Kala (Tarzan)
| Kala | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Tarzan of the Apes |
| Last appearance | Jungle Tales of Tarzan |
| Created by | Edgar Rice Burroughs |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Mangani Gorilla (Disney version) |
| Spouse | Tublat (book) Kerchak (Disney films) |
| Children | Akut (2016 film) Tarzan (adoptive son) |
| Relatives | Terk (niece, Disney films) |
Kala is a fictional ape character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's original Tarzan novel, Tarzan of the Apes, and in movies and other media based on it. She is the foster mother of Tarzan and raised him following the death of his parents.
Fictional character biography
[edit]In the novel, Kala is a female in a band of Mangani, a fictional species of great ape intermediate between gorillas and chimpanzees. The band of mangani encounter the Claytons, and while Kerchak attacks the father, Kala discovers their baby son. Grieving the death of her own baby, she takes the young Tarzan and raises him as her own.[1] After Tarzan reaches adulthood, Kala is killed by Kulonnga, an African hunter who Tarzan subsequently kills in revenge.[2][3][4]
Kala is frequently mentioned in Tarzan books set after her death.[2] She also appears in Jungle Tales of Tarzan, a collection of short stories set during Tarzan's youth.
In other media
[edit]Film
[edit]- Kala appears in Tarzan of the Apes (1918).
- Kala appears in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984).
- Kala appears in the Walt Disney Animation Studios film Tarzan (1999), voiced by Glenn Close.[5] This version is a gorilla and Kerchak's mate who adopted Tarzan after his parents and Kala's child were killed by the leopard Sabor.[6][7][8][9][10][2]
- The Disney incarnation of Kala appears in Tarzan II (2005), voiced again by Glenn Close.[5]
- Kala appears in Tarzan (2013). Similar to the Disney incarnation, this version is a gorilla and Kerchak's mate.
- Kala appears in The Legend of Tarzan (2016).
Television
[edit]The Disney incarnation of Kala appears in The Legend of Tarzan (2001), voiced by Susanne Blakeslee.[5]
Video games
[edit]- The Disney incarnation of Kala appears in the video game adaptation of Tarzan (1999), voiced by Susanne Blakeslee.[5]
- The Disney incarnation of Kala appears in Kingdom Hearts (2002).[11]
- The Disney incarnation of Kala appears in Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure (2003).[5]
See also
[edit]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Libbey, Dirk (July 1, 2016). "The Biggest Changes The Legend Of Tarzan Made From The Original Books". Cinema Blend. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
- ^ a b c Brode, Douglas; Brode, Shea T. (June 24, 2016). It's the Disney Version!: Popular Cinema and Literary Classics. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 214–215. ISBN 9781442266070.
- ^ Berglund, Jeff (June 21, 2006). Cannibal Fictions: American Explorations of Colonialism, Race, Gender, and Sexuality. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 81. ISBN 9780299215941.
- ^ Bronski, Michael (May 15, 2012). A Queer History of the United States. Beacon Press. p. 136. ISBN 9780807044650.
- ^ a b c d e "Kala Voices (Tarzan)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved April 27, 2025. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
- ^ Hrvatin, Nat (February 11, 2025). "'Tarzan' Is The Saddest Disney Movie. Full Stop". Scary Mommy. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
- ^ Guest (June 18, 2024). "'Tarzan' at 25 – Review". The Film Magazine. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
- ^ Bruncati, Danielle (June 21, 2024). "Disney's Tarzan Just Turned 25, Here's Why It's Still One Of My Favorite Animated Movies Ever". Cinema Blend. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
- ^ Davis, Amy M. (February 20, 2007). Good Girls & Wicked Witches: Women in Disney's Feature Animation. John Libbey Publishing. p. 204. ISBN 9780861969012.
- ^ Wannamaker, Annette (September 10, 2012). Boys in Children's Literature and Popular Culture: Masculinity, Abjection, and the Fictional Child. Routledge. p. 63. ISBN 9780415974691.
- ^ Osik, Zoë J. (April 9, 2024). "Exactly How Many Disney Characters Have Appeared In A Kingdom Hearts Game?". The Gamer. Retrieved April 27, 2025.