Product Details

• Actors: Brendan Fraser, Abraham Benrubi, Greg Cruttwell, Holland Taylor, John Bennett Perry
• Directors: Sam Weisman
• Format: NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Buena Vista Home Ent
• VHS Release Date: March 25, 1999
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (113 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 630540867X
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #309,112 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Disney scored an unexpected hit with this goofy live-action remake of Jay Ward's Saturday-morning cartoon, a zippy Tarzan parody with topical references and absurd gags. Disney's big-screen version, starring Brendan Fraser as the sweet, hopelessly inept jungle hero, puts the emphasis on slapstick and silly fun. The klutzy hero, still swinging into trees and stray boulders, saves a lost L.A. socialite (Leslie Mann) on safari and, completely smitten, leaves behind his tree-house home and simian best friend (an Oxford-accented ape voiced by John Cleese) to accompany the socialite back to the concrete jungle of LA, much to the frustration of her conniving fiancé (Thomas Haden Church). Fraser's enthusiastic performance enriches our hunky hero with endearing innocence and energetic pluck. The humor is spotty and consistently more juvenile than the original cartoon, but the unending parade of visual gags (including George's pet elephant Shep, transformed into an overexcited six-ton puppy by inventive digital effects) keeps the tone light, frothy, and winningly fun. --Sean Axmaker

Product Description

The clumsy ape man from Jay Ward's 1967 television cartoon takes on a jungle of another kind in live-action when he follows a visiting San Francisco resident back to the City by the Bay. There aren't as many trees, but he somehow manages to find plenty of other things to crash into--not the least of which are modern society's social norms.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Movie, Poor DVD Package, July 7, 2001

By 

Thomas A. Holmes (Johnson City, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: George of the Jungle (DVD)

A friend gave my kids this movie--I didn't buy it because the idea of a live-action GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE seemed silly to me. Fortunately for my family, this movie is silly in a good way, gleefully silly, with lots of physical comedy, puns, in-jokes, and high ridiculousness. This movie has good-natured fun. The casting of Fraser and Mann as George and Ursula is inspired, and Cleese as the voice of Ape works wonders. Movies that elicit joyful instead of derisive laughter deserve our attention, so unless you're sensitive about the requisite animal excrement jokes (the easiest way to avoid a "G" rating), watch this movie with your kids. Then watch it with your buddies. It might even be a good date movie.

The DVD package, however, offers another example of Disney's charging premium prices for few extras. Unfortunately, the disc is also pan-and-scan instead of widescreen. If you already own the videotape, you might as well wait and hope that Disney upgrades the DVD package.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun family film, June 27, 2006

By 

dephal (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: George of the Jungle (DVD)

This movie is one of my kids' favorites. In fact, it was the first live-action movie my older daughter could sit through, probably because it's pretty cartoonish live-action. The nice thing is that grownups can stand to watch it, too. It's very silly, of course, but there are lots of funny gags, many of which go right over the heads of children. There's a little bathroom humor, but what else would you expect in a movie with talking gorillas and an elephant that plays fetch? Best of all, from my point of view, is the fact that perfectly-cast Brendan Fraser spends a good portion of the movie wearing only a loincloth.

I agree with other reviewers, however, that it would be nice if the DVD were in widescreen and came with some extras. But I'll settle for 90 minutes of happy children plus Brendan Fraser in a loincloth.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Swinging Disney Film, June 1, 2002

By 

gobirds2 (New England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: George of the Jungle (DVD)

This film was made in the great tradition of Walt Disney's live action films aimed at the adolescent audience that his studio produced in the 60s and continued into the 70s. It works beautifully tweaking the formula for the 90's audiences. Brendan Fraser is perfect as George in his own likeable but not very bright way. You really feel for this guy because he wants to do what is right and get the job done. The special effects are excellent because they not only look good but they add to the effect of the storytelling and create an innovative world for the audience to immerse themselves into. The casting is also good. Thomas Hayden Church as an equally not-very-bright cad is perfect. You almost feel sorry for this guy. John Cleese doing the voice of Ape is a riot. He has several funny scenes, especially near the very end. This is film is excellent no matter what age you are. I highly recommend this one.