George of the Jungle (1997)

56% of critics liked it
(52 reviews)
47% of users liked it
(482,128 ratings)

Jay Ward's fondly-remembered cartoon series about a klutzy king of the jungle gets the big-screen, live-action treatment in this comedy from Walt Disney Pictures. A young boy named George becomes lost in the jungles of the African nation of Bukuvu following a plane crash, where he's rescued and… More Jay Ward's fondly-remembered cartoon series about a klutzy king of the jungle gets the big-screen, live-action treatment in this comedy from Walt Disney Pictures. A young boy named George becomes lost in the jungles of the African nation of Bukuvu following a plane crash, where he's rescued and raised to manhood by an articulate ape called Ape (voice of John Cleese). George grows to become a strapping adult (played by Brendan Fraser) who is cheerful and good-hearted but not terribly bright, not to mention his nasty habit of running into trees while swinging on vines from one part of the jungle to another. Ursula Stanhope (Leslie Mann), an heiress from San Francisco, travels to Bukuvu for a safari, both to satisfy her thirst for adventure and because she's trying to get away from the snooty Lyle Van Der Groot (Thomas Haden Church), whom she is engaged to marry even though she doesn't like him very much. Lyle follows Ursula to Bukuvu, hoping to catch up with her and locate the legendary White Ape of the Jungle; when Ursula becomes stranded and is rescued by George, Lyle is determined to rescue her from the savage ape man, even though George is a greater threat to himself than anyone else. George finds himself infatuated with the lovely Ursula, and he hopes to win her heart, even though he's a bit rusty on the particulars of the human courtship ritual (Ape tries to help by lending him a copy of "Coffee, Tea, or Me?"). We also get to meet George's faithful pet Shep, an elephant who seems to have gotten the idea that he's a Cocker Spaniel. Blaxploitation legend Richard Roundtree also appears as Bukuvu dignitary Kwame. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 31 min.
Directed By: Sam Weisman
Written By: Dana Olsen, Audrey Wells
Genres: Action & Adventure, Kids & Family, Comedy

In Theaters: Jul 16, 1997 Wide
On DVD: Dec 2, 1997

Critic Reviews

Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Surprisingly pleasant.
Leonard Klady, Variety
Not quite inspired lunacy, the film has a game, likable quality and strong sequel potential.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
A pleasant surprise, one of the most witty, entertaining family films to come out in some time.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
George George, George of the Jungle. Boom boom BOOM BOOM . . . Oh, please shut up.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
There is not a banana's worth of plot in the Dana Olsen and Audrey Wells script to offer narrative nourishment.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
An amiable, highly ingratiating piece of lowbrow entertainment, and the audience of mainly young children and parents I saw it with on Saturday night clearly had a ball. So did I.
Kelly Kessler, Common Sense Media
Live-action take on popular tale is family fun.
, Film4
An uninspired, if mildly likeable, spin on the Tarzan legend from Disney.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Amiable but toothless...
Wally Hammond, Time Out
The story is incidental -- the villain wants to abduct the talking ape for financial gain -- and thankfully the animatronics and computer effects aren't allowed to overwhelm the proceedings.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
This is off-beat, goofy, entertaining summer fun.
Staci Layne Wilson, StaciWilson.com
Silly fun, true to the spirit of the cartoon.
Kevin A. Ranson, MovieCrypt.com
Better than it deserved to be.
Willie Waffle, WaffleMovies.com
Stupid
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum
Better than I thought it'd be. Still not very good.
Greg Muskewitz, eFilmCritic.com
As dumb as George's I.Q. is low, and as funny as Fraser's career.
Jim Shelby, Palo Alto Weekly
The whole movie is pretty good at stopping and lampooning itself every time things are getting just too silly.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jeff "

George of the Jungle is decent little live action comedy from Disney. The film is definitely silly, but it manages to bring on good laughs. Brendan Fraser gives a decent performance here, nothing that great. The film is perfect to watch as a family, and it's is a film that will… More
George of the Jungle is decent little live action comedy from Disney. The film is definitely silly, but it manages to bring on good laughs. Brendan Fraser gives a decent performance here, nothing that great. The film is perfect to watch as a family, and it's is a film that will appeal to all ages. George of the Jungle is simply put a fun comedy that though is uneven, manages to bring a few laughs. Unfortunately, the film too goofy at times, and that's why the film suffers a bit. The film is decent, but it never really that good to begin with. If you keep your expectation average, then you won't be disappointed. As far as a comedy is concerned, George of the Jungle does work, but at times it's clear that the film struggles to be something better, and doesn't quite get there. The cast do a decent job, and the film fun, but it's one of those films that aren't really memorable. Sure there are some good times to be watching this film, but it never does do anything interesting. The films biggest problem is that it lacks substance to the overall story. There's really nothing that good about the plot and it doesn't do anything really fun. The film is amusing, but you can see that the plot at times doesn't really work. But for what it is, George of the Jungle is a decent time waster; just don't expect anything truly great from this one.
Brad W

Pure crap. Its not funny, interesting, or good, its just stupidity and them thinking its going to be a straight A comedy, and its one of the worst Disney films I have ever seen.
Bethany M

A childhood favourite and a classic!
Bently L

Now that I got my review of "Dudley Do-Right" out of the way, time to look at the best Brendan Fraser adaption of a Jay Ward cartoon. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about "George of the Jungle". This is not only a guilty pleasure of mine, its one of my… More
Now that I got my review of "Dudley Do-Right" out of the way, time to look at the best Brendan Fraser adaption of a Jay Ward cartoon. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about "George of the Jungle". This is not only a guilty pleasure of mine, its one of my favorite film that I think I will never grow tired of. In this parody of the "Tarzan" story, a young explorer named Ursula travels to Africa with her annoying fiance, Lyle Van De Groot. Ursula can not stand Lyle and then gets her heart nabbed by the muscular, yet clumsy, jungle man, George, a man raised by apes since childhood. Wow, I've never used so many commas in one sentence! George than travels to Ursula's home in San Francisco where he gets a funny taste of our world. This is my favorite Brendan Fraser role. I haven't seen "Crash" yet. He really acted like the original cartoon character with his performance. Leslie Mann (It took her years to get where she is now!) is funny and sweet as Ursula and Thomas Haden Church (This is my favorite of his roles) and dim-witted and funny. Even though John Cleese played an ape in this, he still acts goofy and witty and always look like he tries to hide it. That is what I love about Cleese. But my favorite of the supporting cast is the narrator. Witty, random, and always breaking the fourth wall in a good way. If a movie is based on a cartoon, its definitely something that should not be taken seriously. The script even sounds like it isn't taking itself seriously and that is what makes the magic of this movie come alive. With its goofiness and memorable cast, "George of the Jungle" is a live action cartoon adaption that works and can easily entertain. "I said "awe". A-W-E."
Conner R

Probably one of the more kooky live action Disney movies. It feels like a cartoon a lot, but in a good way. Brenden Fraser revisits his performance in Encino Man and takes it to the next level. I really like how he was matched against vile Lyle, played flawlessly by Thomas Haden… More
Probably one of the more kooky live action Disney movies. It feels like a cartoon a lot, but in a good way. Brenden Fraser revisits his performance in Encino Man and takes it to the next level. I really like how he was matched against vile Lyle, played flawlessly by Thomas Haden Church. With talking apes and tree swinging action, it's a nutball classic that's mostly comic gold.
Dead A

Not bad. Not that funny though.
Dean M

Thumbs up! This live-action smashing comedy film based on the characters from the original cartoon TV series is heaps of laugh. The title character is simply just a Tarzan parody. The animals are definitely the best. The ape, especially the elephant. Very funny and spectacular!… More
Thumbs up! This live-action smashing comedy film based on the characters from the original cartoon TV series is heaps of laugh. The title character is simply just a Tarzan parody. The animals are definitely the best. The ape, especially the elephant. Very funny and spectacular! Brendan Fraser is fantastic as George - he is one of the most talented actors out there at the moment - though this film doesn't test his range much, he shows a nice comic flair. Leslie Mann is a lovable foil for our hero, though her squeaky voice is at times too cute.
Tim S

Brendan Fraser playing a role he plays best...brain-dead good guys.
KJ P

fantastic fun times that the entire family is sure to enjoy! This is a funny and very original movie!
Anthony L

?Watch out for that tree?! Love the theme music but that?s about it.
Lady D

As silly as this film is, I find it really funny, one of those typical no-brainer type film that just entertains
Curtis L

brendan fraser must be stopped.
Candy R

naf movie. Can't ever take Brendan seriously after this.
Dan S

Fraser is great, great movie.
Rachel F

I actually liked this movie despite how cheesy it was.
Jennifer X

childhood favorite. i still hold a soft spot for this movie.
xGary X

A daft live action version of an old cartoon that's strangely enjoyable. Brendan Fraser is one of the few actors who could get away with swinging head first into a tree for the umpteenth time and still make it funny. Oh no, wait. It's arse.
Jason S

weak
Leigh R

Histarically funny...
Jose Z

its kinda funny, the character of George fits really well on Brendan Frasier, he make it funny