Like many people, I am not a particularly big fan of Disney's live-action remakes of their animated films. Ever since 2014, they have been making one or two every year. And even though every year audiences groan "I can't believe they are making another live-action remake!" Disney keeps on doing it because they are making quite a lot of money. And from their point-of-view, why not? They already own the rights, and these films are property that everyone is already familiar with.
So, this got me thinking: is there any Disney live-action remake that is actually good? Well, I went on DisneyPlus this weekend and discovered that yes, there is! I can't believe that I'm saying this, but George of the Jungle is the best Disney live-action remake! It is what every Disney live-action remake should be: true to the source material, but you do not have to have seen the original to have a good time.
George of the Jungle is a 1997 remake of the 1967 animated TV series of the same name. The movie serves as a prequel to the animated series. For those of you unfamiliar with the franchise, George of the Jungle is basically a spoof of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan. George is not nearly as smart as Tarzan, but he is just as lucky as Tarzan. George may not be the smartest or most coordinated man in the world, but he does have a big heart and does his best to save the day.
STORY: The basic plot is a child named George (Brendan Fraser, The Mummy) survives a plane crash, disappears into the jungle and is raised by a talking ape named Ape. Twenty-five years later, George, now King of the Jungle, enjoys swinging on vines but keeps crashing into trees. While touring Africa with a local guide named Kwame (Richard Roundtree, Shaft) and his three porters, a rich woman named Ursula Stanhope (Leslie Mann, The Cable Guy) is tracked down and joined by her fiancé, Lyle Van De Groot (Thomas Haden Church, Spider-Man 3), and his two friends named Max and Thor. Kwame tells the group of the "White Ape", a local legend of a superhuman primate that rules the jungle.
The next day, Lyle goes into the jungle to find the White Ape, and he and Ursula are attacked by a lion. Lyle knocks himself out trying to flee while Ursula is saved by George, who takes Ursula to his treehouse and cares for her. He introduces her to his three animal friends, Ape (John Cleese, Die Another Day), Shep, an elephant that acts like a dog, and Tookie, a toucan. George falls for Ursula and they go on adventures together, both in the jungle and in San Francisco.
George of the Jungle (1997) is basically a live-action cartoon. And I mean that in the best possible way. Much like the original show, there is a narrator throughout the movie that constantly breaks the fourth wall, interacting with the characters and scenery as the film progresses. My favorite moments in the movie are when the narrator will actually argue with the characters on-screen. There is action and stakes involved, but the narrator tells us from the beginning that since this is a kid's movie, no one is going to die.
The actors in this movie are perfectly cast. George is brought to life on the big screen by Brendan Fraser at the height of his 90's fame. Fraser is hilarious as always and is very likable in the role. Fraser is great at playing the good guy, and he does not disappoint here. Fraser plays George as someone who is silly, but at the same time, genuine. You will no doubt be won over by his charismatic performance.
The supporting cast is good too. Thomas Haden Church is great as the scumbag, snooty fiance. Leslie Mann is lovely as Ursula. Everyone from the three porters to Ursula's parents are very funny. The three main animal sidekicks in the movie are also lovable. John Cleese as the proper Ape is a great contrast to Brendan Fraser's silliness. There is something very amusing about a fancy, British butler that is also an ape.
All of Shem's scenes are adorable. He is probably my favorite character. Seeing an elephant act like a dog is even more amusing than it sounds. As Roger Ebert put it, "when Shep first comes bounding through the jungle and slides to a halt and sits on his haunches, barking and panting and wagging his tail, I was blindsided by laughter. And when George demonstrates Shep's ability to fetch by throwing a stick (actually a log), the joke only got funnier." I couldn't have put it better myself.
Tookie Tookie somehow possesses the power to fly all the way from Africa to San Francisco, but in this movie's logic, you just roll with it. The animal effects are a combination of real animals, animatronics, puppets, and CGI that still don't look bad today.
Instead of just remaking an old movie, Disney did something unique with George of the Jungle. It was faithful to the source material, both in tone and character. What is often lacking in the Disney live-action remakes is that the characters are not as good as they are in the originals. If we only had the live-action Lion King, would it be remembered as one of the greatest movies of all time? Certainly not! Would Mulan or Belle or Cinderella be the heroines that children have looked up to for generations if we only had the live-action versions? Do I even need to answer? However, if you had never seen the George of the Jungle cartoon, would it still hold up as a comedy classic? Yes, it would!
And that is the sign of a good remake. It helps if you have seen the original, but you do not have to. The recent live-action remakes did not make a lot of money because they are good, but because they are familiar. They are comfortable. But they do not stand on their own as good cinema. If you had never seen the originals, you wouldn't understand why people love these classic characters. This is why I recommend that everyone watches George of the Jungle (1997), especially those currently in charge of the Disney live-action remakes. It proves that Disney has, and perhaps can again, make a truly good remake of an animated classic.
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