Disney's ability to use the character Tarzan is primarily restricted due to the expiration of their licensing agreement with the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate. This means Disney no longer holds the necessary permissions to create new content or significantly feature the character in future projects.
The Core Reason: Expired Licensing Rights
The rights to the character of Tarzan, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, are owned and managed by the Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. estate. While Disney produced the critically acclaimed animated film Tarzan in 1999 and subsequently used the character in various related media, including a television series and video games, these uses were all under a specific licensing agreement.
Over time, this agreement between Disney and the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate reached its expiration. With the contract no longer active, Disney lost the legal permission to utilize Tarzan or any associated characters and settings from his world in new productions.
Impact on Disney's Franchises
The impact of this expired contract is clearly visible in how Disney has handled its various franchises. A prominent example can be found within the Kingdom Hearts video game series.
- Initial Appearance: In the first Kingdom Hearts game, released in 2002, players could visit "Deep Jungle," Tarzan's world. Here, iconic Disney characters like Sora, Donald Duck, and Goofy collaborated directly with Tarzan to protect his home from threats, including the Heartless and the antagonist Clayton.
- Subsequent Absence: However, following the contract expiration, Tarzan and his world did not reappear in later installments of the popular series, such as Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories or Kingdom Hearts II. This absence serves as a direct consequence of Disney no longer possessing the rights to feature the character.
This situation highlights a common challenge in the entertainment industry, where the use of copyrighted characters often depends on ongoing licensing agreements. Without these in place, even established relationships between studios and intellectual property owners can cease, limiting the studio's ability to revisit beloved characters.
