The Legend of Tarzan is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, based on Tarzan from the novels written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the character's original creator who appears in one episode of the series. The series is also based on Disney's 1999 animated feature film Tarzan by Walt Disney Pictures and aired initially on the Disney's One Too block on UPN. However, reruns were broadcast shortly after on Toon Disney. The series picks up where Disney's 1999 animated feature film left off, with the title character adjusting to his new role as leader of the gorilla family following Kerchak's death, along with Jane (whom he has since married) and her father, Professor Archimedes Q. Porter, adjusting to life in the jungle. The three now reside in the treehouse built by Tarzan's original human parents.

Characters

Main

Allies

Villains

Supporting

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2001/2002–2003)

Season 2 (2003)

Note: All episodes of Season 2 were used in the plot of the direct to video sequel to the first film, Tarzan & Jane which came out on July 23, 2002, though some parts have been cut to make them look more like flashbacks. These episodes are believed to have happened sometime during or before Season 1, since some characters first appearances occurred in these episodes, the overall true specific order is unknown.

Broadcast

In late 2001, Disney Channel added The Legend of Tarzan to their lineup. Reruns continued until September 2, 2003, when the series (along with Fillmore! and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command) was pre-empted in favor of a 90-minute showing of Recess. Reruns aired on Toon Disney until 2009 (and at some point, aired on the Jetix block) and when it converted to Disney XD, it ran from 2009 to 2012. As of now, it is not available on Disney+, with the exception of Tarzan & Jane.

Critical reception

CommonSenseMedia gave the show a rating of 3 stars out of 5, writing "Despite the show's charms, it doesn't quite live up to the original film. But it does teach viewers about the responsibilities of growing up — the good, the bad, and, of course, the funny — and it's definitely something that families can watch together, especially as it spends a lot of time focusing on family dynamics." The Hour praised the show for having Disney-quality animation, for being faithful to the film's storyline, and for giving viewers a chance to discover what happens after the movie ends. However, it noted the voice actors are not the same and said the voice of Terk is "really annoying". In 2002, the show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award and two Golden Reel Awards.