George of the Jungle (1997)
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A man raised by animals in the jungle falls in love with a wealthy heiress and must navigate the complexities of the human world.
The story
After being stranded in the jungle as a baby, George is raised by animals and becomes the self-proclaimed 'White Ape.' Years later, he encounters Ursula Stanhope, a wealthy heiress traveling through Africa. When her spoiled fiancé, Lyle van de Groot, attempts to force her to leave the jungle, George intervenes. The two develop a mutual attraction, and Ursula eventually takes George back to San Francisco to show him the human world. However, George's presence in the city and the looming threat of his abduction by poachers who want his animal friends create a conflict between his jungle life and the world of the wealthy elite.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being stranded in the jungle as a baby, George is raised by animals and becomes the self-proclaimed 'White Ape.' When he meets Ursula Stanhope, a wealthy heiress, they fall in love. Ursula takes George to San Francisco, where he uses his vine-swinging skills to navigate the city. Meanwhile, poachers in Africa attempt to capture George's friends, and Lyle, Ursula's fiancé, is eventually released from prison. In a climactic sequence on the Ape River, Lyle attempts to force a marriage with Ursula while George fights off mercenaries. During a chaotic sequence involving rapids, Lyle ends up accidentally marrying a gorilla while George and Ursula successfully unite. The film ends with the couple living in their treehouse and raising a son, while the gorilla Ape moves to Las Vegas to become a singer.
- First release year
- 1997
- Runtime (minutes)
- 92
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Sam Weisman
- Writers
- Dana Olsen · screenplay; Audrey Wells · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Brendan Fraser · George; Leslie Mann · Ursula Stanhope; Thomas Haden Church · Lyle van de Groot; Holland Taylor · Beatrice Stanhope; John Bennett Perry · Arthur Stanhope; Richard Roundtree · Kwame; John Cleese · Ape
- Genres
- comedy; children's; romantic comedy
- Themes
- Nature vs. Civilization; True Love
- Tone and mood
- Comedy; Adventure
- Premise and plot tags
- Fish out of water; Parody
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1967 American animated television series
- Franchise connections
- George of the Jungle
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a commercial success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 56% · scale: percentage · review count: 52; Metacritic · score: 53 · scale: 100 · review count: 18
- Awards and nominations
- Best Fantasy Film · Saturn Awards · 24th · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The screenplay was originally a spec script titled Gorilla Boy.; The film features a mix of live animals, puppetry, and CGI.; Brendan Fraser auditioned for the role in the 1999 animated Tarzan.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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