The Legend of Tarzan (TV series)

The Legend of Tarzan is a 2001-2003 American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, based on Tarzan from the novels written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, who was the character's original creator and appears in one episode of the series, and also based on the movie Tarzan by Walt Disney Pictures, and aired on UPN from September 3, 2001, to February 5, 2003.[1] The series picks up where the 1999 feature film left off, with the title character adjusting to his new role as leader of the gorilla family following Kerchak's death, and Jane (whom he has since married) adjusting to life in the jungle.[2] Rounding out the cast are Jane's father, Professor Archimedes Q. Porter; Tantor, the germophobic red elephant; Kala, a female gorilla who is Tarzan's adoptive mother; and Terk, a wisecracking female gorilla and Tarzan's adoptive cousin.

This article is about the animated TV series. For the live action film of the same name, see The Legend of Tarzan (film).

The Legend of Tarzan
Show logo
Genre	Action Adventure Comedy
Created by	Walt Disney Television
Directed by	Steve Loter Chris Buck
Voices of	Michael T. Weiss Olivia d'Abo Jeff Bennett Jim Cummings April Winchell Susanne Blakeslee Nicollette Sheridan
Opening theme	"Two Worlds" by Phil Collins
Composer(s)	Don Harper
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	39
Production
Executive producer(s)	Bill Motz Bob Roth
Producer(s)	Steve Loter
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	Walt Disney Television Animation
Distributor	Buena Vista Television
Release
Original network	UPN
Picture format	480i (4:3 SDTV) 720p (5:3 HDTV) (animation ratio)
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	September 3, 2001 (2001-09-03) – February 5, 2003 (2003-02-05)
Chronology
Preceded by	Tarzan
Followed by	Tarzan II
Related shows	Tarzan & Jane

Mark Mancina, composer of the film, was joining the project as an executive music producer.

Characters

Main

• Tarzan (voiced by Michael T. Weiss) – Since the end of the film, Tarzan has assumed his role as leader of the Gorillas. He married Jane and they live happily in the jungle, residing in the treehouse that Tarzan's parents had built before their deaths. Although Tarzan doesn't live with Kala and the other gorillas, Tarzan will still leap into action to protect them at any length, and he often returns to seek Kala's advice in dealing with situations such as the doubts of the other gorillas, and Jane wanted him to be more "civilized". While helping Jane get over her more romantic ideas about jungle life, she acts as his guide to the duplicity of human nature — and insists he eats his food from a plate. It is a never-ending growth process for both, with some startling insights into what "civilized" means, and some uproarious stumbling blocks along the way.
• Jane Porter (voiced by Olivia d'Abo) – Daughter of Archimedes Porter and wife of Tarzan. Jane is married to Tarzan, and they live in the treehouse built by Tarzan's late parents. Throughout the series, Jane is shown to have adjusted quite well to her new jungle life with Tarzan, but often when she begins to miss her old life in England, she tries to get Tarzan to act more "civilized" which sometimes poses as a problem to Tarzan's morals. Her appearance and human actions often cause some members of Tarzan's gorilla tribe to have doubts about her, and question Tarzan's "leadership". She is often the damsel in distress of the series, either being abducted or held hostage by the episode's antagonist, only for Tarzan (or someone else) to rescue her.
• Terk (voiced by April Winchell) – Terk the gorilla loves the spotlight, and she's perfect "big sister" material because she's Tarzan's closest friend and adoptive cousin — protective, concerned, and absolutely convinced that Tarzan can't survive without her despite Tarzan having proven repeatedly to be stronger, faster, and more skillful at just about everything in the jungle than Terk. Terk loves telling Tarzan what to do — that is until Tarzan's physical strength proves he can hold her in a headlock instead. Even though Terk is very bossy at times, Tarzan knows it's because she cares, though she will never say so willingly.
• Tantor (voiced by Jim Cummings) – "Someone's gonna get hurt, and it's always me!" is Tantor's rallying cry. Despite his size and relative stature within the jungle kingdom, Tantor the elephant is a coward – he is afraid of anything and everything, including bacteria, pond scum, piranhas (which are not found in Africa), and anything else that can be named. But when it comes to helping Tarzan in trouble, Tantor shows know-it-all Terk a thing or two in the bravery department and leads the way.
• Kala (voiced by Susanne Blakeslee) – If his woes become too great or his thoughts too burdensome, Tarzan seeks seclusion and the calm counsel of his gorilla mother, Kala. A sympathetic ear when Tarzan needs someone wise to talk to, Kala acts as the voice of the apes, always reminding Tarzan of his unique obligations to the family. She is also Jane's closest confidant. The two share a warm, strong bond, and Jane regards her mother-in-law as her only kindred spirit in the jungle. From Kala's point of view, Jane is the human daughter she never had. Kala was Kerchak's mate, and perhaps the only one besides Tarzan that ever openly defied him without repercussions. Her open mind is a well of great wisdom, and she is almost always right. Even though Kerchak is gone, she is still highly respected. Although kind and motherly to Tarzan, Jane, and all the gorillas, Kala is almost undoubtedly the bravest gorilla in the family. When the family was trapped in a cave by Tublat, Kala bravely stood up to the villain and encouraged all the other gorillas to be brave as well. Her presence and support keeps the family together and ensures that they are always there for each other even in the direst situations.
• Professor Archimedes Q. Porter (voiced by Jeff Bennett) – Father of Jane, Professor Porter is a noted scientist with years of expertise studying gorillas, though prior to arriving in Africa in the first film, he had never seen one in the wild. Sometimes the kindhearted professor gets so absorbed in his thinking that he simply forgets what he's doing. Even so, Jane doesn't bat an eye at her father's eccentric antics — she's used to them and shares his enthusiasm. When they both finally meet the gorillas, it's the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, even if the professor does faint at the sight.
• Clayton – Having died at the end of the film, Clayton was seen several times in flashbacks in the series. He is the older brother of Lady Waltham, who accused Tarzan of murdering him in the film until at the end of "Tarzan and the Gauntlet of Revenge". Clayton was occasionally mentioned in the series and appeared as a hallucination when Tarzan was delirious from a toxin.
• Kerchak (voiced by Lance Henriksen) – Kerchak was Kala's mate and Tarzan's adoptive father, who was tragically killed by Clayton near the end of the film. He was mentioned and appeared in several flashbacks in the series, including "Tarzan and Tublat's Revenge", and "The Face From the Past". Tarzan made a statue of him at the end of "Tublat’s Revenge" to commemorate his adoptive father and predecessor as leader of the gorilla troop. Henriksen is one of only three actors to reprise their roles from the film.

Allies

• Flynt and Mungo (voiced by Erik von Detten and Jason Marsden) – Clueless ape brothers Flynt and Mungo have grown up along with Tarzan, but they're still as dopey as ever. Maybe it's too much self-inflicted head trauma from playing their childhood game "stop hitting yourself", but their IQs don't seem to have improved with time. The brothers don't mean any harm, but likely as not, their dumb behavior is bound to give Tarzan some serious headaches as he flies to save them — and protect the family — from danger. Since they spend all their time together, being separated will cause them to freak out. They are two of only three characters to retain their voice actors from the film (the third being Lance Henricksen as Kerchak).
• Booto – The leader of a rhinoceros herd.
• Manu (voiced by Frank Welker) – A mischievous baby baboon, who is fascinated with humans, and, when no one is looking, he is irresistibly drawn to rummaging through their belongings and trying on their clothes. He may even run off with a shiny keepsake or two. Like an inquisitive child, he leaves a mess behind, which means a red-faced Tarzan and the other family members are usually stuck with cleaning up after him. His mischief, however, sometimes ends up doing more good than first assumed, especially where the villainous Samuel Philander was concerned.
• Renard Dumont (voiced by René Auberjonois) – A slick, opportunistic French proprietor of "Dumont's Trading Post" (est. 1912), whose lust for material gain is compromised only by his persistent attempts to, through oily charm and token gestures, lure Jane from her cozy and loving (though to him primitive and apparently boring and uncomfortable) life with Tarzan. Though somewhat of a nemesis in his first appearance, he later becomes a reluctant ally of Tarzan. A good example is when he disguises himself as a high-ranking official in order to secure the release of Tarzan, Hugo, and Hooft. He even allows Tarzan and his friends to borrow one of his boats to find out the source of the poison that has flown into the river and endangered the jungle (knowing that the contaminated water would ruin his business). In "The Return of La", he is briefly transformed into a gibbon by Jane possessed by La's ghost.
• Hugo and Hooft (voiced by Dave Thomas and Joe Flaherty) – Deserters of the French Foreign Legion, these Americans now work for Dumont, though they still have the occasional run-in with Lt. Colonel Staquait (their former superior), who considers their insubordination (refusal to raze a village of women and children) a capital offense. They also seem to owe money to "Joey the Shark", a loan shark in Chicago (which is probably why they joined the Legion in the first place). Although they are smooth-talking conmen who try to cheat people out of money, they are good-natured and willing to do anything for their friends. A good example is when they are arrested and sent to prison; when Tarzan helps them escape, they have the chance to flee but return to save him from being executed.
• Jabari (voiced by Taylor Dempsey) – The son of Baruti and Jamila bearing an uncanny resemblance to the young Tantor. He and "Mr. Tantor" have bonded over their shared phobias and paranoia.
• Dania (voiced by Kathy Najimy) – A beautiful female elephant, who wants to be with Tantor for her love. Terk gets the two elephants together, and they hit it off. Dania meets Tantor's friends, with the exception of Tarzan, who is out tracking poachers. Dania has a great dislike of Terk, regarding her as obnoxious and loud, and forces Tantor to choose between them when all her attempts to break the elephants up fail. After the poachers are defeated and Terk rescued, Dania approaches Tantor and offers to give him another chance at being her boyfriend. Tantor refuses and dumps her, causing Dania to storm off in anger.
• Chief Keewazi (voiced by James Avery) – Leader of the Waziri tribe, a group of natives who live deep in the jungle.
• Basuli (voiced by Phil LaMarr) – Chief Keewazi's headstrong son and future leader of the Waziri tribe. He becomes a good friend of Tarzan. Tarzan once aided Basuli in retrieving an eagle's feather, which he needed as part of a rite of passage in order to marry. Though he and Tarzan are friends, they compete in many ways.
• Dr. Robin Doyle (voiced by Sheena Easton) – A female Irish anthropologist, who began her studies in the jungle, and has the Professor smitten. The first time she came to Africa was to study the Waziri people with Professor Porter, he was afraid he was too old for her and sought out a fountain that he thought would make the drinker young again. In the episode "Protege", she brought her nephew Ian.
• Moyo (voiced by Neil Patrick Harris) – Another gorilla in Tarzan's family. He once believed Tarzan cared more about Jane than the family. When Hista, an enormous red python, attacked while Tarzan was with Jane, Moyo managed to chase Hista away for the time being. When Tarzan returned, he boasted about this one-time accomplishment, claimed that Tarzan was too busy being with Jane to protect the family, and challenged Tarzan for the leadership of the gorillas. Moyo defeated Tarzan, though only because Tarzan had saved Moyo from imminent death from being impaled on sharp spikes. Moyo led the family away and, by an error of judgment, they walked into a tar pit. After some conflict, Moyo and Tarzan cooperated to rescue the family, and lure Hista into the tar pit, where the great snake became stuck and sank, killing him and forever ending the python's reign of terror. Moyo reconciled with Tarzan, finally seeing that Jane was part of their family, and stepped down as leader. He promised to wait until he was ready to try to become a leader again. Despite his arrogance and stubbornness, when the elephants and gorillas engage in jungle warfare, Moyo plays a big part in helping Tarzan lead the gorillas to victory. Just as the gorillas are about to triumph, a fire breaks out, and Moyo is the first gorilla to follow Tarzan's lead in putting out the fire.
• Hazel, Greenly, and Eleanor (voiced by Tara Strong, Grey DeLisle, and Nicollette Sheridan) – Three upper-class women and Jane's friends from England, who came to the jungle to "save" Jane from Tarzan because they thought that she was unhappy in the jungle, and being held against her will. When she tried to show them that she was still the same polished girl they knew from London by throwing a typical English picnic, she asked that Tarzan wear his father's suit. Tarzan, thinking Jane was embarrassed by him, wasn't too thrilled on "being something he wasn't", but after a heart to heart talk with the Professor, he put on the suit. Meanwhile, Jane and her friends were being chased by the Panthers Sheeta and Nuru; using the skills she learned in the jungle, Jane was able to help her friends survive until Tarzan was able to save them. The next time her friends came to visit, they brought Greenly's fiance Henry to the jungle to "toughen him up". After an earthquake created a tsunami, they ended up lost in the jungle with Henry. The geologist showed exceptional ingenuity and resolve in helping the group survive until Tarzan could save them (again), including snake-charming a snake with his oboe and wrestling a crocodile (and winning). Hazel is mentioned in "Tarzan and the Flying Ace" as being the biggest gossip in the British Isles, which is how Robert knew where to find Jane. Hazel also happens to be the name of Jane's best friend in the books, sharing her last name with the voice actor, Tara Strong.

Villains

• William Cecil Clayton - He was mentioned and seen in one flashback, Clayton was the antagonist from the film responsible for Kerchak's death until he met his own while fighting Tarzan, This caused Clayton's sister Lady Waltham to go mad for revenge for his death.
• Tublat (voiced by Keith David) – A rogue ape and a former member of Tarzan's gorilla family. He challenged Kerchak for leadership, but he was defeated and cast out. He is considered dangerous by all the gorillas due to his aggressive and sociopathic behavior. He is based on Kala's husband (and Tarzan's foster father) in the original "Tarzan" novel. His personality is also very much like the original Kerchak or Terkoz from the novel. Conversely, Kerchak's personality in the 1999 film is just like Tublat's in the original novel. He once took over another gorilla family that Gobu belonged to but inspired by Tarzan the family overthrew him and Gobu replaced him. He often calls Tarzan a "hairless runt". He has four toes on his right foot (it is possible he lost one in a fight), and this is one way to tell he is in the area. In the series, he plots to dispose of Tarzan so that he can take over the gorilla pack for himself and makes no secret of his hatred against Tarzan, believing him to be unworthy of leading the gorilla family (despite Tarzan's actual success as a leader of the gorillas). Noted by the bones in the cave he formerly resided in, it is possible he may be more carnivorous than other gorillas.
• Queen La (voiced by Diahann Carroll) – In the original novels, she a high priestess of a blood cult who fell in love with Tarzan. In her adaptation for the series, she is a former member of the Waziri tribe and an utterly vicious sorceress who rules over the abandoned city of Opar, where she lords over the Leopard Men. She falls in love with Tarzan after he comes to rescue Jane's father from the Leopard Men, who were capturing males as potential husbands for La. Her attempts to seduce Tarzan fail every time, as his loyalty is firm with Jane, and in almost every encounter La is trying to hurt Jane and take Tarzan for herself. She could actually be considered to be Jane's rival for Tarzan's affections. Her magic staff is eventually shattered by Jane, turning La to dust and the Leopard men back into ordinary leopards. Her spirit still lingers and tries to steal Jane's body and restore her staff. After some forced body-switching and getting inside Tarzan, she is eventually forced inside the body of a rat and the staff is taken by a Waziri elder who was determined to end her evil, trapping her in the rodent form.
  • Leopard Men - A group of leopards who La changed into humanoid form to serve her
• Samuel T. Philander (voiced by Craig Ferguson) – Professor Archimedes' academic rival who frequently attempts to steal his ideas or garner fame by turning Tarzan in as the "missing link". On one occasion, he found Pellucidar yet his photographic proof was ruined by Manu photographing himself. He even tried to capture the silver ape Mangani who is known for his healing powers. Samuel even tried to capture Tarzan, but his men mistook Archimedes for Tarzan (with a lot of help from Philander). His humiliations reduced him to living in a ratty apartment in Chicago and constantly ducking the Landlord when he was visited by Edgar Rice Burroughs wanting to know what he knew about Tarzan. He is modeled on the British comedy actor Terry-Thomas.
• Count Nikolas Rokoff (voiced by Ron Perlman) – A greedy former Russian count stripped of his title who hears about a treasure in the valley of the leopards and plans to find it to regain his title. Tarzan refuses to help him until Rokoff threatens to kill Jane if he doesn't. His intellectual battle with Tarzan goes like a chess game until Tarzan finally releases the last few leopards from the boarded-up cave on him, but it is unclear if they kill Rokoff or not. The treasure is later stolen by baboons.
• Lt. Colonel Staquait (voiced by Jim Cummings) – A vicious, scar-faced Colonel in the French Foreign Legion. He sees himself on the right side of the law, but his draconian means do not justify his actions, putting him at odds with Tarzan. He acts as judge and executioner and has made it his goal to hunt down Hugo and Hooft because they refused his order to burn down a village full of women and children. Tarzan helped fake their demise, but eventually, the Colonel learned the truth and imprisoned them. Tarzan ended up imprisoned in Fort Doom as well, then after allowing Hugo and Hoof to escape, he was sentenced to be hanged, but was released after Renard impersonated a French magistrate, which Staquait doesn't notice as the heroes safely returned to Africa by steamship.
• Thaddeus Hunt (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) - The leader of a band of kidnappers (presumably drug traffickers) who try to kidnap Tarzan and former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt for ransom money. His two main minions are Jake and Sam, his third named is Jones. He and his men are eventually arrested by Roosevelt's two government agents.
• Nuru and Sheeta (voiced by Frank Welker) – They are two vicious panthers that frequently find and battle Tarzan. They are sometimes seen as part of a group of leopards, which is a factual error, as leopards never hunt in packs.
• Mabaya (voiced by Frank Welker) – A rogue bull elephant who originally belonged to the same herd as Jabari and his parents. Mabaya, like all rogues, is almost constantly angry and attacks or tramples anything in his path. He is easily recognized by his broken right tusk and bloodshot red eyes. Episodes featuring Mabaya usually require Tantor to overcome his fears and face down the renegade in an elephantine match of strength.
• Hista (voiced by Frank Welker) – A giant crimson red python that threatens the gorilla family until Tarzan and Moyo manage to lure him into a tar pit, where the snake dies after sinking into it. His weakness is that he, like other snakes, has poor vision and senses body heat to hunt, a weakness Tarzan uses to his advantage (also his very name "Hista" means "snake" in Mangani).
• Johannes Niels and Merkus (voiced by John O'Hurley and Jim Cummings) – Two miners who first came to the jungle to mine diamonds. Niels is the tall, blond-haired and calmer of the two, and Merkus is shorter, muscular and more violent. Tarzan agreed to guide them to a volcano to dig for diamonds, on the condition that he gets one to give to Jane. After a mishap, they lose their diamonds and leave in chains. They later return to retrieve the diamonds, which may not have survived the lava. They are attacked by Tublat, whom they capture, and are about to take him around the world as a showpiece until Tarzan, along with a protesting Terk, rescue him. Once again, Niels and Merkus leave the jungle empty-handed.
• Zutho (voiced by Jason Alexander) – A shady mandrill that Tarzan, Terk, and Tantor first encountered as kids at the forbidden side of the river. While Tarzan teaches Zutho and his friends how to make spears, a fire broke out and nearly destroyed the jungle but the rain had put it down. Tarzan blamed himself and ended up in Zutho's debt. Years later, Zutho resurfaces in order to get Tarzan to fulfill his favor into dealing with some annoying monkeys that were keeping him up at night. With help from Jane, Terk, and Tantor, Tarzan did the right thing and admitted what happened the day of the fire to Kala who then dealt with Zutho where she grabbed him by the ear and planned to inform his mother what he made Tarzan do.
  • Gozan (voiced by John DiMaggio) – A fat mandrill who is one of Zutho's friends.
  • Hungo - A skinny and silent mandrill who is one of Zutho's friends.
• Ian McTeague (voiced by Charles Napier) – A corrupt greedy businessman. He started up an illegal mining operation near the mountain, where he and his men believe that there is gold for them to dig. As they do so, they use the water from the river to irrigate their operation, where they separate the dirt from ore with chemicals, which are then later spilled out into the rest of the river heading towards the jungle. Because of this, it has caused a plague among the animals drinking it (even Tantor almost fell victim to it). Even the Waziri tribe fell victim to the plague, as they used the river for their crops and drinking. Needless to say, McTeague doesn't care about the toxicity of the chemicals and continues dumping them into the river, as he still wants to be rich. Upon learning about the mine, Tarzan and his friends ally with the Waziri tribe to build a dam to block the river and then break it down to have the rushing water destroy the whole mine operation for good, leaving the river fresh and clean again. McTeague and his men then leave in a huff, but not after McTeague angrily swears revenge against Tarzan and the Waziri tribe for ruining his mining operation.
• Lady Waltham (voiced by Amanda Donohue) – An aristocrat and sister of the deceased Clayton (originally intended to be his widow) who wants revenge on Tarzan for killing her brother (at least, in her own mind). She had her valet Hobson capture those close to him and then poison Tarzan. Tarzan was then given a challenge by Lady Waltham which was either save those he is close to from danger or head to a mountain she dubbed "Clayton's Peak" where the antidote is. Though Tarzan saves his friends and family, he ends up saving Lady Waltham from leopards. Afterward, she gave Tarzan the antidote realizing that Tarzan would never have killed her brother on purpose. She is implied to have made peace with Tarzan and his family and has returned to her original life.
  • Hobson (voiced by Jim Cummings) – Lady Waltham's valet.
• Muviro (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) – A treacherous Waziri warrior and one of Basuli's subordinates. Despite serving for Basuli, Muviro holds a personal hatred and jealousy against the chief's son and is hostile towards outsiders (mainly Tarzan and his friends). Upon learning that Basuli is planning to get an eagle's feather with Tarzan's help as part of the customs for Basuli to marry and be a future chief, Muviro secretly plotted to dispose of Basuli so that he himself can be the new chief. He caused several incidents during Tarzan and Basuli's journey: such as chopping down a tree into a river they were crossing over to provoke a pod of hippos, disturbing a herd of rhinos to stampede after the duo and causing a rock slide on them in an elephant graveyard near the mountain. After the third attempt fails, Muviro reveals his true colors to both Tarzan and Basuli before engaging into a fight with the latter. Fortunately, Basuli defeats Muviro and banishes him from the tribe for his treachery, and Muviro is last seen walking away into the midst with an angry look on his face, implying that he might return to get revenge.
• Robert Canler (voiced by Jeff Bennett) – Jane's old childhood friend and next-door neighbor, nicknamed Bobby, who knew her since she was five. He is an ace pilot who carries a sword-cane with a silver eagle head and a Webley pistol and flies in a plane with floats. He once worked for British Intelligence but switched to the "other side" (possibly Germany, but never specified) as a double agent when he realized how profitable it would be, by bringing them a code machine which was disguised as a music box that he gave Jane. Despite his betrayal of Jane, he rescues her from certain death and is eventually arrested by Captain Nigel Taylor of the RAF.
• Sabor the Leopard (mentioned; responsible for the deaths of Tarzan's real parents as well as Kala's child in the first film; killed in battle against Tarzan)

Supporting

• Bob Markham (voiced by Mark Harmon) – A logger, widower, and single father to his daughter Abby. After his wife died, he sunk everything he had into logging. However, the way he was logging tore up so much soil, that a long-dormant plague was released and threatened to kill his men and daughter. With help from Tarzan and Terk, Markham gathered all but one of the ingredients for the cure. The last one was a flower that was only found in one part of the jungle until Markham's men bulldozed over them while logging. By some luck, Abby had picked one of them before, and Jane showed her how to press it, thus preserving it. After Abby and Markham's men were cured, they ceased logging and started to plant the seeds saved from the flower.
• Abigail "Abby" Markham (voiced by Nicolette Little) – Abby Markham is the daughter of Bob Markham, she appears to be 5–9 years old, but maybe older. Markham loves his daughter and will do anything for her. When she falls ill with the same plague that threatens his men, he asks for Tarzan's help to cure her. Together, they get all but one ingredient for the cure, a flower found only in an area that Markham's men had already bulldozed over; Luckily, Abby had picked one of the flowers prior to the bulldozing and preserved it by pressing it. She is last seen playing tag with Jane and Terk.
• Gubo (voiced by Tate Donovan) – A gorilla from another family. Tarzan and Terk found him being attacked by hyenas and saved him. He ended up with a broken leg. Terk felt she wasn't girly enough for him. He managed to trick Tarzan into coming with him to his family so he could meet his leader. Tarzan then finds out Tublat is his leader. He showed up a few months ago and killed Gubo's original leader. Tublat and Tarzan prepare for battle, but Gubo stands up to him and reminds everyone that there is strength in numbers and the gorilla's gang up on Tublat, driving him off. Gubo then steps in to take place as a new leader. Terk tries her lady charms, but Gubo tells her that he always liked Terk the way she is. They both end up leaving to throw mud at warthogs.
• Edgar Rice Burroughs (voiced by Steven Weber) – A fictionalized version of Tarzan's creator, he is an American book author, who was in need of inspiration for his next novel. He eventually finds it when discovering about Tarzan. After meeting some of Tarzan's acquaintances, he finally meets Tarzan when Tarzan saves him. After a talk with Tarzan and Jane, he creates a novel (in comparison to the real version of it), and his boss says everyone will remember him by it.
• Theodore Roosevelt (voiced by Stephen Root) – Former President of the United States. The writers take Roosevelt's real-life post-presidency trip to Africa to collect wildlife for the American Museum of Natural History of New York City, and put it in the series.

Episodes

Series overview

Season		Episodes	Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
	1	36	September 3, 2001 (2001-09-03)	October 14, 2001 (2001-10-14)
	2	3	February 3, 2003 (2003-02-03)	February 5, 2003 (2003-02-05)

Season 1 (2001)

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Air Date	ABC airdate
1	"The Race Against Time"	Nicholas Filippi	Gary Sperling	September 3, 2001 (2001-09-03)	July 13, 2002
Terk begins to feel jealous when Tarzan begins spending more time with Jane than with her and Tantor. After Tarzan is bitten by a venomous spider, Jane and the others learn that the only cure is the Mububu flower, found on the top of a waterfall. Terk thinks that Jane is not suited for jungle life, so she makes a bet that Jane cannot make it. But as Tarzan's condition worsens, the two realize that they must put aside their differences if they are to obtain the flower necessary for Professor Porter's antidote.
2	"The Trading Post"	Nicholas Filippi	Eddie Guzelian	September 4, 2001 (2001-09-04)	July 20, 2002
Renard Dumont, a French proprietor, builds a trading post along the coast of Africa, near where Tarzan and his family live. Tarzan allows the newcomers to stay but quickly realizes that with the trading post now present the rhinos have been driven from their feeding grounds into gorilla lands. Tarzan, Jane, and the others must find a way to move the rhinos, or Kala and her family will be forced to move away.
3	"The Lost Cub"	Don MacKinnon & Steve Loter	Michael Ryan	September 5, 2001 (2001-09-05)	July 27, 2002
While out washing her clothes in the jungle, Jane comes across a baby leopard, who follows her. Seeing that it is alone, she convinces Terk and Tantor to watch it while she prepares Tarzan for the idea. He is at first repulsed at the idea and wants the cub to be left alone in the jungle (due to his hatred of leopards because of his parents' deaths caused by Sabor), but Kala and Jane remind him of Kala's own decision to give him a chance and Tarzan reluctantly agrees. The leopard cub is very playful and proves to be a handful for Terk and Tantor, who lose sight of it and the cub causes trouble with the baboons. Jane, seeing the hopelessness of the situation, goes with Kala (on her advice) to return it to the other leopards, but all goes wrong until Tarzan rescues them and the mother leopard arrives. Grateful for the return of her cub, the mother leopard allows Jane and the others safe passage, and later visits the group with her cub.
4	"The Lost City of Opar"	Nicholas Filippi	Bill Motz & Bob Roth	September 6, 2001 (2001-09-06)	August 3, 2002
After Professor Porter is taken captive by the Leopard Men, Tarzan and the others track him to the lost city of Opar, ruled by a strange woman La, who after seeing Tarzan fight to rescue the professor, falls in love with him. Unfortunately, Tarzan is Jane's devoted husband, so La plans to get rid of Jane and make Tarzan her husband and king of Opar.
5	"The Fugitives"	Don MacKinnon	Liz Friedman & Vanessa Place	September 7, 2001 (2001-09-07)	August 10, 2002
Tarzan and Jane meet Hugo and Hooft, who are deserters of the French Legion led by the nefarious Lt. Col. Staquait, rescuing and taking them in. These smooth-talking, good-natured con-men teach Tarzan a thing or two about gambling and profit, and eat, swim and enjoy life in the jungle, somewhat at Jane's expense (to her annoyance), so when Staquait comes for the deserters (who are "criminals"), Jane turns them in only to realize that their crime was refusal to burn a village full of men, women, and children down. Despite feeling betrayed and used, Tarzan and Jane realize that the real criminal is Staquait and rescue Hugo and Hooft, giving them jobs working for Renard at the trading post.
6	"The Rogue Elephant"	Sean Bishop	Mirith J. Colao	September 9, 2001 (2001-09-09)	August 17, 2002
After Mabaya, a rogue elephant, plows through an elephant herd, Jabari and many other elephants are forced to move to where Tarzan lives to escape its path. Jabari befriends Tantor and they bond over their mutual fear of things; however, when Jabari says that the African Violet causes an elephant to go rogue, Tantor (who has eaten these flowers for years) is convinced he is a rogue, and even more so after Mabaya stampedes through the jungle, causing him to run away. Jabari learns that the African violets don't make an elephant go rogue and Tarzan has gone after Mabaya, finding himself no match for the rogue elephant. Tantor must overcome his fears to help both his friend and the jungle.
7	"The Poisoned River (Part 1)"	Don MacKinnon	Peter Gaffney	September 10, 2001 (2001-09-10)	August 24, 2002
Tantor returns from the nearby river suffering from some sort of poison. After analyzing it, Professor Porter concludes that it must have come from the river, and so Tarzan and his friends convince Dumont to allow them to borrow his boat, as the poison will affect trade and jungle life. Terk stays behind with Tantor, while the others travel upriver, only to have their boat blown up by pressure caused by hippos. Going ahead, Tarzan encounters Basuli, son of Chief Keewazi of the Waziri tribe, who say that men dressed like Jane and the Professor dug in the mountainside. Meanwhile, Tantor has somehow gotten better and with Terk goes after his friends; Basuli shows Tarzan a mysterious cave shaped like a skull head.
8	"The Poisoned River (Part 2)"	Don MacKinnon	Gary Sperling	September 11, 2001 (2001-09-11)	August 31, 2002
Tarzan and Basuli, upon further exploration, discover that the cave leads to a mine under the direction of a greedy businessman named McTeague; Jane and Professor Porter meanwhile inform Keewazi that due to the chemical separation of dirt from ores, the chemicals are being dumped into the river. Tarzan and Basuli infiltrate the mine, but are captured by McTeague. With some help from latecomers Terk and Tantor, Jane and Professor Porter rescue the pair, who have become friends through their trials together. Jane then proposes they build a dam, to cut off the water flow. When McTeague sees this and demands to have the water back, Keewazi refuses and unleashes the river all at once, creating a flash flood that destroys the mine. McTeague and his men surrender and retreat, defeated. After this, Tarzan makes peace with the Waziri.
9	"The Enemy Within"	Nicholas Filippi	Ken Koonce & David Weimers	September 12, 2001 (2001-09-12)	September 7, 2002
Tarzan and Terk find an injured gorilla named Gobu, who was attacked by hyenas and unaware that he is under orders from his leader to lure Tarzan back to Gobu's family. Once the injured gorilla is better, he and Tarzan embark on the long journey to Gobu's home, only to find Tublat, the aggressive bull ape who was banished from Kerchak's family many years before and has killed the group's original leader, lies in wait. Meanwhile, Jane and Professor Porter attempt to teach Terk to be more lady-like to impress Gobu.
10	"The Fountain"	Nicholas Filippi	Story by : Evelyn Gabai Teleplay by : Eddie Guzelian	September 13, 2001 (2001-09-13)	September 14, 2002
The Professor eagerly awaits the arrival of a colleague, Doctor Robin Doyle, who has come to Africa to study Keewazi's tribe with the Professor, but upon arrival all are surprised to find that Doctor Doyle is a woman. During their study, they find some of the older men to have quite startling ages (from 500 to 700) and learn about a great fountain that may be responsible for their apparent longevity. Professor Porter, who likes Robin but feels he's too old for her, secretly sets out to find this fountain.
11	"The Hidden World"	Victor Cook	Mark Palmer	September 14, 2001 (2001-09-14)	September 21, 2002
Samuel T. Philander, Professor Porter's academic rival who often takes credit for the Professor's findings and research, visits Africa believing that the Professor has found something spectacular there. The Professor does discover something, but only after Philander arrives- Tarzan shows Jane and him Pellucidar, a hidden land beneath Africa where dinosaurs still live. Philander takes a camera (not knowing that a baby baboon had already used up all the film taking pictures of itself), but the Professor has none, so (unknown to the others) he tries to steal a Tyrannosaurus Rex egg which hatches. This arouses the fury of the mother, who chases them until Porter returns the egg and they escape. Meanwhile, Philander returns to London to unveil his proof of living dinosaurs – only to discover the baboon's pictures instead.
12	"The Rift"	Don MacKinnon	Leslie Nordman	September 16, 2001 (2001-09-16)	September 28, 2002
Tantor's new girlfriend thinks Terk is loud and obnoxious and forces Tantor to choose between them. Meanwhile, poachers are operating in the jungle and capture Terk.
13	"The Giant Beetles"	Victor Cook	Carl Ellsworth	September 17, 2001 (2001-09-17)	October 5, 2002
Tantor and Terk accompany the Professor on an expedition to study giant flora and their clumsiness almost ends in disaster. Tantor wants to confess, but Terk prefers covering up the truth. Professor Porter does manage to collect some plant liquid from the giant flowers, which Terk promptly spills onto some beetles, making them grow to gigantic proportions. Terk still tries to hide her and Tantor's involvement, but it's not long before both the lies are piling up and the beetles are on a rampage of destruction.
14	"The Jungle Madness"	Victor Cook	Madellaine Paxson	September 18, 2001 (2001-09-18)	October 12, 2002
Tarzan and Jane are returning home from visiting the Waziri Village via a riverboat piloted by Hugo and Hooft. When they land, they notice that Dumont's trading post is really growing and modernizing. They also notice that the jungle is eerily quiet with no animal sounds to be heard. When they return home they find the tree house is in shambles as is the professor's camp and he has disappeared. Terk and Tantor burst into the camp complaining of a ringing in their heads and acting violently. Soon Tarzan and Jane are on the run for their lives as all of the jungle animals have turned against them in a psychotic rage. Later, while hiding from the animals, Tarzan discovers that the ringing the animals hear is due to a recent radio broadcasting tower built at Dumont's trading post. After Tarzan tricks them into destroying the tower, the animals return to their old selves again.
15	"The Protege"	Nicholas Filippi	Randy Rogel	September 19, 2001 (2001-09-19)	October 19, 2002
When Professor Porter's colleague Doctor Doyle returns to the jungle, she brings her introverted nephew Ian with her, and Tarzan befriends him to the point where Ian is acting almost exactly like Tarzan (to Jane's chagrin). Meanwhile, Professor Porter attempts to rekindle an old romance with the boy's overprotective aunt.
16	"The Leopard Men Rebellion"	Victor Cook	Ken Koonce & David Weimers	September 20, 2001 (2001-09-20)	October 26, 2002
When the Leopard Men of Opar kidnap Jane, Tarzan must rely on Queen La's help to rescue her. But La has motives of her own... and so do the Leopard Men.
17	"The Rough Rider"	Don MacKinnon	Marv Wolfman	September 21, 2001 (2001-09-21)	November 2, 2002
Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt is on safari in Africa when he becomes the focus of a kidnapping plot. It's up to Tarzan and the others to save him and to show the former Rough Rider that there are other ways of learning about nature than by shooting it.
18	"The Seeds of Destruction"	Nicholas Filippi	Robert Askin	September 23, 2001 (2001-09-23)	November 9, 2002
When the elephant pond turns smelly because of decaying vegetation after heavy rains, Jane plants a sweet-smelling (albeit non-native) flowery vine, but the vine grows out of control, causing an ecological disaster that leads to all-out war between the elephants (whom the vine has driven out of their feeding territory) and the gorillas (whom Tarzan has persuaded to share their own territory with the elephants). Despite Jane and the Professor's best efforts, matters only turn worse, and it is up to Jane – with help from Tarzan – to undo her mistake.
19	"The Silver Ape"	Don MacKinnon	John Behnke, Rob Humphrey & Jim Peterson	September 24, 2001 (2001-09-24)	November 16, 2002
Samuel T. Philander is at it again and wants to scoop another one of Professor Porter's jungle discoveries to pay off his British creditors. This time, he finds out about the healing Silver Ape Mangani, which he captures in a cage. When Tarzan and Professor Porter attempt to rescue the ape from Philander's ship, Mangani proves his healing abilities in a miracle for Tarzan.
20	"The Challenger"	Nicholas Filippi	Michael Merton	September 25, 2001 (2001-09-25)	November 23, 2002
A giant python named Hista is terrorizing the gorillas and Tarzan's leadership of the family is challenged by Moyo. Tarzan and Moyo must fight together to defeat Hista and save the family.
21	"The Outbreak"	Victor Cook	Madellaine Paxson	September 26, 2001 (2001-09-26)	November 30, 2002
Tarzan must help a man named Markham when his workers and young daughter Abby fall ill with a deadly sickness caused when their irresponsible logging unleashes a dormant plague ... and the only cure may have been destroyed along with the cut-down trees!
22	"The Silver Screen"	Victor Cook	Madellaine Paxson	September 27, 2001 (2001-09-27)	December 7, 2002
A film crew comes to make an action movie and Tarzan becomes confused by the acting, with his actions resulting in him replacing the film's male lead as the star. Later, when the jealous actor tries to destroy the film footage containing Tarzan, a fire starts at the trading post and they must stop it!
23	"The Beast From Below"	Don MacKinnon	Ken Koonce & David Weimers	September 28, 2001 (2001-09-28)	December 14, 2002
Terk gains an appreciation for Tantor's phobias when a Velociraptor (which has escaped from Pellucidar) scares her silly.
24	"The All-Seeing Elephant"	Nicholas Filippi	Mark Palmer	September 30, 2001 (2001-09-30)	December 21, 2002
Tantor believes in an All-Seeing Elephant, but Terk doesn't. Tantor convinces Tarzan, Jane and the Professor to go with him to search of the All-Seeing Elephant, and Terk comes along. During their journey, a rock avalanche occurs; Tantor sees Terk in trouble and protects her. Terk is surprised she is alive and tells everyone, "If my buddy wants to see the All-seeing Elephant, then he's seeing the All-seeing Elephant." But the journey becomes more difficult and dangerous ...
25	"The New Wave"	Don MacKinnon	Jess Winfield	October 1, 2001 (2001-10-01)	December 28, 2002
A schooner is sinking and on board are Jane's friends Greenley, Eleanor, Hazel and Greenley's fiancé Henry. Eleanor and Hazel do not think Henry is very 'well rounded' and hope exposing him to Tarzan can toughen him up. Henry's bravery, resourcefulness and manliness are put to the test when the four are swept away into the jungle by a tidal wave caused by an earthquake.
26	"The Lost Treasure"	Nicholas Filippi	John Behnke, Rob Humphrey & Jim Peterson	October 2, 2001 (2001-10-02)	January 4, 2003
Count Nikolas Rokoff (Ron Perlman) hears about a treasure in the valley of the leopards and plans to find it. Tarzan doesn't want to help... until Nikolas threatens to hurt Jane if he doesn't.
27	"The Return of La"	Victor Cook	Peter Gaffney	October 3, 2001 (2001-10-03)	January 11, 2003
While the gang is setting up a surprise croquet game for the Professor, Jane encounters an ill-looking fawn. Upon her touching the fawn, the soul of none other than Queen La enters her body. Unable to return to Opar by herself in Jane's body, La turns to Tarzan, who senses something wrong right away. So, La/Jane turns to Dumont for help (not before having him turned into a monkey). With the aid of Usula, the Waziri elder, Tarzan tries to free Jane before La can retrieve her staff and bring Opar to life again.
28	"One Punch Mulligan"	Sean Bishop	Gary Sperling	October 4, 2001 (2001-10-04)	January 18, 2003
The arrogant and aggressive Heavyweight Boxing Champion "One Punch" Mulligan, along with his manager and personal journalist, visit the jungle while on a safari. When Tarzan accidentally knocks "One Punch" out cold, the boxer demands a rematch. Tarzan refuses; however, "One Punch" is stubborn and looks for a way to provoke Tarzan into a fight.
29	"The Missing Link"	Victor Cook	David Slack	October 5, 2001 (2001-10-05)	January 25, 2003
Philander returns to Africa with two British thugs to capture "Tarzan: The Missing Link" in a last-ditch effort to pay off the thugs. While there, they meet up with Professor Porter and Philander attempts to convince the thugs that Porter is Tarzan.
30	"The Prison Break"	Troy Adomitis	Madellaine Paxson	October 7, 2001 (2001-10-07)	February 1, 2003
Hugo and Hooft use Tarzan to help them gather special ingredients for their hot sauce. The sauce, with the guys' names on the bottle, becomes popular with the French Foreign Legion and is brought to the attention of Lt. Col. Staquait. Staquait then vows to re-capture Hugo and Hooft for deserting. He hasn't left without a plan, though; trapping Hooft, Hugo, and Tarzan in two separate nets, he is able to take them in ... to "Cape of Doom" Prison. Upon attempting to free his friends, Tarzan is captured and locked up too. Only Jane can contact the Magistrate and settle this once and for all.
31	"The Eagle’s Feather"	Nicholas Filippi	David Slack	October 8, 2001 (2001-10-08)	February 8, 2003
Tarzan and Jane are invited to the Waziri village for the wedding of Basuli and Naoh. As part of the ancient marriage ritual, Basuli must journey to a tall mountain and bring back an Eagle's feather. He is allowed to take one person with him and he chooses Tarzan, which angers Muviro. Their journey is fraught with hardships and Tarzan begins to wonder if someone else isn't interfering.
32	"The Face From the Past"	Victor Cook	Gary Sperling	October 9, 2001 (2001-10-09)	February 15, 2003
Zutho, a shady mandrill from Tarzan's past, resurfaces, demanding a favor he claims is owed for keeping a 20-year-old secret. Much of this episode takes place in flashback as Terk relates to Jane the events that allowed Zutho to gain such a hold over the lord of the jungle.
33	"The Caged Fury"	Dave Bullock	Ken Koonce & David Weimers	October 10, 2001 (2001-10-10)	February 22, 2003
Niels and Merkus return to the Jungle to mine diamonds. Tarzan agrees to this as long as they stay away from the gorillas. Niels and Merkus are threatened by Tublat, who they capture and plan to make money out of him. Tarzan sets out to free Tublat, despite Terk's protests and the past conflict between them.
34	"The Gauntlet of Vengeance"	Don MacKinnon	Jacob Motz, Madellaine Paxson & Michael Ryan	October 11, 2001 (2001-10-11)	March 1, 2003
Seeking revenge on Tarzan, Clayton's sister (or rather her valet, Hobson) kidnaps Jane, Tantor, Terk and the Professor, placing each in a separate, deadly peril. She then injects Tarzan with a fatal poison (via blowdart) and informs him that the antidote lies far away on a distant mountain she's dubbed "Clayton's Peak". He, therefore, has a choice, she says – to suffer as she had (and lose those he loves) or as Clayton had (and lose his own life).
35	"The Mysterious Visitor"	Don MacKinnon	Madellaine Paxson	October 12, 2001 (2001-10-12)	March 8, 2003
A writer named Ed is in desperate need of some inspiration for his next novel. He finds it while walking down the street in the form of a newspaper article about Tarzan, "The Missing Link". Ed has the inspiration he needs and begins tracking down various leads to Tarzan's whereabouts ... including Samuel T. Philander, Hugo and Hooft and Renard Dumont. They all tell Ed of their first encounters with Tarzan. Ed heads out into the jungle to find Tarzan himself. Note: This episode is most famous for the theme of a literary character meeting his own original creator (similar to The Little Mermaid episode "Metal Fish"), as well as the fact that it is almost completely composed of flashbacks from previous Tarzan episodes.
36	"Tublat’s Revenge"	Victor Cook	Randy Rogel	October 14, 2001 (2001-10-14)	March 15, 2003
A violent thunderstorm has Tarzan, Jane, and the rest of the gorilla family seeking shelter in nearby caves. When they reach the cave, they believe that they are safe but they have chosen the same cave that the banished gorilla named Tublat lives in. Tarzan is no physical match for Tublat, but using his superior cunning and ingenuity he manages to defeat him. Note: Given that this episode depicts the family's first encounter with Tublat since his banishment, it likely belongs chronologically among the first few episodes in the series.

Season 2 (2003)

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Air Date	ABC airdate
37	"The British Invasion"	Don MacKinnon	Mirith J. Colao	February 3, 2003 (2003-02-03)	March 22, 2003 (2003-03-22)
Jane's three friends Greenley, Hazel and Eleanor arrive and assume Jane is in need of rescue. To their surprise they learn that Jane intended to stay with Tarzan instead of return with them. To prove that she hasn't changed, Jane takes her friends on a British-style picnic (Tarzan not wanting to pretend to be civilized and join in), but when Nuru and Sheeta ambush them and pursue the four girls into the jungle, Tarzan comes to their rescue.
38	"The Volcanic Diamond Mine"	Victor Cook	John Behnke, Rob Humphrey & Jim Peterson	February 4, 2003 (2003-02-04)	March 29, 2003 (2003-03-29)
Two men named Johannes Niels and Merkus arrive in search of diamonds in a volcano. Tarzan guides them on condition that he can take one for Jane. Worried about Tarzan, Jane and her friends follow his trail. As Johannes and Merkus turn on Tarzan and trap him with Jane and Archimedes, they struggle out of the erupting volcano and escape the flowing lava.
39	"The Flying Ace"	Victor Cook	Story by : David Bullock, Adam Van Wyk & Jess Winfield Teleplay by : Jess Winfield	February 5, 2003 (2003-02-05)	April 5, 2003 (2003-04-05)
A pilot and a close friend of Jane's named Robert Canler visits Jane while Tarzan senses something bad about him, which he soon dismisses as jealousy. Robert is looking for a music box he gave to Jane, which is revealed to be a code machine, and when Jane discovers the truth he turns on her. Meanwhile, Tarzan saves an RAF pilot (who was after Robert in the first place) from Nuru and Sheeta. As Tarzan tries to stop Robert, the plane comes to the edge of a waterfall and Robert prevents Jane from certain death, but is arrested by the RAF pilot. Final episode

• All episodes of Season 2 were used in the plot of the direct to video sequel, Tarzan & Jane, 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.[3] Reruns aired on Toon Disney until 2009 and when it converted to Disney XD, it ran from 2009 to 2012.

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."[4] 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".[5]

In 2002, the show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award and two Golden Reel Awards.[6]

References

1. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 624–627. ISBN 978-1538103739.
2. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 828–829. ISBN 978-1476665993.
3. "Disney Channel September Info Now Up". toonzone.net.
4. "The Legend of Tarzan". commonsensemedia.org.
5. Rogers, Amanda (September 28, 2001). "The best of the new season in children's television". The Hour. Hearst Media. Knight Ridder. p. B3. Retrieved October 12, 2017 – via Google News Archive Search.
6. "The Legend of Tarzan". IMDb.com. Internet Movie Database. 3 September 2001. Retrieved 3 August 2016.

External links

• The Legend of Tarzan on IMDb
• Disney's The Legend of Tarzan at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• The Legend of Tarzan at TV.com