George of the Jungle (1997)

George of the Jungle is a 1997 American live-action film adaptation of the cartoon of the same name. The film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures with Mandeville Films and originally released to movie theatres on July 16, 1997. It stars Brendan Fraser as the eponymous main character, a primitive man who was raised by animals in an African jungle; Leslie Mann as his love interest; and Thomas Haden Church as her treacherous fiancé.

A direct-to-video sequel, George of the Jungle 2, was released on DVD in 2003, however only three of the original actors (Thomas Haden Church, John Cleese, and Keith Scott) returned for the sequel.

Synopsis

The film begins with an animated introduction featuring a plane heading toward "the Heart of Africa" (more specifically, a region called "Bukuvu"). The plane crashes and George, an infant/toddler, is lost, but enjoys vine swinging and crashing into trees as a running gag. 25 years later, George (Brendan Fraser) has grown into a Tarzan-like man, the "King of the Jungle", who makes his home around Ape mountain. His friends include a sophisticated talking gorilla named Ape (voiced by John Cleese), along with a toco toucan named Tookie, a small capuchin monkey named Little Monkey, and an African elephant named Shep, whom he calls his "dog" (all voiced by Frank Welker).

Actors