Oh, the power to be strong
And the wisdom to be wise
All these things will come to you in time
On this journey that you're making
There'll be answers that you'll seek
And it's you who'll climb the mountain
It's you who'll reach the peak
Son of Man, look to the sky
Lift your spirit, set it free
Someday you'll walk tall with pride
Son of Man, a man in time you'll be
Though there's no one there to guide you
No one to take your hand
But with faith and understanding,
You will journey from boy to man
Son of Man, look to the sky
Lift your spirit, set it free
Someday you'll walk tall with pride
Son of Man, a man in time you'll be
In learning you will teach
And in teaching you will learn
You'll find your place beside the ones you love
Oh, and all the things you dreamed of
The visions that you saw
Well, the time is drawing near now
It's yours to claim it all
Son of Man, look to the sky
Lift your spirit, set it free
Someday you'll walk tall with pride
Son of Man, a man in time you'll be
Son of Man
Son of Man's a man for all to see
A Disney movie and song that are much closer to the top of my list. I love just about everything about Tarzan, and naturally, this was how I first got a taste of Phil Collins, who's one of my most favorite singers.
This song is a real inspiration to boys and girls alike.
Besides the awesome music, the animation is superb. I was always jealous of Glen Keane and how he made Tarzan's anatomy look so easy to draw. This was about the time I paid closer attention to anatomical accuracy in my own artwork, although I had a long way to go and I'm still learning to this day.
But probably what I love most about this movie is the absolutely beautiful message of what makes a family. A real family is so much more than mere biological ties.
Kala doesn't consider Tarzan a replacement to her own lost baby by any means, but she nonetheless expresses sincere gratitude for a second chance at motherhood. And when Tarzan is all grown up and finally learns where he really came from, he tells Kala in complete earnest, "No matter where I go, you will always be my mother."
That's the movie's crown jewel.
Of course, I'm not knocking the love story between Tarzan and Jane. How they first meet is both hilarious and heartwarming. I still crack up when Tarzan rolls his eyes at having to save Jane from those angry monkeys (yet again) and Jane says to herself, "I am in a tree with a man who talks to monkeys!"
Then it becomes incredibly sweet, almost haunting, when Tarzan puts his hand against Jane's and realizes how much she is like him, and just the way he looks into her eyes...that's about as good as it gets in animation. The expressiveness is absolutely astounding.
If that wasn't enough to bring a tear to your eye, Glen Keane said he used his first interaction with his newborn daughter to help him pull off Tarzan's awestruck expression. Simply thinking about it is giving me the warm fuzzies right now.
Like I just said, absolutely beautiful.
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