Tarzan & Jane



Tarzan & Jane is an animated comedy-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, Toon City and Walt Disney Animation Australia released on July 23, 2002 and a direct-to-video sequel to the Disney's 1999 animated feature Tarzan, and uses three unaired episodes of the film's corresponding television series, The Legend of Tarzan. Tarzan II, a followup to the original film, was released in 2005. The film is set one year after the events of the first film.

Plot
The film makes use of a frame tale to present three self-contained "episodes" via flashback. Jane and Tarzan's first wedding anniversary has arrived, and Jane is trying to find a suitable present for her husband, with the help of the elephant Tantor and the gorilla Terk.

When a party is suggested, the trio remember the disaster that occurred when three of Jane's friends arrived for a visit. Jane had organized an English-style picnic for her friends, but Tarzan had refused join them after believing Jane was embarrassed by him. The picnic was interrupted when two panthers, Nuru and Sheeta attacked Jane and her friends, forcing them to flee into the deeper regions of the jungle. As Jane taught her friends a few survival techniques, they were once again ambushed by the panthers, only to be saved when Tarzan rushed in.

Back to the present day, Jane ponders over the idea of expensive gifts, particularly jewelry, prompting Terk to remind her of the time Tarzan tried to get her a diamond. Tarzan had led two men, Johannes Niels and Merkus to a nearby volcano containing a diamond mine, only for them to turn on him once inside. The volcano then erupted with Tarzan, Jane and Professor Porter trapped inside, though they managed to escape before the lava flows reached them. Tarzan then rescued Johannes and Merkus, only for them to lose their diamonds in the process. They are arrested after this.

Professor Porter then joins the conversation, suggesting to Jane that she and Tarzan should celebrate their anniversary with a dance. This causes Terk to bring up the time Jane's old friend Robert Canler visited. Things had gone well, despite Tarzan feeling jealous and mistrusting towards Canler (claiming that he is a bad man that Jane dismisses), until Canler had revealed he was working as a double agent and had come for a code machine disguised as a music box he gave to Jane. He then kidnapped her, but was tracked down and stopped by Tarzan assisted by RAF pilot Nigel Taylor, who had been on Canler's trail.

After running out of ideas and realizing anniversaries would not fit in with Tarzan's uncivilized lifestyle, a disappointed Jane returns to the treehouse, only to find it decorated and everyone, including Tarzan, who is wearing his father's suit, had planned a surprise party. Terk, Tantor and the Professor had known about it all along. Tarzan gives Jane a diamond ring made from the same diamonds in the volcano. The celebrations start as everyone dances, including Tarzan and Jane, as the story concludes with the couple dancing under the moonlight.

Cast

 * Michael T. Weiss as Tarzan
 * Olivia d'Abo as Jane Porter
 * April Winchell as Terk
 * Jim Cummings as Tantor and Merkus
 * John O'Hurley as Johannes Niels
 * Jeff Bennett as Prof. Archimedes Q. Porter and Robert (Bobby) Canler
 * Alexis Denisof as Nigel Taylor
 * Grey DeLisle-Griffin as Greenly
 * Nicollette Sheridan as Eleanor
 * Tara Strong as Hazel
 * René Auberjonois as Renard Dumont

Reception
The film was critically panned by critics and fans alike, many citing animation as the main problem and, secondarily, the gentrification of Tarzan and Jane's characters.

The Legend of Tarzan
This film is largely a flashback to three episodes of the TV series The Legend of Tarzan. The episodes in question are "Tarzan and the British Invasion", "Tarzan and the Volcanic Diamond Mine" and "Tarzan and the Flying Ace", the last three episodes of the show to be aired (but taking place much earlier in production order).

An adventure game on the DVD is also based on the series. It resembles a multiple choice story, featuring many different characters from the TV series.