In this Disney animated tale, the orphaned Tarzan grows up in the remote African wilderness, raised by the gentle gorilla Kala. When a British expedition enters the jungle, Tarzan encounters the beautiful Jane and recognizes that, like her, he's human. Falling in love with Jane, Tarzan is torn between embracing civilization and staying with his gorilla family, which becomes threatened by the ruthless hunter Clayton.
The film makes use of a Frame story to present three self-contained "episodes" via Flashback (narrative). Jane Porter (Tarzan) and Tarzan's first wedding anniversary has arrived, and Jane is trying to find a suitable present for her husband, with the help of the elephant Tantor and the gorilla Terk (Tarzan).
As a young boy being raised by gorillas after his parents were killed in an African jungle, Tarzan is worried that a fabled monster known as the Zugor (Tarzan II) will someday attempt to capture him. He is disappointed that he can't run as quickly as the other young apes in his family, and his attempts to prove himself keep resulting in chaos, disappointing Kerchak. When an accident leaves his ape mother, Kala (Tarzan), thinking that Tarzan has died after the gorillas have crossed a ravine, the other apes feel that Tarzan has reached a fitting end. Tarzan believes it's best for everyone involved if he runs away.