cries and finds the treehouse, where she discovers that Sabor has killed the couple as well. Kala encounters Sabor and escapes with the infant in her possession. Kala takes the infant back to her troop to raise as her own, an action which Kerchak objects to. Kala adopts the human child, naming him Tarzan. When aged seven, Tarzan begins to befriend other animals, including Kala and Kerchak's niece Terk and a paranoid elephant named Tantor; but he is treated hostilely by Kerchak due to physical differences, so he makes great efforts to improve himself. As an adult, Tarzan manages to slay Sabor with a spear he crafted, gaining Kerchak's respect.

One day, the gorillas' peaceful life is interrupted by the arrival of a team of English explorers, consisting of Professor Archimedes Q. Porter, his daughter Jane, and their tour guide, a hunter named Clayton, who have come looking for gorillas to study. Jane drifts out of the group, and is attacked by a gang of mandrills, who chase her through the trees' branches, but a curious Tarzan manages to save her. Tarzan realizes that Jane is similar to him, and she leads him to their camp, where Porter and Clayton garner interest in him. Porter views Tarzan as an opportunity for scientific advancement, while Clayton desires to persuade Tarzan to lead him to the gorillas. Kerchak firmly warns Tarzan to stay away from them, but Tarzan disobeys his warnings and continues to return to the camp, where the Porters and Clayton teach him what the human civilization is like with the use of a slide projector and various other gadgets. A few months pass, and Jane and Tarzan begin to develop feelings for each other, but Tarzan still refuses to lead them to the gorillas out of respect for Kerchak.

The explorers' ship soon returns to retrieve them. Jane asks Tarzan to return with them to England, but Tarzan asks Jane to stay with him when Jane says that it is unlikely that they will ever return. Clayton convinces Tarzan that Jane will stay with him if he leads them to the gorillas. Tarzan agrees and leads the trio to the nesting grounds, while Terk and Tantor lure Kerchak away to prevent him from attacking the humans. Jane and her father are excited to mingle with the gorillas, when suddenly, Kerchak returns and attacks the Porters and Clayton, but Tarzan stops him, allowing them to escape. Kerchak accuses Tarzan of betraying the troop, who turns against him. Kala takes Tarzan to the treehouse where she found him and reveals his past to him. He dons a suit that once belonged to his father, signifying his decision to go to England, before he and Kala share a bittersweet goodbye.

When Tarzan boards the ship with Jane and Porter, they are all captured by Clayton and his band of stowaway poachers. Clayton reveals his plan to capture the gorillas and sell them for a fortune, and he was just using the Porters for a way to go to the jungle. He subsequently used Tarzan to find the nesting grounds and locks him, Jane, and Porter away in the storage area of the ship. Tarzan manages to escape with the help of Terk and Tantor and returns to the jungle to save the gorillas. During the ensuing battle, Clayton fatally shoots Kerchak and fights Tarzan across the treetops. Although Tarzan spares his life and destroys his shotgun, Clayton tries to kill him with his machete. After Tarzan traps Clayton in vines, Clayton wildly slashes the vines with his machete, causing him to fall from the tree with a vine tangled around his throat, hanging and killing him. Kerchak apologizes to Tarzan, finally accepts him as his son, and names him his successor before peacefully dying.

The next day, Jane and her father prepare to leave on the ship, but Tarzan remains behind with the gorilla troop, intending to withhold Kerchak's last wish to lead and protect the family in his place. As the ship departs, Porter encourages his daughter to stay with Tarzan, and Jane jumps overboard to meet Tarzan with her father shortly following her. The Porters reunite with Tarzan and embark on their new life together.
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