Odd that just a couple of years before the Bo Derek soft-core sex romp version of TARZAN, that this French animated version got into so much controversy that it virtually disappeared upon arrival to these shores. Not that an under-appreciated classic was being unfairly smited, but there have been far worse spoofs of "sacred" texts.
The US version is shorter and has a few familiar voices such as John Belushi, Chris Guest and Bill Murray on the voice track, but it's the son of the original 1932's film adaptation, Johnny Weissmuller Jr., who voices "Tarzoon" (the censored new name in this version). Weissmuller does a credible job, but his participation further annoyed the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate.
There are some amusing moments, both R and NC-17 rated, to be had in the film, but the jokes are mostly obvious and it is too long-winded to sustain momentum. The US version also uses the annoying technique of playing the sound backwards every time the word "Tarzan" is spoken (they even blur out the T-word when written). There is an insanely catchy tune by an army of, ahem, Phallic Soldiers towards the end which stuck in my head for weeks. Also, a witty breaking the fourth wall running gag on Animated Characters is pretty amusing.
The US version is shorter and has a few familiar voices such as John Belushi, Chris Guest and Bill Murray on the voice track, but it's the son of the original 1932's film adaptation, Johnny Weissmuller Jr., who voices "Tarzoon" (the censored new name in this version). Weissmuller does a credible job, but his participation further annoyed the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate.
There are some amusing moments, both R and NC-17 rated, to be had in the film, but the jokes are mostly obvious and it is too long-winded to sustain momentum. The US version also uses the annoying technique of playing the sound backwards every time the word "Tarzan" is spoken (they even blur out the T-word when written). There is an insanely catchy tune by an army of, ahem, Phallic Soldiers towards the end which stuck in my head for weeks. Also, a witty breaking the fourth wall running gag on Animated Characters is pretty amusing.