Tarzan (Chris Buck and Kevin Lima - 1999)

The final film in the Disney Renaissance, Tarzan is a young boy raised in the jungles of Africa by a group of apes after his parents are killed. As he grows he has no contact with other humans until a group of explorers come to study the apes, including the alluring but rather ditzy Jane (Minnie Driver.)

I was a little apprehensive about watching this film. Two words - Phil Collins. He provides the soundtrack to the film with some rather dull and frankly patronising songs. If you try hard enough though you can block them out. They aren't sung as set pieces or big show stopping numbers, more left to fill as background music which is just as well. Luckily the film is visually breath-taking enough to help you ignore the music. The backgrounds look like a canvas painting come to life. The lush colours and movements of the world are exquisitely captured using an animation technique called Deep Canvas. You feel like you're part of the action as you watch Tarzan move through the trees and vines, almost surfing his way through the jungle. The humans are drawn less realistically than the apes, taking on the by now trademark abstract design of the later Disney films, with big eyes and anatomically impossible bodies.

The script deals with issues usually not seen in kids movies, such as death and sexual awakening, but does so subtly and in a way that refuses to talk down to younger viewers. It's a film that can be viewed many ways. The more child friendly scenes like the "Trashing the Camp" sequence will amuse young ones while watching Tarzan and Jane connect is a gently romantic moment for the adults. It's a wonderfully handled romance, the characters grow to understand each other on several levels and, if it wasn't for the Phil Collins songs, would be completely free of gag inducing moments. It's a simple story executed well.

The interaction between Tarzan and his surrogate family is treated just like any other family which isn't a criticism. You need to feel that there is a real bond with the group and you thankfully do. Glenn Close, the voice of Kala, sounds like a protective suburban mother which works well with the story. It's one of Disney's more faithful adaptations although not straight down the line. The change from Tarzan talking to apes then humans is a clever one and keeps you involved with what's happening as well as understanding how Tarzan copes with such a culture shock.

Minnie Driver's voice-over is the right mix of funny and serious. Sounding like an upper class girls' school prefect, she can be a bit silly and ditzy but clearly loves the wild and shows a great enthusiasm for exploring. Nigel Hawthorne is your typical sort of English professor, Rosie O' Donnell and Wayne Knight are the mandatory animal sidekicks ("I have had it with your emotional constipation!") and Brian Blessed lends his booming voice to the villain Clayton (Watch his Have I Got News For You episode - you'll laugh until you fall unconscious). He's a slimy sort, very pantomime villain but with a very sickening agenda. His end is also one of Disney's more adult moments, something that really shocked me when I first saw it. Once again proof that these films aren't for kids!

I was glad I gave this film a chance. While it isn't my favourite that I've watched over my sleep deprived months, it was better than I gave it credit for. Ignore the music and immerse yourself in the romance and groundbreaking visuals. Knowing that this was the last film in Disney's revitalized artistic years is sad, but I stay optimistic for the future.