George of the Jungle (film)

1997 American comedy film

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

* 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]

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.

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

[edit]

While touring Burundi with local guide Kwame and a trio of porters, San Francisco heiress Ursula Stanhope encounters her spoiled fiancé Lyle van de Groot, who wishes to take her home and has hired two poachers, Max and Thor, to track her down. Kwame tells the group of the "White Ape", a local legend of a superhuman primate that lives on Ape Mountain and rules the jungle. The next day, Ursula refuses to go home until she sees an ape, so Lyle enters the jungle to find them. The two encounter a lion, and Lyle knocks himself unconscious trying to flee. Ursula is saved by the "White Ape", George.

After taking Ursula to his tree house home and caring for her, George introduces her to his three animal friends: Ape, the sapient talking gorilla who raised him; Shep, his pet African forest elephant that acts like a dog; and Tookie, a toco toucan who gives him news involving the jungle's animals. George is smitten with Ursula and attempts to woo her; Ursula soon reciprocates his attraction, and her time spent with George makes her more fond of him.

Lyle, Max, and Thor soon arrive at the treehouse, but Ursula berates Lyle for trying to abandon her during the lion attack. Max and Thor try to shoot Shep for his ivory, and Ape shouts at Shep to run. Everyone is stunned by the sight of the talking ape, and Max and Thor decide to tranquilize and capture him. George runs to stop them, and is accidentally shot by Lyle, who thought the gun was his novelty lighter that he had planned to scare George with. Lyle is imprisoned after being identified as the shooter by the porters. Max and Thor are deported, but resolve to return to the treehouse to capture Ape and make a fortune off of him in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Ursula takes George to San Francisco to get medical help for his gunshot wound and to show him the human world, which he has not seen since infancy.

While Ursula is at work, George explores San Francisco on his own and uses his vine-swinging skills to rescue a man whose paraglider has become caught on the suspension cables of the Bay Bridge. Ursula admits what happened in Africa to her parents and intends to break off the wedding, but her overbearing mother, Beatrice, objects. At a party intended to celebrate Ursula's engagement, Beatrice takes George aside. She tells him that Ursula's marriage to Lyle must proceed as planned and threatens to harm George if he interferes. In Burundi, Max and Thor tranquilize Ape; before he falls unconscious and is captured, Ape sends Tookie to find George. Tookie flies to San Francisco and informs George of Ape's capture, forcing George to leave Ursula and return to Burundi. While confused by George's unexplained departure, Ursula realizes she loves George and goes to find him, despite her mother's protests.

Max and Thor, having returned to the treehouse after getting turned around by a phony shortcut trail, are confronted by George. He fights and defeats them with help from Ursula and the animals. Lyle then appears, revealed to have escaped prison and become a legally ordained minister able to perform marriage ceremonies. Lyle has George subdued by a group of mercenaries, and forcibly takes Ursula to a boat waiting on the Ape River to perform their marriage rites. However, the ceremony is interrupted by a series of harsh rapids that put them both in danger. George is rescued from the mercenaries with help from Shep and the gorillas, and swings in to reach Ursula and Lyle, but crashes painfully into a massive tree. As the tree falls over the river, George manages to pull Ursula to safety while the rapids lead Lyle into a dark cave. Lyle, thinking Ursula is still in the boat, proclaims their wedding vows, but to his horror, he discovers that he has just married himself to a gorilla, who kisses him.

George and Ursula declare their love for each other and marry, with the people of San Francisco, Africa, and the jungle's animals in attendance. Some time later, the two live in their treehouse and raise a son, George Jr., whom they present to the animals from atop Pride Rock (a parody of the cartoon "The Lion King"). A mid-credits scene shows that Ape has moved to Las Vegas and become a famous singer, with a humiliated Max and Thor forced to be part of his performance.

## Cast

[edit]

* 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

[edit]

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

### Gorilla suit performers

[edit]

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

## Production

[edit]

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 (230 m) in length, 90 feet (27 m) in width, and 71 feet (22 m) in height at its peak.[11]

## Release

[edit]

### Box office

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

## Home media

[edit]

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.[22]

## Sequel

[edit]

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.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "George of the Jungle (1997)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
2. ^ Eller, Claudia (August 12, 1997). "COMPANY TOWN; The Heat Was On; Sun Shines on Studios This Summer After All". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
3. ^ a b "George Of The Jungle (1997) - Financial Information". The Numbers.
4. ^ "GEORGE, GEORGE, GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE A TREE-SWINGING BRENDAN FRASER ENJOYED PUN AND GAMES OF MAKING NEW DISNEY FILM". Morning Call. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
5. ^ Lawson, Terry (June 16, 1999). "'Tarzan' Yell". Knight-Ridder. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
6. ^ Brendan Fraser Still Hates The Monkey From 'George of The Jungle' | The Graham Norton Show. YouTube. The Graham Norton Show. January 20, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
7. ^ Ring, Teme (December 7, 2022). "It's Time to Celebrate "Vic & Paul & Dana's Post-Pandemic Revue": A Q&A with Dana Olsen". Comedians Defying Gravity. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
8. ^ a b c "George of the Jungle". Humane Hollywood.
9. ^ "Josef".
10. ^ "All the really big stars live at Vision Quest Ranch". October 24, 2002.
11. ^ a b c Archerd, Army (November 26, 1996). "'George' crew creates urban 'Jungle'". Variety.
12. ^ Hill, Jim (January 14, 2003). "The sad tale of Disney's Secret Lab". jimhillmedia.com. "as well as memorable CG characters like Shep (the elephant who thought that he was a dog)"
13. ^ "George Of The Jungle' Debut Can't Swing Past 'Men In Black". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
14. ^ Franco, Marco (June 29, 2023). "Margot Robbie's Favorite Movies: 6 Films That Inspired the Actress' Early Career". IndieWire. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
15. ^ "George of the Jungle". Rotten Tomatoes.
16. ^ "George of the Jungle". Metacritic.
17. ^ "GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE (1997) B+". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018.
18. ^ Ebert, Roger (July 16, 1997). "George of the Jungle". RogerEbert.com.
19. ^ Siskel, Gene (July 17, 1997). "LAWRENCE, ROBBINS DUO EASY TO 'LOSE'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
20. ^ Berardinelli, James. "George of the Jungle". Reelviews Movie Reviews. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
21. ^ "Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA (1998)". IMDb. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
22. ^ "There'll be 'Aliens' all over the video stores next week". The Kansas City Star. November 28, 1997. p. 151\. Archived from the original on September 2, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* George of the Jungle at IMDb
* George of the Jungle at Box Office Mojo

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Sam Weisman

* The Art of Being Nick (1986)
* D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994)
* Bye Bye Love (1995)
* George of the Jungle (1997)
* The Out-of-Towners (1999)
* What's the Worst That Could Happen? (2001)
* Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003)

* v
* t
* e

George of the Jungle

Television|

* George of the Jungle
* Tom Slick
* Super Chicken
* George of the Jungle (2007)
* episodes

Films|

* George of the Jungle
* George of the Jungle 2

Video games|

* George of the Jungle and the Search for the Secret

* Category

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