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Sabor is a featured article, which means it has been identified as one of the best articles produced by the Disney Wiki community. If you see a way this page can be updated or improved without compromising previous work, please feel free to contribute.

Sabor is the secondary antagonist of Disney's 1999 animated feature film, Tarzan. Introduced as the antagonist during the film's first act.

Background

Personality

Sabor was a dangerous, aggressive, and ferocious leopard who is well known throughout the jungle. Notably, she is the only animal character in the film (other than the baboons) who never speaks, instead of communicating with snarls and roars. In addition to being a stealthy predator, she was also extremely defiant and never backed down from a fight.

Sabor is one of the most lethal fighters in Disney to date; exceptionally deadly in battle and merciless as a carnivore. While still a young adult, she killed and devoured the infant son of Kerchak and Kala, slaughtered both of Tarzan's parents, and fought Kala over the infant Tarzan, although Kala managed to escape with the baby. Approximately twenty years later, Sabor has not only lived a remarkably long life for a leopard but is still an incredibly lethal fighter. Not only did she defeat Kerchak, displaying incredible speed and agility which gave the advantage over the gorilla's brute strength, but came even closer to killing Tarzan than Clayton ever did, and it was only through accuracy was Tarzan able to kill the lunging leopard with the spear tip.

Physical appearance

Sabor is a large leopard with a slender, strongly built form that allows quick movement when hunting down prey. Clad in bright yellow fur with dark spots, she always displays a fierce expression with long, razor-sharp fangs and large green eyes.

Appearances

Tarzan

In the opening song, "Two Worlds", Sabor's vivid eyes are seen as the leopard growls, and soon later when Kerchak and Kala are resting, their young baby is playing far off. Sabor chases him and kills him off-screen, leaving Kala horrified and she cries into Kerchak's arms. Later on, as the family is passing by the treehouse that Tarzan's parents built, Kala hears a baby's cry and rushes to Tarzan's old treehouse to investigate, finding it trashed and his parents' lifeless bodies next to Sabor's bloodied pawprints, much to her horror. She finds the baby and cuddles him when Sabor suddenly leaps from a beam and attacks them both. As Kala escapes with Tarzan on a lowering rowboat, Sabor gets her foot caught on the ropes lowering the boat, and is hoisted up into the air, left dangling from the top of the treehouse.

Sabor later appears in about the middle of the film, ambushing and attacking the gorillas. Kerchak tries to fight her, but he is no match for the leopard's speed and agility and receives a wound to the chest. Before she can deliver the fatal blow, however, Tarzan comes in swinging on a vine, kicking the leopard backward. During the fight, Sabor scratches Tarzan's chest almost into his heart and also slashes off the tip of Tarzan's spear. The spear tip falls onto a flimsy covering of a pit and Tarzan heads after it and eventually grabs it. Sabor leaps down on the ape-man and they plunge into the pit, and the leopard is incidentally impaled with the head of Tarzan's shattered spear as the ape-man raises it against her, finally killing the leopard. Tarzan then calls out the famous ape-man cry, as he lifts up Sabor's corpse, having avenged both his parents and Kala and Kerchak's baby.

The Legend of Tarzan

Sheeta, the discarded original Burroughs designation, was later used in The Legend of Tarzan show as the name for one of two black panthers that attack together (the name of the other was Nuru). Black Panthers are actually a color variety of leopards and they do exist in African jungles, although they seem to be rare. In a few episodes, Sabor has been mentioned. In some episodes of the series, Tarzan battles an unnamed leopard resembling Sabor. In "Tarzan and the Flying Ace", when Tarzan meets Jane's former childhood friend Robert Canler, Tarzan says that when he looks into Robert's eyes, he feels as if Sabor is looking back at him.

Tarzan II

Sabor made a brief appearance in Tarzan II, who chases a young Tarzan into a valley. Sabor nearly kills him, but the sudden cry of the Zugor frightens the leopard off.

Printed media

Kingdom Keepers

In the seventh book of the series - The Insider - Sabor appears as one of the minions of the Overtakers. Finn is investigating Tarzan's Treehouse for clues to the Osiris Myth for bringing Mickey Mouse back to life. He takes notice of the Sabor statue and knowing full well that it could be brought to life asks the Dillard hologram to keep watch on it with the cameras. No sooner does this occur and Finn leaves, Sabor comes to life and tries to kill him. Luckily, Finn's girlfriend Amanda is able to use a powerful telekinetic blast to knock her out of the tree and down below, where Sabor reverts to a statue.

Video games

Kingdom Hearts

Sabor KH

In Kingdom Hearts, Sabor serves as both a recurring enemy and a mini-boss for Deep Jungle. She can be encountered in four different areas, each time trying to kill Sora and his friends until the final encounter as a mini-boss. The battle occurs within a bamboo thicket, resulting in her defeat as the leopard stares into the sky for a brief moment before seeing the light and collapsing, meeting her end and leaving Sora with one of the leopard’s knocked out fangs.

Disney Parks

Disneyland Resort

Sabor is seen in Tarzan's Treehouse attraction. Guests walk up multiple steps until they come upon a small hut with everything wrecked, ripped, and broken. They can be seen in the middle of it, with mouth wide open in a crazy way.

Shanghai Disneyland

Sabor is featured in Tarzan: Call of the Jungle, which reinterprets the film (and their final battle with Tarzan) as a ballet dancer.

Gallery

Wiki
The Disney Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Sabor.

Trivia

  • In the novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the name Sabor is a feminine term used to describe lionesses, while the name Numa described male lions. Sheeta was the proper term in the fictional ape language of Mangani for leopards in the novels.
  • As lions are not found in jungles, Sabor was changed from a lion to a leopard for the film, which is the real apex predator of the jungle area depicted.
  • Despite being a leopard, Sabor was portrayed in a very stylized way, possessing a long, sleek body similar to a cheetah; very long, thin fangs (almost like those of a saber-toothed cat); large, scarce spots like a jaguar, and slitted pupils. As usual in film depictions of big cats, her roars and growls are a mixture of several felines, including leopards, jaguars, lions, tigers, and cougars.
  • In real life, leopards do in fact hunt gorillas and are apex predators.
  • Originally, Sabor was shown killing Tarzan's father at the beginning of the film, but the scene was removed. It can still be seen on the 2-disc DVD.
  • Sabor's gender is unknown, but within the Kingdom Hearts universe, is credited as a male.
    • However, Sabor was based on the lionesses from the Tarzan novels, so she is more likely a female.
  • Sabor has a total of thirty to seventy spots.
  • Sabor lived a remarkably long life for a wild leopard, being over twenty years old at the time of death. Interestingly, she showed no signs of aging, and her physical condition had not deteriorated at all. In real life, the average typical lifespan of a wild leopard is between 12 and 17 years. The oldest recorded leopard was a female named Roxanne living in captivity at McCarthy's Wildlife Sanctuary in The Acreage, Palm Beach County, Florida. She died on August 8, 2014, at the age of 24 years, 2 months and 13 days.
  • According to the film commentary, the lighting in Tarzan's duel against Sabor is symbolic. Whenever Tarzan is safe from Sabor, he's always in the shade, but he's vulnerable to her when he's outside of the shadows. The commentators say that this reflected how the gorillas were safe in their shady and secluded tree nests.
  • Despite being classified as a villain, Sabor is not truly evil. Rather, she is simply a fierce predator that is trying to survive in a harsh jungle.


v - e - d
Tarzan logo
Media
Films: Tarzan (soundtrack/video) • Tarzan & JaneTarzan II (video) • The Legend of Tarzan

Television: The Legend of TarzanHouse of Mouse
Video Games: Disney's TarzanTarzan: UntamedReturn to the JungleKingdom HeartsDisney's Extreme Skate Adventure

Disney Parks
Disney Animation BuildingTarzan's Treehouse

Entertainment: Disney Adventure Friends CavalcadeFantasmic!Festival of Family & FriendsHakuna Matata Time Dance PartyOne Man's Dream II: The Magic Lives On!Rivers of Light: We Are OneTarzan Rocks!Tarzan: The EncounterThe Forest of Enchantment: A Disney Musical AdventureThe Golden Mickeys
Shops: Professor Porter's Trading Post
Parades: Parade of the StarsFlights of Fantasy ParadeMickey's Soundsational Parade
Fireworks: Believe... There's Magic in the StarsCelebrate the MagicHappily Ever AfterMomentousRemember... Dreams Come TrueTree of Life AwakensIlluminate! A Nighttime CelebrationWondrous Journeys
Christmas: A Christmas Fantasy Parade

Characters
Original: TarzanTerkTantorKalaKerchakKerchak and Kala's BabyFlynt and MungoSaborTarzan's ParentsManuJane PorterArchimedes Q. PorterClayton and his menBaboonsThe Captain

Midquel: ZugorMama GundaKago and Uto
TV Series: Robert CanlerNigel TaylorTublatHistaZuthoGozan and HungoIan McTeagueThaddeus HuntJake & SamMabayaGobuFungiCount Nikolas RokoffLady WalthamQueen LaLeopard MenMuviroKajDr. DoyleEleanorGreenlyHazelIanLieutenant Colonel StaquaitRenard DumontJohannes NielsSamuel T. PhilanderTheodore RooseveltHugo and HooftNura and SheetaEdgar Rice BurroughsManganiJabariDaniaGerman PoacherBasuliNaohChief KeewaziFemale Tyrannosaurus RexVelociraptorsTriceratopsWaziri TribeStanley ObrowskiAbby Markham

Episodes
Season One: "Race Against Time" • "Trading Post" • "Lost Cub" • "Lost City of Opar" • "Fugitives" • "Rogue Elephant" • "Poisoned River" • "Enemy Within" • "Fountain" • "Hidden World" • "Rift" • "Giant Beetles" • "Jungle Madness" • "Protege" • "Leopard Men Rebellion" • "Rough Rider" • "Seeds of Destruction" • "Silver Ape" • "Challenger" • "Outbreak" • "Silver Screen" • "Beast from Below" • "All-Seeing Elephant" • "New Wave" • "Lost Treasure" • "Return of La" • "One Punch Mulligan" • "Missing Link" • "Prison Break" • "Eagle's Feather" • "Face from the Past" • "Caged Fury" • "Gauntlet of Vengeance" • "Mysterious Visitor" • "Tublat's Revenge"

Season Two: "British Invasion" • "Volcanic Diamond Mine" • "Flying Ace"

Songs
Film: Two WorldsYou'll Be in My HeartSon of ManTrashin' the CampStrangers Like MeSinging to the Song of LifeWho Am I?

Musical: Who Better than MeNo Other WayI Need to KnowSure as Sun Turns to MoonWaiting for this MomentDifferentLike No Man I've Ever SeenFor the First TimeEverything that I Am

Locations
AfricaJunglePellucidarDark MountainSkull Cave
See Also
The Disney AfternoonDisney RenaissanceMusical/SoundtrackQueen La's Staff


v - e - d
Kingdom keepers - logo
Books
Kingdom KeepersKingdom Keepers I: Disney After DarkKingdom Keepers II: Disney at DawnKingdom Keepers III: Disney in ShadowKingdom Keepers IV: Power PlayKingdom Keepers V: Shell GameKingdom Keepers VI: Dark PassageKingdom Keepers VII: The Insider
Characters
Original Characters: Finn WhitmanCharlene TurnerTerrence MaybeckDell PhilbyIsabella AngeloWayne KreskyAmanda LockhartJessica LockhartMrs. WhithamGreg LuowskiDillard Cole

Disney Characters: Mickey MouseMinnie MouseGoofyDonald DuckDaisy DuckPlutoChip and DaleArielViolet ParrMulanKing TritonMegaraStitchRemyDjangoRajahPrince PhillipElsaRapunzelTimonPumbaaTiggerLiloWinnie the PoohPiglet
Overtakers: MaleficentChernabogThe Evil QueenCruella De VilClaude FrolloUrsulaJafarShan YuJack SparrowTia DalmaGastonPrince JohnHorned KingBig Bad WolfJ. Worthington FoulfellowGideonShenzi, Banzai, and EdDiabloMagic BroomsGreen Army MenBlackbeardShere KhanSi and AmHopperFlotsam and JetsamJudge DoomMadame LeotaSaborThe Headless HorsemanStormtroopersScarZira

Locations
Magic KingdomEpcotDisney's Hollywood StudiosDisney's Animal KingdomDisney's Typhoon LagoonDisneyQuestCinderella CastleIt's a Small WorldSplash MountainThe New Adventures of Winnie the PoohBig Thunder Mountain RailroadCamp Minnie-MickeyExpedition EverestFantasmic!Voyage of the Little MermaidDisney DreamWalt Disney: One Man's DreamDisney's Animal Kingdom LodgeSoarin'Mission: SPACETest TrackWonders of LifeMorocco PavilionChina PavilionFrance PavilionNorway PavilionMexico PavilionDisneylandJungle CruiseThe Sorcerer's HatIndiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden EyeBuzz Lightyear Astro BlastersThe Haunted MansionCasey Jr. Circus TrainMickey's ToontownMatterhornThe Disney Gallery


v - e - d
Kingdom Hearts utilized logo
Games
Kingdom Hearts (HD I.5 ReMIX/Soundtrack/Soundtrack Complete/HD I.5 ReMIX Soundtrack) • Chain of MemoriesKingdom Hearts II (HD II.5 ReMIX/HD II.8 Final Chapter Prologue/Soundtrack/HD II.5 ReMIX Soundtrack ) • 358/2 DaysBirth by Sleep (Soundtrack) • codedDream Drop Distance (Soundtrack) • χ [chi]Unchained χ/Union χ [cross]Kingdom Hearts IIIDark RoadMelody of MemoryMissing-LinkKingdom Hearts IV
Other media
Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween PartyAgrabah (Kingdom Hearts pilot)
Incorporated Films and Shorts
Aladdin/The Return of JafarAlice in WonderlandBeauty and the BeastBig Hero 6CinderellaFantasiaFrozenHerculesThe Hunchback of Notre DameLilo & StitchThe Lion KingThe Little MermaidMickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three MusketeersMonsters, Inc.MulanThe Nightmare Before ChristmasPeter PanPinocchioPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl/Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's EndSleeping BeautySnow White and the Seven DwarfsSteamboat WillieTangledTarzanToy StoryTron/Tron: LegacyWinnie the PoohWreck-It Ralph
Characters
Main Characters: SoraRikuKairiKing MickeyDonald DuckGoofyRoxasAxel/LeaNaminéXionAquaTerraVentus

Villains: XehanortAnsemXemnasMaleficentPeteVanitasXigbar/BraigXaldinVexenLexaeusZexionSaïx/IsaDemyxLuxordMarluxiaLarxeneTerra-XehanortYoung XehanortXehanort's Guardian
Other Characters: Jiminy CricketAnsem the Wise/DiZYen SidMaster EraqusDilanEvenAeleusIenzoLingering WillHaynerPenceOletteKairi's GrandmaRiku ReplicaJiminy's JournalForetellersMaster of MastersLuxuEphemerSkuldChirithyStrelitziaLauriamYozoraVorHermod
Original Monsters: HeartlessNobodiesUnversedDream Eater
Disney Characters introduced in Kingdom Hearts: Queen MinnieDaisy DuckPlutoChip and DaleHuey, Dewey, and LouieMagic BroomsAliceWhite RabbitDoorknobCheshire CatQueen of HeartsCard SoldiersTarzanJane PorterClaytonTerkKerchakKalaSaborHerculesPhiloctetesHadesCerberusRock TitanIce TitanAladdinAbuJasmineGenieCarpetJafarIagoPeddlerCave of WondersPinocchioGeppettoMonstroCleoArielFlounderSebastianUrsulaKing TritonFlotsam and JetsamGlutJack SkellingtonZeroSallyOogie BoogieLock, Shock, and BarrelDr. FinkelsteinMayor of Halloween TownPeter PanTinker BellCaptain HookMr. SmeeWendyCrocodileMerlinWinnie the PoohTiggerPigletEeyoreRabbitOwlRooBeesBeastBelleSnow WhiteCinderellaFairy GodmotherAuroraPongoPerditaDalmatian PuppiesSimbaMushuDumboBambiChernabog
Disney Characters introduced in Kingdom Hearts II: Flora, Fauna, and MerryweatherMaleficent's RavenScrooge McDuckMulanLi ShangShan YuHayabusaYao, Ling, and Chien PoThe EmperorLumiereCogsworthMrs PottsChipWardrobePegasusMegaraPain and PanicHydraHorace HorsecollarClarabelle CowClara CluckJack SparrowElizabeth SwannWill TurnerCaptain BarbossaBo'sunJacobyTwiggCursed CrewPrince EricAttinaAndrinaSanta ClausSkeletal ReindeerTimonPumbaaNalaRafikiScarShenzi, Banzai, and EdMufasaKiaraPridelandersHyenasTronMaster Control ProgramCommander SarkKangaGopherStitchChicken Little
Disney Characters introduced in Birth by Sleep: Prince PhillipMaleficent's GoonsDocGrumpyHappySleepyBashfulSneezyDopeyThe PrinceEvil QueenMagic MirrorPrince CharmingJaqLady TremaineAnastasiaDrizellaLuciferGrand DukeGrand CouncilwomanCaptain GantuJumbaExperiment 221Lost Boys
Disney Characters introduced in Dream Drop Distance: QuasimodoEsmeraldaPhoebusJudge Claude FrolloVictor, Hugo, and LaverneKevin FlynnSam FlynnQuorraCLUBlack GuardsBlue FairyBeagle BoysChernabog's MinionsJulius
Disney Characters introduced in Kingdom Hearts χ: Mad HatterMarch HareRazoulRoyal GuardsMauriceGaston
Disney Characters introduced in Kingdom Hearts Union χ: SultanSamsonVanellope von SchweetzFix-It Felix Jr.Sergeant CalhounKing CandySour BillCy-BugsHero's Duty Troops
Disney Characters introduced in Kingdom Hearts III: ZeusApolloAthenaHermesLava TitanTornado TitanLittle ChefWoodyBuzz LightyearRexHammSargeGreen Army MenLittle Green MenRapunzelFlynn RiderPascalMaximusMother GothelSulleyMike WazowskiBooRandall BoggsChild Detection AgencyTrailer FolkElsaAnnaKristoffOlafSvenMarshmallowHansMr. GibbsTia DalmaDavy JonesKrakenCutler BeckettDavy Jones' Locker CrabsBaymaxHiro HamadaGo Go TomagoHoney LemonFredWasabiLumpyWreck-It Ralph
Disney Characters introduced in Kingdom Hearts Dark Road: Tweedledee and Tweedledum
Disney Characters introduced in the manga: CaterpillarChi-Fu
Square Enix Characters: LeonCloudMoogleOthers

Elements
Plot Elements: Kingdom HeartsHeartKeyblade WarDark Seeker SagaMore

Game Elements: Gameplay in Kingdom HeartsMagic

Objects
Sea-salt ice creamWayfinderDoor to DarknessKeybladeX-bladeMorePixar BallA113Pizza Planet Truck
Locations
Original Worlds: Destiny IslandsTraverse TownRadiant Garden/Hollow BastionDisney Castle/Disney Town/Timeless RiverDive to the HeartEnd of the WorldRealm of DarknessTwilight Town/Mysterious TowerThe World That Never WasCastle That Never WasLand of Departure/Castle OblivionKeyblade GraveyardDaybreak Town/Scala ad Caelum

Disney Worlds: WonderlandDeep JungleOlympus Coliseum/Underworld/OlympusAgrabahAtlanticaHalloween Town/Christmas TownNeverlandHundred Acre WoodThe Land of DragonsBeast's CastlePort Royal/The CaribbeanPride LandsSpace ParanoidsDwarf WoodlandsCastle of DreamsDeep SpaceLa Cité des ClochesThe GridPrankster's ParadiseCountry of the MusketeersToy BoxKingdom of CoronaMonstropolisArendelleSan FransokyoGame Central Station/Niceland/Cy-Bug Sector/Candy Kingdom

Organizations/Groups
Organization XIIIPrincesses of HeartDisney Villains Council
Songs
"Dearly Beloved" • "Simple and Clean" • "Sanctuary" • Face My FearsDon't Think TwiceMickey Mouse Club MarchSwim This WayPart of Your WorldUnder the SeaUrsula's RevengeA New Day is DawningDestatiThis is HalloweenHe's a PirateBeauty and the BeastBibbidi-Bobbidi-BooIt's a Small WorldNight on Bald MountainWinnie the PoohThe Sorcerer's ApprenticeThe Pastoral SymphonyNutcracker SuiteYou've Got a Friend in MeHealing IncantationPut That Thing Back Where It Came From or So Help MeLet It GoDo You Want to Build a SnowmanYo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)A Whole New WorldCircle of Life
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