Tarzan II

Whereas the original Tarzan tells the story of a man raised by gorillas who learns to bring together the human and animal worlds, Tarzan II is a prequel, of sorts, focusing on a chapter from Tarzan’s childhood where he realizes he is not an ape and sets out to discover his true identity. The young misfit runs away from his loving mother, Kala (voiced by Glenn Close), and wanders up the Dark Mountain to come face to face with the monstrous Zugor. But all is not serious in this 72-minute boondoggle; there is Disney’s usual foray into frivolity by way of a few wisecracking sidekicks--a couple of gorilla brothers named Uto and Kago, and their nettlesome Mama Gunda (voiced by Estelle Harris, a laudable choice). Despite the star-studded voice cast, there is a sense of re-tread ground here, and the story (loosely based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ distinctive tale) shows signs of formulaic Disney. Nonetheless, Phil Collins’ trio of original songs livens the pace to make the effort a short-lived smile. (Ages 6 to 14) --Lynn Gibson (from amazon.com)