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HISTORY

The story of Tarzan goes back to when its creator, Edgar Rice Burroughs was working as a
pencil sharpener wholesaler. One of his duties for the job was to determine the placement of
advertisements for his sharpeners in a myriad of magazines, including all-fiction pulp
magazines, which are magazines containing fictional tales and printed on low quality paper.
Burroughs also spent his fair share of time reading them, going through numerous pulp fictions,
before realizing that he should give writing a go.
It was not until his third writing that the idea of Tarzan emerged. But the king of the apes
did not really start off with the name people have come to know today. The heros original name
was actually Zantar. Burroughs found the name unsuitable for the character and decided to
change it to Tublat-Zan, which did not sound right either. Finally, he came up with a name that
would soon become a worldwide phenomenon Tarzan (History of tarzan, n.d.).
Burroughs work entitled, Tarzan of the Apes appeared in the October 1912 issue of
All-Story Magazine, and marked Tarzans first appearance to the public. The issue was said to be
special because the whole story was written in one issue, without serializing the novel like most
magazines would do back then. Due to positive feedback from readers, Burroughs went on to
writing more stories about Tarzans adventures, which lead to the birth of 25 official sequels
(History of tarzan, n.d.). Book publishers became interested and offered Burroughs with book
deals to publish Tarzan of the Apes. Burroughs accepted the offer of the publisher, A.C.
McClurg & Co., and in 1914, Tarzan made his first appearance as a book.
Soon, movie producers were interested in filming the story of the might ape-man. Tarzan
made his big film debut at the New York Broadway Theater in 1918 for Tarzan of the Apes,
which focused on the events written by Burroughs in the original novel. Elmo Lincoln was the
first person to take the role of Tarzan. The public loved him so much that film makers decided to
produce a sequel, called The Romance of Tarzan, which also starred Lincoln as Tarzan.
However, the most famous portrayal of Tarzan in film would be Johnny Weissmuller. He starred
in 11 black and white Tarzan films between 1932 and 1948, and was often referred to as the
ultimate Tarzan.

As years went by, Tarzan made his debuts in comic strips and radio programs. Then
finally, in 1999, Tarzan appeared in his first animated film, known as Tarzan of the Apes. The
film, which was distributed by Sony Wonder, was not a big hit among audiences. In fact, most
people are not aware of the existence of this particular film.
Tarzan made it big in the animation genre when Walt Disney Pictures decided to release
Tarzan a few months after the premiere of the Tarzan film by Sony Wonder. It was the first
Disney animated feature to gain the number one spot since Pocahontas, showing that this
animated version was a success with its viewers (Tarzan: 1999 film, n.d.). From this, two other
Tarzan animated sequels emerged Tarzan and Jane in 2002, and Tarzan II in 2005. However,
neither of the two was as successful as Tarzan (1999). The 1999 Disney version had 22
nominations and 11 wins, including an Oscar (Tarzan, n.d.). This shows that, although Tarzan
has been in the industry for 101 years now, people still find his story as entertaining as it was
yesterday, proving Edgar Rice Burroughs success in creating an iconic character for the world
to remember.

THE CREATOR
Tarzan was created by a man named Edgar Rice Burroughs, who was born on the 1st of
September in 1875, in Chicago. His father was a civil war veteran, who later became a
businessman. He had five other brothers, two of which died when they were young, and left
Burroughs to be the youngest in the family.
Burroughs attended numerous schools throughout his childhood. His early exposure to
Classical Literature and Mythology played an important role in kick-starting his career as a
writer. In 1895, he graduated from the Michigan Military Academy and proceeded to work as an
instructorship in his alma mater. Burroughs also worked with the Seventh United States Cavalry
but was discharged early in 1897 due to a condition he had, which doctors referred to as a heart
murmur (Official biography, n.d.).
Before becoming a writer, Burroughs had different jobs, which kept changing because of
his consistent dislike towards job monotony. He worked at his brothers cattle ranch as a cow
puncher, worked at his fathers American Battery Company, ran a dry goods store and even
became a railway policeman. At some point in his life, Burroughs also worked as a door-to-door
salesman, an accountant and a manager at Sears, Roebuck & Co.
It was when he became a pencil sharpener wholesaler that the idea of writing emerged.
Burroughs interest in reading pulp fiction has led him to believe that if other people were paid
for their stories, he could do it, too. This triggered the writing of his first novel, entitled A
Princess of Mars, which is actually the book behind the famous 2012 movie, John Carter.
Assuming that editors may not like the story, Burroughs used the pseudonym, Normal Bean as
a joke to indicate that he was indeed thinking straight when the tale was written (Official
biography, n.d.).
Surprisingly, All-Story Magazine editor, Thomas Metcalf loved his story and paid
Burroughs 400 dollars, which back then was a large sum of money for one piece of work.
Despite the rejection of his second novel, he did not give up and persevered until he came up
with Tarzan of the Apes. The appearance of this tale in the October 1912 issue of All-Story
magazine was what really kick-started his career as a full-time writer.

Over the next few years, Burroughs wrote more stories of different genres, such as The
Monster Men (Horror), The Cave Girl (Adventure), and The Land that Time Forgot (Fantasy),
but none of which made him as successful as Tarzan did. The first Tarzan movie popularized
Tarzan and Burroughs even more. This provided him with the determination to write more about
Tarzan, leading to a total of 25 official books, and a fragment of a later one, which was only
found years after his death.
Because of the success of Tarzan, Burroughs was able to buy a ranch in Los Angeles,
which he named Tarzana. He also decided to build his own company, Edgar Rice Burroughs,
Inc. and started publishing his own books, beginning from Tarzan the Invincible to his last
one, which was I Am Barbarian.
Apart from that, Burroughs remained physically active and continued to write stories for
pulp magazines and his own company. He even served as a war correspondent during World War
II, which also made him the oldest war correspondent to report on troop activities.
Throughout his life, Burroughs married Emma Hulbert, his childhood sweetheart and was
blessed with two children, named Joan and Hulbert. However, in 1934, the two divorced, and
Burroughs remarried in 1935 to Florence Dearholt. Sadly, he divorced Florence in 1942, and
carried on with his life by focusing on his children. Edgar Rice Burroughs died on the 19th of
March in 1950, but his legacy still lives on until today through his ultimate, mighty ape-man,
Tarzan.

SYNOPSIS
Based on the Tarzan film released by Walt Disney Pictures in 1999, the movie is basically about
a boy who grew up living with a gorilla troop in a rainforest off the coast of Africa. The story
started off with an English couple who managed to escape a burning ship, along with their son.
The family managed to build a tree house on the land they were stranded on, but were killed not
long after that, by a leopardess called Sabor. Kala, a female gorilla, took the couples son and
raised him as her own, despite the lack of approval from her partner, Kerchak. Not knowing the
childs real name, Kala decided to name him Tarzan. Tarzan grew up among the gorilla troop
and picked up a few skills along the way. He learned how to use vines, which enabled him to
swing from tree to tree, and gained enough strength to protect his family from other wild
animals. His success at killing Sabor earned him the respect of their leader, Kerchak, who was
initially against him being in the troop.
All was well for Tarzan and his family, until a group of explorers arrived from England.
This consisted of Professor Porter, his daughter, Jane Porter, as well as hunter-guide, Clayton.
Professor Porter was interested in the gorilla troop for scientific purposes, while Clayton wanted
to capture them and bring them back home to England. Kerchak warned Tarzan about not putting
so much trust in these people, but Tarzan could not stay away from them because he noticed that
they were of the same kind humans. With the help of Jane, he managed to learn how to speak
in English. Soon, the two fell in love.
When the explorers boat went back for them, Clayton persuaded Tarzan into telling him
where the gorillas were, by saying that Jane would stay with him forever if he cooperated. He
agreed and led the explorers to where they lived, which infuriated Kerchak. Because of his
actions, Tarzan decided to leave his group as Kerchak claimed that he betrayed them. Kala
realized that it was time for Tarzan to know his true past and brought him to the tree house where
his parents once lived. She told him that she would be happy with whatever decision he makes
for himself.
On the day that Tarzan boarded the ship with Jane and Professor Porter, they were
ambushed by Clayton and his group of pirates, and were imprisoned in the ship. However, with
the aid of his friends, Tarzan managed to escape and ran back to his home where Clayton has
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shot Kerchak. Clayton and Tarzan engaged in a battle, which ended up with Clayton killing
himself with a vine around his neck. Claytons allies also ran away after being scared by
Tarzans gorilla pack.
During his final breath, Kerchak finally tells Tarzan that he accepts him as a part of his
family and appointed him as the new leader of the troop. Because of this, Tarzan settled on
staying with his family, even though it meant letting go of Jane. At the end of the movie, it was
shown that Jane and Professor Porter decided to stay with Tarzan, and together, build a new life
as a family.

VOICE ACTORS
This part focuses on the voice actors of Tarzan for the Tarzan animated films
1. Tarzan of the Apes (1999)
Voice actors are not credited in this film. (Tarzan of the apes: 1999 film, n.d.).
2. Tarzan (1999)
Young Tarzan was voiced by Alex Linz, while adult Tarzan was voiced by Tony Goldwyn.
(Tarzan: Voices of tarzan, n.d.).
3. Tarzan and Jane (2002)
Tarzan was voiced by Michael T. Weiss. (Tarzan: Voices of tarzan, n.d.).
4. Tarzan II (2005)
Tarzan was voiced by Harrison Chad. (Tarzan: Voices of tarzan, n.d.).

CHARACTERISTICS AND TRAITS


These are based on the Tarzan (1999) film produced by Walt Disney Pictures.
1. Physical characteristics

Caucasian

Tall and tanned

Light blue-green eyes

Brown hair in dreadlocks

Wears a loincloth around his waist

2. Personality traits

Courageous Tarzan was willing to risk his life to save Jane from the baboon attack.

Loyal He was always loyal to the gorilla troop, which he called his family.

Intelligent Tarzan was able to learn the English language easily.

Brave He showed bravery when he succeeded in killing the leopardess, Sabor that
killed his parents.

CONTROVERSIES
There were several controversies related to Tarzan, as listed below. These controversies are not
particularly associated with the animated version of Tarzan, but the Tarzan film series in general.
1. Tarzan and Janes outfits
Tarzan and Janes outfits became a controversy at one point mainly because they were said to be
too revealing. Because of this, both the actors playing Tarzan and Jane showed less and less skin
as the film series progressed.
2. Tarzan and Janes marital status
A number of people were unhappy about the fact that Tarzan and Jane were living together even
though they were not legally married. In 1962, a Los Angeles librarian tried to get rid of the
Tarzan books from the shelves thinking that the books lacked morality because the two
characters were not married (History of tarzan, n.d.). However, many fans defended Tarzan in
this matter by citing chapter verses, and stating that the marriage did occur in The Return of
Tarzan. (History of tarzan, n.d.).
3. Tarzan yell
The yell that people have come to associate with Tarzan was made famous by the actor, Johnny
Weissmuller. According to Weissmuller, the yell was largely influenced by the yodeling of his
German neighbors as well as his own ability to yodel. There were rumors saying that the yell was
not done by Weissmuller, but instead, was produced by a famous opera singer who was hired to
record the yell. It was then manipulated so that the second half of the yell would sound like the
first half, but in reverse. However, Weissmuller denied these allegations, and to prove that he
really was the person to create the yell, he would often honor requests from the public to perform
the Tarzan yell. And the yell sounded similar to the one people would hear in films (DeMain,
2012).

4. The real Tarzan


This is probably one of the biggest controversies when it comes to the mighty ape-man. There
were speculations that Tarzan really existed before Edgar Rice Burroughs even started writing
about the king of the jungle. It was said that an English nobleman named William Charles Mildin
was shipwrecked on the coast of Africa and lived with a troop of apes for 15 years, from 1868 to
1883. Mildins story was only revealed 20 years after his death, when his records and family
papers were unsealed. Solicitors found a thick packet of papers in one of his boxes with An
account of the incredible adventures of William Charles Mildin, who lived for nearly 15 years
among the apes and animals of the African jungle written on the cover page (Jones, 1959).
People claimed that Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan, had enough time to study the story of this
man before deciding to create Tarzan. Until this day, there is still no solid confirmation on
whether William Charles Mildin really existed.

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MORAL LESSONS
The animated versions of Tarzan are films that are great for all ages, especially children, mainly
because it contains a number of moral values and lessons. One of the things that viewers can
learn from Tarzan in the film is the importance of environmental conservation. The variety of
animals and luscious green that can be seen in the films will never be achieved if people do not
put in any effort to conserve the environment. The beauty of nature will eventually be destroyed
if people are not aware of their surroundings and the fact that protecting Mother Earth is an
important part of each individuals life.
Apart from that, viewers are emphasized on love, and the need to care for one another,
despite any differences, through Tarzan and his family. In the Tarzan (1999) film, Tarzans
mother, Kala, loved Tarzan more than anything even though he was different from the rest of the
troop. The fact that Kala was willing to disobey the troop leaders order of leaving the boy alone
in the tree house showed how much she cares for Tarzan. This teaches the viewers that a person
should not treat someone else differently, just because he or she is different, and how love and
care are two essentials in ensuring the growth of the society.
Moreover, Tarzan also stresses on the importance of family. The films deliver a message
which tells people how they should always put their family first, above all else, just like Tarzan.
In the Tarzan movies, viewers could see that family is a number one priority for Tarzan. He
never failed to make sure that his family was safe, and tried his best to protect them from any
danger. For example, he successfully killed Sabor, a leopardess, in order to keep the gorilla troop
safe. In addition, when Jane was about to leave the area for good, Tarzan decided to stay with his
family, even though he wanted to be with Jane. It shows that no matter the circumstances, family
will always be the most important part of each individuals life.

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TARZANS EXISTENCE TODAY


Even though the Tarzan film series are no longer aired on television, people can still watch short
snippets of the film on Youtube. Besides that, they can also download the movies on various
legal downloading sites, and for those living in the United States of America (USA), they can
even rent Tarzan DVDs from Netflix, which is a company that offers disc rental by mail. In
Hong Kong Disneyland, there is a Tarzan tree house, which visitors can enter and see some of
the replicas of the items used in the Tarzan 1999 Disney film. Furthermore, people can purchase
Tarzan merchandises, such as shirts, mugs, mobile phone cases, posters and baseball hats.

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REFERENCES
History of tarzan. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.tarzan.org/history_of_tarzan_part1.html
Tarzan: 1999 film. (n.d). In Wikipedia. Retrieved July 14, 2013, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarzan_%281999_film%29
Tarzan. (n.d). Retrieved July 14, 2013, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120855/
Official biography. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.tarzan.org/official_biography_part1.html
Tarzan: Voices of tarzan. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/Tarzan/Tarzan/
Tarzan of the apes: 1999 film. (n.d). In Wikipedia. Retrieved July 14, 2013, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarzan_of_the_Apes_%281999_film%29
DeMain, B. (2012). The disputed history of the tarzan yell. Retrieved from
http://mentalfloss.com/article/12328/disputed-history-tarzan-yell
Jones, T. L. (1959). The man who really was tarzan. Retrieved from
http://www.erbzine.com/mag14/1449.html

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