I’m always on the lookout for a new good animated Disney film. Usually they’re always just around the corner, but whenever the newest offering comes in the form of a direct to video ‘sequel’ to one of its classics, I tend to cringe. In the past, almost all of these ‘sequels’ have been… well as much as I hate to say it… awful. It always seems like the animators have taken a lushly rendered classic and turned it into a listless Saturday morning cartoon. The stories are generally weak, and the animation somewhat flat. There have been a couple of exceptions to the rule, most notably “The Return to Neverland”, which was actually quite good. This week, Disney is releasing “Tarzan 2”, in the hopes of making up for the rather blah DVD release “Tarzan & Jane.” In this new ‘sequel’ the appeal for younger audiences comes in the form of seeing Tarzan when he’s still a little guy, way before he turns into the king of the jungle. The story itself is better than usual (if not necessarily original), dealing with the young Tarzan lost in the jungle and trying to find his way back home.

What really stands out however, is a noticeable improvement in the animation. While it still isn’t up to par with Disney’s “Tarzan”, it’s a darn sight better than most of the previous direct to video outings. I was also rather surprised at the level of voice talent that was brought in to flesh out the characters in the story. The likes of Glenn Close, George Caring, Brad Garrett, Lance Henriksen and Ron Perlman are amongst those who lend their considerable talents to “Tarzan 2.” I was also gratified to see that Phil Collins returned to add two more songs to this new film.

Disney has also added to the DVD a few fun extra features, including a text supplement that flashes little bits of information about Tarzan on the screen while you’re watching the movie. There’s also a very short featurette that offers interviews with some of the voice actors and a music video for the song “Who Am I”, performed by Tiffany Evans. As with most Disney DVDs, you’ll also find a little game for the kiddos.

I’m glad to see that Disney is working on improving it’s direct to video fare, let’s just hope they keep up the good work!!

Starring the voices of: Glenn Close, George Carlin, Brad Garrett, Harrison Chad, Estelle Harris, Ron Perlman
Extras: Gorilla Grumble, Terk And Tantor's Jungle Guide, The Legacy Of Tarzan, Tiffany Evans Music Video, Tarzan Matter-Of-Facts, And More!
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, DTS 5.1 Digital Surround Sound
Studio: Disney
Release Date: 6/14/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: G
Website

We'll give Tarzan 2 a B.