Tarzan is a white European male who grows up with apes. According to "Taking Tarzan Seriously" by Marianna Torgovnick, Tarzan is confused with the social hierarchy that he is a part of.
Mangani is the name of a fictional species of great apes in the Tarzan novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and of the invented language used by these apes. In the invented language, Mangani (meaning "great-ape") is the apes' word for their own kind, although the term is also applied (with modifications) to humans.
Tarzan takes place in an uncharted jungle wilderness and features a human so enmeshed in a gorilla family structure that, for all intents and purposes, he becomes a gorilla.
That's right. Probably the biggest misconception of them all: the “great apes” who raised Tarzan, although almost always depicted as plain old gorillas, were in fact a distinct fictional species that referred to themselves as the Mangani and to their larger enemies/cousins, the gorillas, as the Bolgani.
Kala is a fictional ape character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's original Tarzan novel, Tarzan of the Apes, and in movies and other media based on it. She is the ape mother of Tarzan who raises him.
"William Mildin, 14th Earl of Streatham, was the real-life inspiration for Tarzan of the Apes. In 1868 he was shipwrecked off West Africa at the age of 11, and spent 15 years living in the jungle, after which he lived in Thrale Road (not much difference there, then)."
Cheeta (sometimes billed as Cheetah, Cheta, and Chita) is a chimpanzee character that appeared in numerous Hollywood Tarzan films of the 1930s–1960s, as well as the 1966–1968 television series, as the ape sidekick of the title character, Tarzan.
As he grows up, Tarzan becomes a skilled hunter, exciting the jealousy of Kerchak, the ape leader, who finally attacks him. Tarzan kills Kerchak and takes his place as "king" of the apes. Later, a tribe of black Africans settle in the area, and Tarzan's adopted mother, Kala, is killed by one of its hunters.
A real-life "Tarzan" who lived in the Vietnamese jungle for four decades has died of liver cancer at the age of 52, The Times reported. Ho Van Lang returned to civilization in 2013 after he spent his entire life in the dense Vietnamese jungle with his father, Ho Van Than.
As anyone who has read the first book in the series, “Tarzan of the Apes”, can tell you, he taught himself to shave so he might not become an ape figuratively.
In the Walt Disney produced animated movie Tarzan (1999), Tantor is the personal name of this original elephant companion of Tarzan's rather than a term designating all elephants. In this version, Tantor is a sweet-natured yet highly phobic elephant afraid of many things, such as germs and frightening sounds.
In the literature. In the books, the apes of Tarzan's adoptive tribe are absolutely not gorillas. Burroughs seemed to consider their species as more human, a kind of "missing link" between animals and humans.
There were two words in Tarzan's ape-lexicon that distinguished between the two different species. The apes were called the Mangani, while gorillas were referred to as Bolgani. Tarzan was a Tarmangani–a white ape.
Due to Tarzan living his whole life in the jungle he has learned to speak various animal languages including gorilla, hummingbird, rhino and according to Tarzan he can even speak eagle despite it being rusty.
Originally, Terk was going to be a male like in the books but was changed to a female after Rosie O'Donnell's audition. Coincidentally, Chris Rock was offered the role of Terk, but turned it down. In the musical, like in the books, Terk is portrayed as a male (originally portrayed by Chester Gregory) and he is a tenor.
In the movie, Kala is a member of a troop of gorillas and is the mate of Kerchak, the leader. At the beginning of the film, she has a son with Kerchak, but their baby is killed by a leopard.
Overview... a human raised by gorillas. After his human parents were shipwrecked and killed in the African jungle, Tarzan was adopted by a kindhearted gorilla named Kala and her standoffish mate Kerchak.
The character's background included his birth in Africa, becoming an orphan, and then raised by apes. His real name was given to him as John Clayton, but since he was brought up by an ape family, they named him Tarzan, which meant “white skin.”
Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel, first published 100 years ago as Tarzan of the Apes, tells the story of John Clayton, a child born to a pair of shipwrecked aristocrats and raised by apes in the coastal jungles of equatorial Africa, eventually living out his days as the king of the jungle.
Despite what Disney fans may believe, Tarzan is not related to "Frozen" characters Anna and Elsa. "Can I put one rumor to rest that is my fault? Tarzan's parents are not Anna and Elsa's parents," said codirector Chris Buck during a 20th anniversary panel for "Tarzan" to a lot of applause from the crowd.
In the novel, their names are given as Lady Alice Greystoke and Lord John Greystoke. Their death is different from the original source material. In the novel Tarzan of the Apes, Tarzan's mother dies from natural causes and Tarzan's father is killed by Kerchak.
