If only the real world were like that created by the preacher men and women of Disney animated studios! Then, good people would always be beautiful, and bad people always ugly. Evil people could always be identified by a hissing sound when they spoke and would always meet their ends at their own hands. Heroines would always outwit their heroes, and heroes redeem their fathers. Well, the world isn't as Disney would have made it, but every year at least, both the young and the young-at-heart get to take a chocolate-coated 90 minute Disney-pill. Unfortunately, in the ten years since The Little Mermaid, the Mouse House has rarely strayed from the concoction that brings in the family dollars, and Tarzan is no exception.

The latest animated technique--known as Deep Canvas--makes the experience of seeing Tarzan breathtaking. There is a sense of wonder at nature that this film is able to capture that will resonate with both youngsters and adults, and it has virtually nothing to do with the story itself The animated African jungle is alive, its trees swaying synchronously as the fluid Tarzan races along tortuous, vine-covered paths. The fauna and water holes, the birds and the animals, fit seamlessly into a patchwork that is comparable to that of Disney's other animal-tail, (he-he) The Lion King. Unfortunately, the cliched plot doesn't rival the pictures used to tell it.

The main characters are stock cutouts from Disney's cookie collection: there's Jane Porter (Minnie Driver), the loving, sanguine, busty young lass who falls for our Ape-Man's jungle charm. She's come to Africa with her widowed dad, Professor Porter (Nigel Hawthorne), an eccentric, loveable old man, (surprise-surprise) who wants only to see and study gorillas in the natural habitat before returning to England. Meanwhile, Clayton (Brian Blessed), is the ubiquitous gun-toting bad guy, who has joined the Porters on their trip so that he may find gorillas to cage and eventually sell to London traders. In the jungle, we have Rosie O'Donnell who essentially plays herself as the gorilla Terk (in a rather unfunny turn), the trusty, loudmouth sidekick who provides both slapstick and sarcasm. And then there's our loin-clothed hero, Tarzan (Tony Goldwyn), who we first meet as a little boy suffering from the realization that he's somehow different from the rest of the tribe. The older Tarzan is a handsome young lad who walks on his knuckles and suffers the identity crisis of a lifetime when he chances upon the human party that has just landed on his jungle shores (not too mention the Disney-tized lust of seeing the first nubile human female in his life). Many of the actors do a fine job voicing their respective characters, and Goldwyn in particular produces a truly believable, spirited but gentle Tarzan. Unfortunately, the script and plot keep the characters from developing past any point that we've not already seen in previous Disney films.

The plot need not be recounted here; suffice it to say that it strays from Edgar Rice Burroughs' original story in just enough ways as to show children the politically-correct moral that the best humans are those who are at peace with nature. Oh, and did I mention the following moral tales: animals other than humans are always good, guns are bad, and of course, love is the common denominator of all living things. Mind you, I do not find these messages to be poorly chosen, its just irritating for Disney to be preaching them so adamantly at every conceivable opportunity. This relentless need to drive home the message leaves many of the studio's otherwise fine family films turgid with redundancy.

With all the clutter in Tarzan, it's somewhat of a blessing that the score is subdued, with only one showtune-esque number. But as hard as he may try, Phil Collins' respectable writing can't make up for the fact that his voice and mundane musical style don't mesh with the lush setting of the African jungle.

Ultimately, Tarzan is flawed by the very thing that sustains it: the Disney formula of pretty pictures, bland songs and non-stop messages which eventually leave the aware viewer a bit nauseated. Tarzan has its charming, unassuming moments and it would have been interesting to see a less-formulaic take from Disney. As it is, this film is an enjoyable outing for children whose young minds can soak up all the right chocolate-covered messages. As for adults who know better, Disney can't hide the fact that regardless of how sweetly you coat a pill, it's still the same old medicine that most of us can do without.