History WesternAnimation / TarzanAndJane

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Tarzan absolutely refuses to wear shoes, even to school.

This Creator/{{Netflix}} series really play fast and loose with the Literature/{{Tarzan}} mythology. This series actually turns Tarzan into a superhero, with actual super powers, and yet it somehow works. That Avi Arad, former CEO of Marvel Studios, is the one to come up with this concept should make this decision more understandable.

In ''Tarzan & Jane'' a plane crash kills the infant Tarzan’s parents, and though he is found and raised by the ape Kala, she does not bring him back to her fellow apes but instead takes him to the nearest native village so the Shaman there can heal the injuries the little fellow had sustained during the crash. Lucky for the kid Doctor Porter was also visiting this village at the time, he came to Africa to learn of the local medicines and lore to see if he could combine them with what modern medical science has come up with, and he does what he can to help the Shaman with the injured babe.

The shows main storyline truly kicks in when Tarzan is forced to run back and help Jane when she trips while the two are being chased by a helicopter he is netted and captured. Turns out the Earl of Greystoke had seen that youtube footage of the jungle boy and has realised that Tarzan is his grandson. He’d hired people to infiltrate Porter’s staff and to look for and retrieve Tarzan but when the teen ape man is brought to civilization, and stuck in a bedroom for the first time, he naturally wants no part of it.

Luckily Lord Greystoke is able to get Tarzan to understand that though Kala is his mother he did have other parents and that Greystoke is Tarzan’s family as well. The unlikely decision by Tarzan to stay in an unknown home and try fitting in is made easier by the presence of Jane. Tarzan briefly blames Jane for that whole “being captured” thing but once the two bury the hatchet they become a dynamic duo, as they find themselves caught up in animal trafficking, corporate sabotage involving pesticides and, of course, that age-old classic of bulldozers threatening to destroy trees.

* AdaptationalVillainy: [[spoiler:In the novels, Clayton is Tarzan's cousin who inherits the title after Tarzan's parents are presumed dead. He is a perfect, nice English gentleman, who is willing to sacrifice his life to save Jane. Although Clayton's desire to become the next Earl Greystoke reflects William's desire to keep the truth of Tarzan's identity a secret from Jane out of fear that he would loose her.]]

In ''Tarzan & Jane'' a plane crash kills the infant Tarzan’s parents, and though he is found and raised by the ape Kala, she does not bring him back to her fellow apes but instead takes him to the nearest native village so the Shaman there can heal the injuries the little fellow had sustained during the crash. Lucky for the kid Doctor Porter was also visiting this village at the time, he came to Africa to learn of the local medicines and lore to see if he could combine them with what modern medical science has come up with, and he does what he can to help the Shaman with the injured babe. The Shaman then mixes his potions with Porter’s medicines and they then coat the baby during a fire lit ceremony with the essence of cheetah, lion and gorilla. The result? A super-human with speed, strength, agility and the handy ability to grow a set of claws. Come morning Chief Waziri tells Porter that the child has died, but in reality the Shaman and the Chief’s son Muviro has slipped the baby out of the village and entrusted him in the safety of Kala. Tarzan grows up with his superpowers and becomes best friends with Muviro. Doctor Porter makes another visit to the Wazuri village this time with his 15-year-old daughter Jane and when she gets lost in the jungle, she is saved by Tarzan. The shows main storyline truly kicks in when Tarzan is forced to run back and help Jane when she trips while the two are being chased by a helicopter he is netted and captured. Turns out the Earl of Greystoke had seen that youtube footage of the jungle boy and has realised that Tarzan is his grandson. He’d hired people to infiltrate Porter’s staff and to look for and retrieve Tarzan but when the teen ape man is brought to civilization, and stuck in a bedroom for the first time, he naturally wants no part of it. Luckily Lord Greystoke is able to get Tarzan to understand that though Kala is his mother he did have other parents and that Greystoke is Tarzan’s family as well. The unlikely decision by Tarzan to stay in an unknown home and try fitting in is made easier by the presence of Jane. Tarzan briefly blames Jane for that whole “being captured” thing but once the two bury the hatchet they become a dynamic duo, as they find themselves caught up in animal trafficking, corporate sabotage involving pesticides and, of course, that age-old classic of bulldozers threatening to destroy trees.

* {{Crossover}}: [[spoiler:With ''WesternAnimation/KongKingOfTheApes''.]]

* BigBad: [[spoiler:Clayton]] is ultimately revealed to be this as he's behind the poaching.

* AgeLift: Albeit not by much. In the original Burroughs canon Tarzan and Jane were 21 and 19 respectively when they first met. Here they are both high school age.

* AgeLift: Albeit not by much. In the original Burroughs canon Tarzan and Jane were 18 and 19 respectively when they first met. Here they are both high school age.

* FamilyFriendlyFirearms: Nearly all of the guns (which varied between looking realistic and cartoony) that were used in the show were tranquilizer ones, though actual, bullet-firing rifles (complete with shell casings) did show up in "Showdown in the Jungle" and "Too Much Monkey Business."

** Tarzan's, Kala's and [[spoiler: Clayton's]] physical appearances are clearly based off [[WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}} Disney's adaption of Tarzan.]] Muviro's physical appearance is based off Basuli's physical appearance from [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfTarzan Disney's Legend Of Tarzan.]]

In ''Tarzan & Jane'' a plane crash kills the infant Tarzan’s parents, and though he is found and raised by the ape Kala, she does not bring him back to her fellow apes but instead takes him to the nearest native village so the Shaman there can heal the injuries the little fellow had sustained during the crash. Lucky for the kid Doctor Porter was also visiting this village at the time, he came to Africa to learn of the local medicines and lore to see if he could combine them with what modern medical science has come up with, and he does what he can to help the Shaman with the injured babe. The Shaman then mixes his potions with Porter’s medicines and they then coat the baby during a fire lit ceremony with the essence of cheetah, lion and gorilla. The result? A super-human with speed, strength, agility and the handy ability to grow a set of claws. Come morning Chief Waziri tells Porter that the child has died, but in reality the Shaman and the Chief’s son Muviro has slipped the baby out of the village and entrusted him in the safety of Kala. Tarzan grows up with his superpowers and becomes best friends with Muviro. Doctor Porter makes another visit to the Wazuri village this time with his 15-year-old daughter Jane and when she gets lost in the jungle, she is saved by Tarzan. The shows main storyline truly kicks in when Tarzan is forced to run back and help Jane when she trips while the two are being chased by a helicopter he is netted and captured. Turns out the Earl of Greystoke had scene that youtube footage of the jungle boy and has realised that Tarzan is his grandson. He’d hired people to infiltrate Porter’s staff and to look for and retrieve Tarzan but when the teen ape man is brought to civilization, and stuck in a bedroom for the first time, he naturally wants no part of it. Luckily Lord Greystoke is able to get Tarzan to understand that though Kala is his mother he did have other parents and that Greystoke is Tarzan’s family as well. The unlikely decision by Tarzan to stay in an unknown home and try fitting in is made easier by the presence of Jane. Tarzan briefly blames Jane for that whole “being captured” thing but once the two bury the hatchet they become a dynamic duo, as they find themselves caught up in animal trafficking, corporate sabotage involving pesticides and, of course, that age-old classic of bulldozers threatening to destroy trees.

* LostInImitation: [[spoiler: Clayton as an antagonist comes from [[Disney/{{Tarzan}} the 1999 Disney film]]]].

** Tarzan's, Kala's and [[spoiler: Clayton's]] physical appearances are clearly based off [[Disney/{{Tarzan}} Disney's adaption of Tarzan.]] Muviro's physical appearance is based off Basuli's physical appearance from [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfTarzan Disney's Legend Of Tarzan.]]

* DamselInDistress: Jane at first. She's [[TropesAreNotBad an example of that trope played right]]. She doesn't need to be saved because she's dumb or particularly weak, but because she's a FishOutOfWater in a very dangerous environment.

* AgonyoftheFeet: In episode five, Tarzan runs over a metal boardwalk in a building that's on fire to save two men trapped inside. The flames heat the metal and he ends up burning his bare feet.

* {{Crossover}}: [[spoiler:With ''[[WesternAnimation/KongKingOfTheApes Kong: King of the Apes]]''.]]

* {{Crossover}}: [[spoiler: with ''WesternAnimation/KongKingOfTheApes''.]]

* DoNotCallMePaul: Tarzan, his real name is John Clayton but he prefers being called Tarzan because it is the name the Shaman bestowed upon him and the name he grew up hearing.

[[caption-width-right:350: “When the Shaman’s medicine mixed with your dad’s medicine, it didn’t just save me. It changed me.”]]

The Netflix series really play fast and loose with the Tarzan mythology. This series actually turns Tarzan into a superhero, with actual super powers, and yet it somehow works. That Avi Arad, former CEO of Marvel Studios, is the one to come up with this concept should make this decision more understandable.

!!Tropes:

* AdaptationalVillainy: [[spoiler: In the novels, Clayton is Tarzan's cousin who inherits the title after Tarzan's parents are presumed dead. He is a perfect, nice English gentleman, who is willing to sacrifice his life to save Jane. Although Clayton's desire to become the next Earl Greystoke reflects William's desire to keep the truth of Tarzan's identity a secret from Jane out of fear that he would loose her.]]