George of the Jungle (film)

George of the Jungle is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Sam Weisman. It is based on the 1967 American animated television series of the same name created by Jay Ward and Bill Scott, which parodied the fictional character Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The screenplay was written by Dana Olsen and Audrey Wells. The film stars Brendan Fraser as the title character, alongside Leslie Mann, Thomas Haden Church, Holland Taylor, Richard Roundtree, and John Cleese. The plot follows a man who was raised by animals in the jungle and later falls in love with a wealthy heiress, leading to conflict with her self-absorbed fiancé.

George of the Jungle
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Sam Weisman
Screenplay by	Dana Olsen[1] Audrey Wells[1]
Story by	Dana Olsen[1]
Based on	George of the Jungle by Jay Ward Bill Scott
Produced by	David Hoberman[1] Jordan Kerner[1] Jon Avnet[1]
Starring	Brendan Fraser Leslie Mann Thomas Haden Church Holland Taylor Richard Roundtree John Cleese
Cinematography	Thomas E. Ackerman[1]
Edited by	Stuart Pappé[1] Roger Bondelli[1]
Music by	Marc Shaiman[1]
Production company	Walt Disney Pictures[1]
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures Distribution[1]
Release date	July 16, 1997 (1997-07-16)
Running time	92 minutes[1]
Country	United States[1]
Language	English[1]
Budget	$55 million[2][3]
Box office	$174.4 million[3]

Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, the film was released theatrically in the United States and Canada on July 16, 1997. It premiered on the Disney Channel in the United States on December 5, 1998. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $174 million worldwide. A direct-to-video sequel, George of the Jungle 2, was released on October 21, 2003.

Plot

While on safari in Burundi, San Francisco heiress Ursula Stanhope meets local guide Kwame, a group of porters, and reunites with her fiancé, Lyle van de Groot. Lyle has hired poachers Max and Thor to help track her down. The group hears about the "White Ape," a legendary creature said to inhabit Ape Mountain. During a trek into the jungle, Ursula is attacked by a lion and rescued by the White Ape, who is revealed to be George, a man raised in the jungle by animals.

George takes Ursula to his treehouse, where she meets his animal companions: Ape, a talking gorilla; Shep, an elephant that behaves like a dog; and Tookie, a news-carrying toucan. As Ursula spends time with George, they grow close. Lyle, Max, and Thor eventually find them. In a confrontation, Lyle accidentally shoots George and is arrested, while the poachers attempt to capture Ape. Ursula takes George to San Francisco for medical treatment and to show him her world.

While in the city, George uses his jungle skills to save a man from a paragliding accident, drawing public attention. Ursula decides to end her engagement with Lyle, despite objections from her mother, Beatrice. Meanwhile, Max and Thor return to the jungle and capture Ape, who sends Tookie to alert George. George returns to rescue Ape, leaving Ursula behind.

Ursula follows George to Burundi, and together they defeat Max and Thor with help from the jungle animals. Lyle, having escaped custody, attempts to marry Ursula against her will but is thwarted when George rescues her. George and Ursula marry and start a family in the jungle. In a mid-credits scene, Ape becomes a performer in Las Vegas, with Max and Thor working unwillingly in his act.

Cast

• Brendan Fraser as George, a young man who was raised in the jungle like Tarzan and frequently crashes into trees while swinging on vines.^[4] Fraser had concurrently auditioned for the title role in Disney's serious animated adaptation of Tarzan, which would be released in 1999, but lost to Tony Goldwyn^[5]
• Leslie Mann as Ursula Stanhope, a wealthy heiress and George's love interest
• Thomas Haden Church as Lyle van de Groot, Ursula's wealthy, self-absorbed, and bumbling former fiancé who serves as the main antagonist of the film
• Richard Roundtree as Kwame, the head jungle tour guide during Ursula's visit to Africa
• Greg Cruttwell and Abraham Benrubi as Max and Thor, two poachers hired as trackers by Lyle
• Holland Taylor as Beatrice Stanhope, Ursula's domineering mother, who believes that social position is more important than having a loving marriage and serves as the secondary antagonist of the film
• Kelly Miller as Betsy, Ursula's best friend who has an instant attraction to George
• John Bennett Perry as Arthur Stanhope, Ursula's supportive father who wishes her to marry for love rather than for social position
• Abdoulaye N'Gom, Michael Chinyamurindi, and Lydell M. Cheshier as Kip, N'Dugo, and Baleto, respectively. They are Kwame's porters and fellow tour guides.
• Willie Brown as Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr
• Lauren Bowles, Samantha Harris, and Afton Smith as Ursula's friends
• Spencer Garrett and Jon Pennell as Male Guests at Party
• Noah John Cardoza and Benjamin John Cardoza as George Jr.
• Mr. Binx, Zakery, Emely, and Crystal as Monkey^[6]
• Tai as Shep, an African forest elephant with the personality of a dog
• Joseph, Kaleb, and Bongo as The Lion
• Tookie, Scooper, and Hopper as Tookie, a toco toucan

Voices

• John Cleese as Ape, a well-educated, talking eastern gorilla who is George's best friend and foster brother
• Keith Scott as Narrator

Gorilla suit performers

• Nicholas Kadi as Ape (body)
• Tom Fisher
• Jody St. Michael
• Philip Tan
• Leif Tilden
• Robert Tygner as Ape (facial puppetry)

Production

Screenwriter Dana Olsen originally wrote a spec script titled Gorilla Boy, a parody of Tarzan told from the perspective of a wealthy American woman similar to the character of Jane. Although Olsen initially believed Disney would not be interested—due to the studio having recently acquired the rights to the George of the Jungle animated series—his agent submitted the script, and Disney acquired it. Olsen was subsequently hired to rewrite the existing screenplay. He later stated that the development process at Disney was collaborative and that he appreciated the studio’s script notes.^[7]

Animal scenes in the film were created using a combination of live animals, puppetry, and computer-generated imagery. Scenes involving the lion, elephant, and toucan used a mix of real animals and animatronic or CGI elements, including a puppet lion during the fight sequence and CGI to depict Shep the elephant behaving like a dog. Live animals, including an orangutan, chimpanzee, and capuchin monkeys, were also used, with minor computer enhancement for certain sequences.^[8]

Four adult African lions were used in filming. Joseph and Kaleb were trained by Charlie Sammut of Monterey Zoo in Salinas, California.^[9] Sammut also served as Brendan Fraser's stunt double for a lion attack sequence. Additional lions, Bongo and Caesar, were trained by Michael Hackenberger of Bowmanville Zoo.^[10] Animatronic puppetry was employed for scenes requiring specific behavior, such as a lion winking at George from behind a bush. Fraser also interacted with a stuffed lion in certain shots.^[8]

The gorilla characters were portrayed by costumed performers from Jim Henson's Creature Shop.^[11][8] Their suits were made from yak hair, and their facial expressions were controlled using remote-operated animatronics. Additional visual effects were provided by Dream Quest Images.^[11][12]

The jungle environment was constructed on a soundstage in Playa del Rey, Los Angeles. The stage measured approximately 750 feet in length, 90 feet in width, and 71 feet in height at its peak.^[11]

Release

Box office

George of the Jungle debuted at number two at the North American box office, behind Men in Black, and went on to gross $174.4 million worldwide.^[13]

Critical response

George of the Jungle received mixed reviews from critics.^[14] On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 55% based on 53 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "George of the Jungle is faithful to its source material—which, unfortunately, makes it a less-than-compelling feature film."^[15] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on 18 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews."^[16] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.^[17]

Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert both gave the film "two thumbs up" on their television program At The Movies. Ebert awarded the film three out of four stars, describing it as "good-natured" and praising the comedic performances.^[18] Siskel noted that the film was distinguished by a script that "has the good sense to laugh at itself."^[19] James Berardinelli described the film’s humor as "frequently audacious and irreverent," while noting it was not particularly sophisticated.^[20]

Accolades

George of the Jungle was nominated for Best Fantasy Film at the 24th Saturn Awards.^[21]

Home media

George of the Jungle was released by Walt Disney Home Video on VHS, DVD, and LaserDisc in the United States and Canada on December 2, 1997.

Sequel

A sequel, George of the Jungle 2, was released direct-to-video on October 21, 2003. Directed by David Grossman, the film is set five years after the events of the original. Most principal roles were recast with new actors, though Keith Scott, Thomas Haden Church, and John Cleese reprised their respective roles. The characters Max, Thor, and Arthur Stanhope do not appear in the sequel.