Is Jane in the 'Tarzan' Series Based on Jane Goodall? Here’s the Real Answer

Sadly, the legendary Jane Goodall passed away on Oct. 1, leaving behind an immensely inspiring legacy. Even just a single minute of perusing Jane Goodall's quotes will leave you motivated to make a change and make the world a safer, better place for humans and animals alike.

For fans of a certain age, watching the classic 1999 Disney film Tarzan was a pivotal moment in their lives. Many have wondered over the years if the character of Jane was based on Jane Goodall.

Is there any truth to the rumor that Jane, from the Disney film Tarzan, is based on Jane Goodall? Was the Tarzan series of books based on Goodall's career and teachings? Did the pioneer primatologist influence, in any way, the story or characters of the film Tarzan? We tackle these questions, and more, below.

So, in honor of Goodall's wonderful legacy, let's explore the fun question of whether or not Jane Goodall inspired the character of Jane in the Tarzan film or book series.

If you know your Disney history and the timeline of the books that inspired the movie, you likely already know the answer.

Believe it or not, it was the other way around: According to Newsweek, Goodall has said in the past that the Tarzan of the Apes book from the Tarzan series inspired her career.

"I used to haunt a secondhand book shop, and one day I found this little book. I just had saved up enough pennies to buy it, and that was called Tarzan of the Apes," Goodall recalls in the video above. "So, of course, I fell in love as a 10-year-old child [with] this glorious lord of the jungle. And what did he do? He married the wrong Jane."

According to Newsweek, the Tarzan of the Apes book from the Tarzan series was published in 1912 by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The Tarzan film premiered in 1999, and Goodall was born on April 3, 1934.

Add it all up, and of course, the character of Jane in Tarzan could not have been based on a woman born 22 years after the book was first published.

"I read Tarzan up there," Goodall recalled in the interview with CBS Sunday Morning in the TikTok above. "There was no TV back then. That's when my dream began. I'll go to Africa, live with animals, write books about them. That was it."

Goodall leaves behind a trailblazing legacy that has no doubt inspired countless future scientists, animal behaviorists, vegans, and animal welfare activists. While she didn't inspire the character of Jane in Tarzan, knowing the book inspired her is satisfying.