Tarzan. Poster of the 1999 movie and cover of the 1912 book, Tarzan of the Apes
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Tarzan of the Apes
Edgar Rice Burroughs, 1912
movie vs book
Chris Buck, Kevin Lima, 1999

In the mid-1860s, an English couple and their infant son are shipwrecked off the Congolese coast. Kala, a female gorilla who recently lost her own child to Sabor, finds the human infant and takes him back to the jungle to raise as her own, despite the disapproval of her mate, Kerchak, who is also their group’s leader.


Tarzan the Ape Man. Poster of the 1932 movie and cover of the 1912 book, Tarzan of the Apes
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Tarzan of the Apes
Edgar Rice Burroughs, 1912
movie vs book
W.S. Van Dyke, 1932

James Parker and Harry Holt travel in Africa on a quest for the legendary elephant burial grounds and their ivory. Holt is attracted to Jane, and tries somewhat ineffectively to protect her from the jungle’s dangers. He notably fails to prevent her abduction by the jungle’s guardian, the mysterious Tarzan and his ape allies.


John Carter. Poster of the 2012 movie and cover of the 1912 book, A Princess of Mars
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A Princess of Mars
Edgar Rice Burroughs, 1912
movie vs book
Andrew Stanton, 2012

In 1881, Edgar Rice Burroughs attends the funeral of his uncle, John Carter, a former American Civil War Confederate Army captain who died suddenly. A Thern appears in the cave at that moment and, surprised by the two men, attacks them with a knife; Carter kills him but accidentally activates the Thern’s powerful medallion, and is unwittingly transported to a ruined and dying planet, Barsoom.


John Carter. Poster of the 2012 movie and cover of the book novelization
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John Carter
Stuart Moore, 2012
movie vs book   [NOVELIZATION]
Andrew Stanton, 2012

In 1881, Edgar Rice Burroughs attends the funeral of his uncle, John Carter, a former American Civil War Confederate Army captain who died suddenly. A Thern appears in the cave at that moment and, surprised by the two men, attacks them with a knife; Carter kills him but accidentally activates the Thern’s powerful medallion, and is unwittingly transported to a ruined and dying planet, Barsoom.


Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes. Poster of the 1984 movie and cover of the 1912 book, Tarzan of the Apes
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Tarzan of the Apes
Edgar Rice Burroughs, 1912
movie vs book
Hugh Hudson, 1984

John, Lord Clayton, the heir to the 6th Earldom of Greystoke, and his pregnant wife Alice are shipwrecked on the African coast. At age five, the boy learns how to swing a vine and is still trying to fit in with his ape family, then he fell into the mud and learns how to whistle.


The Legend of Tarzan. Poster of the 2016 movie and cover of the 1912 book, Tarzan of the Apes
VS3
Tarzan of the Apes
Edgar Rice Burroughs, 1912
movie vs book
David Yates, 2016

At the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, the Congo Basin is claimed by King Leopold II of the Belgians. The Prime Minister and an American envoy, George Washington Williams, explain that Leopold is defaulting on his loans, and a visit from Greystoke – whose exploits as Tarzan have made him a celebrity – would secure Britain’s influence in the Congo, but Greystoke refuses.