We are back with another Disney+ battle. This time we will be comparing and contrasting two popular films from the Disney Renaissance. Let’s see who wins between “Aladdin” and “Tarzan.”

1. PROTAGONIST

The main character of “Aladdin” is Aladdin, a homeless orphan who wants to live in the palace. He finds a magic lamp and a genie helps turn him into a prince so he can woo the princess and eventually marry her (in a straight to video sequel.) Meanwhile, the main character of “Tarzan” is Tarzan. A young man who is stranded in the jungle with his parents. But when his parents are killed by a jaguar, a family of apes take him in and raise him as one of their own. Along the way, both have to prevent their new families from being destroyed by someone they thought they could trust. I think Tarzan drives the plot a little more than Aladdin does. Point to “Tarzan.”

Aladdin 0 | Tarzan 1

2. ANTAGONIST

The villain of “Aladdin” is Jafar, the Sultan’s most trusted advisor who is trying to usurp the throne. He wants the lamp for himself and must use Aladdin to get it. He is sneaky and manipulative, plus he has a snake staff that is used for hypnotizing the Sultan. The villain of “Tarzan” is Clayton, a hired hand who is secretly trying to find the gorillas so he can capture and sell them for a fortune. Both are villainous, but I’m going to give the edge to Clayton. Point to “Tarzan.”

Aladdin 0 | Tarzan 2

3. SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

“Aladdin” has some of the best supporting characters in the Disney canon with Abu, Genie, Carpet and Iago. These four can often steal the show. While “Tarzan” has some good supporting characters in Terk and Tantor, “Aladdin” wins this one by a mile. Point to “Aladdin.”

Aladdin 1 | Tarzan 2

4. MUSIC

This is easily the toughest category to pick a winner because the Disney Renaissance films feature some amazing music in almost every film. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken were set to team up for their third Disney film until Ashman’s untimely passing. Tim Rice took over for Ashman and he and Menken delivered some iconic music. For “Tarzan,” Disney turned to legendary musician Phil Collins to write and perform the music. Simply put, the soundtracks and scores for both films are amazing, it just comes down to what you prefer. It’s a subjective pick, but I am going with “Aladdin.”

Aladdin 2 | Tarzan 2

5. MEMORABLE MOMENTS

Now we are to the most subjective category. For me, the memorable moments of “Aladdin” include “One Step Ahead,” the Cave of Wonders, the genie, “Never Had a Friend Like Me,” “Prince Ali,” “A Whole New World,” Jafar trying to hypnotize the Sultan, Jafar becoming a genie and Aladdin trapping Jafar. For “Tarzan,” I remember “You’ll Be In My Heart,” “Trashing the Camp,” Clayton and his goons attacking the camp, and Tarzan saving the day. Simply put, “Aladdin” is more memorable. Point to “Aladdin.”

Aladdin 3 | Tarzan 2

Jeremy Brown

Jeremy has been a big Disney fan since he was a kid growing up during the Disney Renaissance. One day he hopes to go to every Disney Park in the world.

View all posts