Have you ever seen Tarzan: Shame of Jane ? Or am I the only one who endured this fever dream? Let me know in the comments—preferably with a therapist’s note. Disclaimer: This film is for adult audiences only and is not affiliated with the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate or any major animation studio.
Is it entertaining? In a so-bad-it’s-hilarious way, absolutely. The dialogue is pure cheese (“Jane shame. Tarzan no shame. Tarzan… free.”). The musical interludes are bizarre Casio-keyboard ballads. And the voice acting ranges from “overly dramatic” to “sounds like they recorded this in a closet between sandwiches.” tarzan shame of jane 1995
The mid-90s were a weird time. The VHS market had exploded, and rental stores had entire back aisles dedicated to “adult animation.” Studios realized they could take public domain characters (Tarzan entered the public domain in some territories by then) and slap a risqué title on the box. Shame of Jane wasn’t trying to win Oscars. It was trying to get rented on a Friday night by someone looking for a laugh and a cheap thrill. Have you ever seen Tarzan: Shame of Jane
For collectors of weird animation history, this is a must-see (once). For fans of actual Tarzan lore, it’s an affront. For everyone else? It’s a 70-minute time capsule of a moment when the jungle got very, very weird. Disclaimer: This film is for adult audiences only
But even by those standards, is a head-scratcher.
Released in 1995 by a now-defunct studio (often misattributed to low-budget houses like Cal Vista or Video X Pix), Tarzan: Shame of Jane is exactly what the title implies: a tongue-in-cheek, adults-only retelling of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic.