The animated series is a direct continuation of Disney's 1999 film Tarzan, picking up after Kerchak's death with Tarzan now leading the gorilla family and married to Jane.

Edgar Rice Burroughs, the original creator of Tarzan, appears as a fictionalized character voiced by Steven Weber in one episode, in which he gets inspiration for his novel after meeting Tarzan.

None of the original film's voice cast returned for the series: Michael T. Weiss replaced Tony Goldwyn as Tarzan, Olivia d'Abo replaced Minnie Driver as Jane, April Winchell replaced Rosie O'Donnell as Terk, Jim Cummings replaced Wayne Knight as Tantor, Susanne Blakeslee replaced Glenn Close as Kala, and Jeff Bennett replaced Nigel Hawthorne as Professor Porter.

The deserter characters Hugo and Hooft, voiced by Dave Thomas and Joe Flaherty, are based on Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, whom the two actors were known for impersonating on the sketch show SCTV.

The villain Samuel T. Philander, Professor Porter's academic rival, is modeled after actor Terry-Thomas.

The character of Theodore Roosevelt, the former U.S. president, appears in the series based on the real-life Smithsonian–Roosevelt African Expedition he undertook after his presidency to collect wildlife specimens.

All of Season 2's episodes were reused, some edited to appear as flashbacks, in the direct-to-video sequel Tarzan & Jane, released on July 23, 2002.

The show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award and two Golden Reel Awards in 2002.