So, for those of us who don’t know the plot (where have you been?!?!)…

Tarzan, in baby form, gets stranded alone in a jungle. Unable to fend for himself, Tarzan is adopted by gorillas. The film then follows Tarzan’s life as he grows from a baby to a young adult, when for the first time he meets other people. The arrival of humans sees Tarzan introduced to typically human experiences – deceit, betrayal, love, etc. Tarzan then faces various moral dilemmas as to how to deal with these circumstances.

As with the most Disney films this uses the very tried and tested ingredients that have made many of it’s other releases such great hits. So, throw in excellent animation, a good musical soundtrack, a comical sidekick, talented actors and actresses to supply the voices, a story that includes danger, adventure and love – and what do you have…‘The Lion King’…oops, no. You get ‘Tarzan’.

Tarzan trundles along quite nicely until the arrival of Jane, when the story really picks up momentum. The pace quickens and the story becomes much more enjoyable. Disney throws the normal scattering of morality issues into the mix and deals with the narration of them superbly. Phil Collins pens the musical soundtrack, and apart from one unnecessary scene including the song, ‘Trash The Camp’, is a complete success.

There are several things that stop this film becoming a real classic. Despite the superb performance of Minnie Driver as Jane, the character that is voiced by Rosie O’Donnell, comes close to being as annoying as Jar Jar Binks of ‘Star Wars: The Phantom Menace’ fame. The evil characters are not as menacing as those seen elsewhere, allowing easier viewing for the younger audience, but having less effect on older viewers.

The ‘Tarzan: Collectors Edition’ DVD houses two excellent discs – one of the movie, the other crammed packed full of extras. The picture (1.66:1) quality is immaculate and the sound (Dolby Digital 5.0) is excellent too, but both are offered on non-standard formats. The first disc also includes a trailer for Disney’s upcoming ‘Dinosaur’ and also offers a read-along narrative for the film too. The second disc houses too many extras to list, but not all are of the quality of some other "special editions". The release is a little pricey at £24.99, but if you shop around it is possible to get it at under £20.

This film is well worth a rental, and if you are a fan of Disney films is a must purchase.