Recently, we were reminded that the Disney-verse has two jungle-dwelling, raised-by-animals individuals, Mowgli and Tarzan. We started wondering: was their experience the same? How did they each get there? What happened to them? Clearly, we had to re-watch both movies and find out just how similar (or different) these two “man cubs” really are:
Origin Story
It seems like both boys had bad experiences with boats. Tarzan’s family was in some kind of boat wreck and fire, and Mowgli was found alone in a basket on a boat. Unlike Mowgli, Tarzan still had his parents… until Sabor interfered. Mowgli was discovered by Bagheera, who took him to be raised by wolves, and Tarzan was adopted by Kala, after she lost her own son to Sabor.
Personality
Both Mowgli and Tarzan are happy-go-lucky children, seemingly without a care in the world. We take this to mean they are extra happy, since they actually should have lots of cares in the jungle. Lots. We won’t go into it, but note the previously mentioned evil leopard, Sabor.
Friends
Both man cubs have good friends, but other animals do make fun of them for being different. They get equally bummed out over this.
Family
Tarzan essentially devotes his life to becoming the best gorilla ever, and even winds up as the leader of the entire family. Mowgli was technically raised by wolves, but he’s more of a friend than one of the pack.
Strength
We don’t really need to spell this one out… Tarzan is a lot stronger and more physically intimidating. He is older, but we bet child Tarzan could defeat child Mowgli, if it came to blows.
Primates
They both have some troubling primate encounters (excluding Tarzan’s actual family of gorillas).
Big Cats
Big cats are also not amazingly friendly towards either man cub, with the exception of Bagheera.
Bravery
Mowgli can’t compete with Tarzan’s strength, but they could go toe-to-toe in bravery. Nothing much can scare these guys… we bet they’d even go on Tower of Terror, if pressed.
Combat
Mowgli’s fighting skills leave something to be desired (until the fire scene at the end), but Tarzan is king of the jungle.
Stage Presence
Mowgli can sing and dance with the best of them. Tarzan tries… but he just doesn’t have the natural entertainer essence that Mowgli possesses. (Maybe Tarzan needs to hang with Baloo for a while?)
The Ladies
Tarzan’s love for Jane almost takes him back to London, and Mowgli is drawn to the village by the girl fetching water. The verdict? These guys are major softies when it comes to the females.
The End
While they wound up with opposite destinies (Tarzan and Jane stayed in the jungle and Mowgli went to the man village), they both ended up exactly where they belonged. Tarzan convinced his new family to stay in the jungle, and Mowgli followed his heart to join the other humans in the village.
Source: Oh My Disney
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