Disney's Greatest Soundtrack: Tarzan's Two Worlds by Dan

The animated movie “Tarzan”, is based on the character of the book series of the same name, who first starred in the book “Tarzan of the Apes.” The movie starts very much identical to that at the beginning of the book, with Tarzan’s parents, who in the book are named John and Alice Clayton, With John being the Viscount Greystoke. Yes, the name John Clayton Sr. is the name of Tarzan’s father, in which one of the two villains in the movie is called John Clayton, as a nod to Tarzan’s civilised name.

However, since Disney took a couple of liberties, we can’t determine the social status of Tarzan’s parents, although it is implied they are of the nobility here as well. Also, according to the books, the Clayton in there is Tarzan’s cousin, but he is the complete opposite of the one from the movies.

The movie and story remain consistent with Tarzan’s parents being marooned and forced to make their own home on the African island.

Put your faith in what you most believe in

Two worlds, one family

Trust your heart

Let fate decide

To guide these lives we see

This is when the burning ship sinks, and John Sr. and Alice escape and see the hopelessness of the situation, but are relieved to see their family survived. They don’t give up, and need to find land.

When the topic of fate and guiding lives comes up, one can’t help but think that there’s a greater reason for what happened, and that there’s an important role for them to play in the grand scheme of life on the island.

A paradise untouched by man

Within this world blessed with love

A simple life, they live in peace

Now we see Kala, Kerchak and their baby, living in the jungle in peace, with nothing interrupting their lives in the jungle, with nothing but love and a simplicity in the jungle.

There is also a huge difference here and in the novel. In the novel, Kerchak is not Kala’s mate, nor is he Tarzan’s foster father. In the book, he is a tyrant who rules through fear, and wishes to kill Tarzan. There, Kala has a different mate called Tublat, who is far more passive, but still hates Tarzan. When Tarzan became a teen, Tublat tried to kill Kala, but Tarzan protected his mother.

This is a huge difference, as in the movie, Kerchak cared for Kala, loved the baby, and was protective of the tribe, and as much as he was suspicious of Tarzan, and despite willing to hurt Tarzan, he backed off when Kala told him off.

This is definitely a huge departure from the novels, with a softer version of Kerchak who did not rule via fear, but through strength and protectiveness.

Softly tread the sand below your feet now

Two worlds, one family

Trust your heart

Let fate decide

To guide these lives we see

Shifting back to the Claytons, they land on the ground, and exhausted, they search, until Tarzan turns to a distant tree that would be stable for a house, just as the line “Let fate decide”, shows that Tarzan is leading them for a reason.

The last line seems more like a prayer, wishing to protect them from harm, like a guardian angel.

Beneath the shelter of the trees

Only love can enter here

A simple life, they live in peace

Next we see the Kerchak that is the complete opposite of the version in the books, that looks at peace, playing with his child, which then runs to Kala, who throws him up above the screen, only to see baby Tarzan land in his mother’s arms.

This is done to establish that both families are on the same page with their families, simple, love and peace.

Raise your head up

Lift high the load

Take strength from those that need you

Build high the walls

Build strong the beams

A new life is waiting

But danger's no stranger here

John and Alice are busy building their new home together, which details what is important for a child. They build walls, they set the roof, and they work hard together, which is what Tarzan needs. This is his home, and when danger comes in, we have the first character that’s original to the movie.

Sabor never was in the novels. Instead, in the novel it was a word to describe lionesses. Sabor is one of two villains in the movie, and one that haunts Tarzan throughout the Disney version of the story.

No words describe a mother's tears

No words can heal a broken heart

A dream is gone, but where there's hope

After wandering off by chasing a butterfly, Kala and Kerchak’s child is eaten by Sabor, in a death that was very traumatising for both of them, and judging by the cries of the baby gorilla, it wasn’t fast. Kerchak stops Kala, as he knows it’s too late, and the two are no longer the same afterwards. Kerchak becomes a dour Ape, angry and distrustful (although not violent like in the books.) Kala goes into deep depression, and is in absolute grief.

But Kala suddenly hears the cries of baby Tarzan. She can’t explain it, but she follows the cries that seem to echo for kilometers, finding her way through the jungle, as if fate is calling to her, similar to how Tarzan was drawn to the tree.

Somewhere something is calling for you

Two worlds, one family

Trust your heart

Let fate decide

To guide these lives we see

This is when Kala finds her way to the treehouse that holds Tarzan. Inside she finds the mangled corpses of John and Alice, and she is horrified by how Sabor left them, understanding that they didn’t die peacefully, but together. This does display that despite them being different species, she’s not without empathy.

She’s kind hearted, and that’s what makes her a great mother. So when she finds Tarzan, she starts to bond with him, understanding that the same predator that killed her child, killed the baby’s parents. She sees this as a sign that she needs to care for the baby.

But Sabor isn’t that far, and the death of the Claytons was very recent. Likely less than a half hour, as Sabor is still in the treehouse, likely searching for the helpless baby. At the risk of her own life, she fights off Sabor, and escapes.

In the novels, it isn’t Sabor that kills the parents, but Kerchak in a fit of rage that murders them.

Every moment now the bond grows stronger

Two worlds, one family

Trust your heart

Let fate decide

To guide these lives we see

This is when Kala and Tarzan’s fates intersect and come together, as they both follow their hearts. She returns to her tribe and introduces Tarzan to the gorillas who were worried about her.

Kerchak sighs in relief and when he sees Tarzan, he tries and insists that she abandons him, and when Kala, who is the only one unfazed by his outburst. He then calms down, and confirms twice if the baby was alone. His concern was the well-being of the tribe, which is a contrast to the novel in which he was focused on power and rule. This displays that he’s far gentler, but he denies Tarzan as his son, and lets Kala keep him, which causes a strain between Kerchak and Kala, leaving him to tolerate Tarzan, rather than hate him outright. He distrusts, but doesn’t do anything against Tarzan.

And as Tarzan slips off by accident, Kala realises that Tarzan doesn’t have the physical prowess of a baby gorilla.

So here we see some respect to the original source material, and some artistic liberties taken to the origin. We have the villain changed, one created for the movie, and the one in the novels that is more concerned about the well-being and safety of his tribe, rather than a violent, control-freak that terrorises through fear.

And we have Kala and Tarzan, the two characters that have the strongest bond, in a movie about the love of a mother and her son.