Hercules (Disney)

The crown jewels of the Disney Renaissance were released in the early 90's but that doesn't mean the late 90's were a let down. Directors Ron Clements and John Musker had brought us two of those jewels ("The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin") and were next determined to produce an idea called "Treasure Planet". They came up with it in the early 80's but even during the height of the Renaissance, CEO Jeffery Katzenberg was still against it. They compromised in a deal where Clements and Musker would have to make one more movie before "Treasure Planet" would be approved for production. The two didn't mind doing "Hercules" because they liked the idea of doing a superhero movie. I would say the best characteristic of this film is the songs and then the characters but the story is also very well crafted. There is rising action and drama with some enjoyable comedy. The mythical story of Hercules would not be very entertaining for families so the filmmakers took characters & aspects from Greek mythology, kept the basic story motif but then had fun and contemporized Ancient Greece just as they did for Ancient Arabia with "Aladdin".

"The Hero's Journey" is an ancient story pattern first explained by Joseph Campbell. In fact, the myth of Hercules is one of the original sources of this motif along with other legends and Biblical stories. Most underdog movies utilize this narrative in which you have a relatable protagonist who is called to adventure by a mentor. He has supernatural aid and companions on the quest. After arriving in an unknown world, he faces many trials (labors if you will) before winning in the end. I am sure that Clements and Musker looked to the live-action "Superman" film for inspiration. There are also references to the Biblical story of "Sampson and Delilah". When I watch "Hercules" however, I see the purpose of life being played out in family-friendly fashion. Mankind since the beginning has wondered, "Who am I? Where do I belong?" According to my beliefs, we came from heaven and God is the father of our spirits. We were sent here to earth to obtain a mortal body by means of an earthly father and mother. We don't remember where we came from in order that we might live by faith and do God's will. The world is full of riches and temptations from Satan but our Heavenly Father has immortality and eternal life as a reward for those who live righteously. We can become like Him. The story of "Hercules" is symbolic of this great truth, which I hold to. Besides some serious storytelling taking place, those working on this film had fun in adapting this myth just like the studio did with "The Jungle Book" a few decades earlier. There was plenty of story and comedy potential to be had with Greek Mythology. From a design aspect, the gods of Mount Olympus are quite caricatured. While the look of Greek statues and Roman columns were incorporated, the film doesn't deviate too far from the "Fantasia" sequence of 1940. As per tradition with Disney animated adaptations, many of the characters are given American nicknames by shortening their full names. Some past examples are Pinoke, Baggy, Rob and Al. In this case, you get Phil, Meg and or course Herc (please note that Disney was not the first to give this nickname to Hercules but using it was the natural thing to do)

The Thebes sequence effective depicts Hercules as a farm boy in the city. He is "crossing the threshold" of his familiar world into an environment where he must prove himself. Beside the clouds on Mount Olympus, the hydra scene is a great example of the studio making technological advancements. What I enjoy is that the look of this computer animated character matches the 2D characters he is interacting with. Starting with the Magic Carpet, continuing with the hydra and concluding with BEN, the Disney animators under Clements and Musker were great at blending computer animation with the traditional. I also enjoy the crowd's reaction to Hercules' deeds in this scene as they go from mildly impressed, to grateful to elated. Comic timing provides some great moments. One of my favorite sight gags in this film is Hades' reaction to Herc's merchandise. Herc and those around him wonder, "What was that?" and the column in the shot is only thing physically changed by the blast. You also have Scar's cameo and I love the use of sound & editing in the "Olympus would be that way" gag. There is a smart instance of dramatic irony that most people miss in this show and my Grade 12 English teacher was the one to point it out to me. When Phil runs away after learning about Meg's supposed allegiance, Hades mistakes Phil's footsteps for flapping wings. Herc is not a fame seeker at heart. He likes being famous but he never looses sights on his goal to return to his place of origin. This is his first real setback on his quest because "being famous isn't the same as being a true hero." Another source of drama is the developing relationship between Hercules and Meg. This Disney romance is not as strong as others but it still is a useful part of the film's story. Meg sees his naivety immediately and treats him like the fish out of water that he is. Being a servant of the villain, she would rather Herc not be killed but she is still a reluctant threat to him. Still, Meg is impressed with every heroic triumph that Herc has over Hades' monsters. As a slave, she enjoys her master being defied. While Meg likes Herc, she must first overcome her trust issues. She is established as a tragic character because of her past choices and misfortunes. This is relatable for many in the audience as a result. At first, Meg desires her freedom more than her feelings for Hercules. After spending a whole day with him though, she starts to question her priorities. Hence the line, "Neither did I." After their romantic exchange, Meg has changed her mind about her deal with Hades to find a weakness in Herc. She may not be ready to acknowledge her romantic interest, even to herself but Herc doesn't deserve to die. Besides, she has no weaknesses of Hercules to give Hades, right? Wrong.

Phil plans to break the news about Meg to Herc as sensitive as he can but Hercules makes him lose his patience and this leads to a fight and fall out. I take note of the harsh lighting as the fight reaches its peak. Then all by himself, Herc makes a deal with Hades to save Meg's life just like she did for her old boyfriend. Because her life in truth is not in any danger, the feelings of guilt further change Meg's character. Sacrifice for another creates love and so the relationship between Herc and Meg continues to develop, despite Meg's betrayal. At first, their connection between them was only skin-deep but now they are becoming emotionally invested in each other. It is established that the deal between Hercules and Hades is dependant upon Meg's safety but we forget this clause in the contract due to the subsequent drama and action. As a result, it is a surprise to the on-screen characters and us when Herc gets his strength back. This is good storytelling. I have a good laugh at Hades' fit in the underworld after loosing. It is like a little kid after being sent to his room. It is made humorous by contrast with the drama we just went through seconds earlier with what happened to Meg. I really enjoy when the tables are turned on Hades when Hercules offers him a deal. Instead of a "swell consolation prize", he can get a metaphorical bronze medal with Hercules in the underworld in exchange for Meg. I love how Hades tries to figure out if there is a catch when in fact there isn't. Some might argue that Hercules knew what would happen if he sacrificed himself and that's why he did it. This doesn’t make sense to me. How could he truly commit self-sacrifice if there was no risk? He was truly willing to stay in the underworld forever if it meant Meg would live and be free. I think the biggest reason why we are pleasantly surprised over Herc's sudden victory is that even the Fates didn't see it coming. The scene is also designed to be a little terrifying with Herc's mortality being taken from him. Both he and Meg almost ended up in the underworld. For the first time, Hades is at Hercules' mercy but Herc plans on just leaving with Meg. Hades can't comprehend this so he thinks Herc is planning on some kind of revenge but our protagonist has just had enough. Herc, in one sudden but hilarious gesture, shuts Hades up. I always like those moments when the hero is just fed up and quickly makes his victory certain, even though Herc is obligated to hit Hades a second time. Heaven just isn't heaven without the ones we love and so Hercules, when given his long-desired reward, realizes that he can't be without Meg. He was home all along on earth. This is an important message because people tend to look to the stars to find happiness and they miss the blessings they have right now. The good news is that in reality, our Heavenly Father has provided a way for us to be with those we love in heaven after this life. The ending of "Hercules" has great resolution but my favorite part of it is Phil's dream coming true. All the main characters find happiness but not in the way they expected. In the end, it was enough for Herc just to know that he was a true hero and worthy of being a god again. Meg regained her freedom but by means of the love she shared with a man. Phil's dream on the other hand came true exactly the way he wanted it to. When he first speaks about his dream, people saying "That's Phil's boy" seems a little unlikely and it is funny. When the citizen says it at the very end of the movie, it gets another laugh but this time it is joyful in nature.

The cast members and filmmakers behind "Hercules" include familiar names. This was my introduction to Tate Donovan as the voice of the title character. Unlike Aladdin, Herc has no obvious character flaws that must be overcome in the story but he is naïve and takes his strength for granted. The first weakness prevents him from becoming a true hero and it also causes him to loose his strength. Animator Andreas Deja, who has given us some of the greatest Disney villains such as Gaston, Jafar and Scar, was offered to animate Hades but wanted a challenge instead. He did a good job with the leading character. To me, Meg comes across as a 1940's femme fetal; kind of like Jessica Rabbit but much less caricatured. Susan Egan was the first actress to portray Belle on the Broadway version of "Beauty and the Beast" so the Disney studio didn't go too far to find an actress/singer to play Meg. The role of Phil was written with Danny DeVito in mind but he passed at first. The second attempt won him over. I love how he says "Holly Hera" and mocks Hercules when he learns Zeus is Herc's father. Phil's design is practically DeVito in satyr-form. Also, animator Eric Goldberg probably put a little bit of himself into the design of the character. The best character in this show and my favorite Disney villain of the late 90's is Hades. I love villains that have a unique style because they are fun to watch. The character of Hades took a lot of time to develop with such actors being considered as James Coburn, Kevin Spacey and Phil Hartman (Coburn and Spacey would later voice Pixar villains). Even the great Jack Nicholson was approached but I would wager that he took into account what happened with Robin Williams as Genie and so I don't blame him for desiring a very large cut of the profits. James Woods was a familiar name to me at the time thanks to his guest voice work on an episode of "The Simpsons" but this was my first movie of his. As a teen watching this movie, Hades reminded me of a car salesman. He is the Disney version of Mr. Scratch from "The Devil and Daniel Webster". I love how Hades is a smooth talker but has a short temper. Nik Ranieri won an Annie Award for his animation of this character. My favorite line of Hades is "...teensy weensy, but-ever-so-crucial, little, tiny detail". I knew who Rip Torn was because of "Men in Black" which was released the same year. His performance was a mix between the powerful and motivational. As a child, I saw Bobcat Goldthwait on "Scrooged" but I didn't realize he was a the voice of Pain until many years later. I also didn't know that Paul Schaffer (David Letterman's musical sidekick) was Hermes. Hal Holbrook, who I would later see in Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln", was great as Herc's adoptive father. Hercules' adoptive parents are very appealing characters and I am glad they appear at the end of the film. Other notable voice actors include Wayne Knight and Charlton Heston. Keith David has a very brief role as Apollo and over a decade later, David would also provide the voice for the villainous Shadow Man in "The Princess and the Frog" (also directed by Clements and Muster). If I had to choose one aspect from "Hercules" that will have the most lasting impact on me, I would pick the songs. By 1997, songwriter Alan Menken had won all of his eight Oscars from working for Disney but he picked up another nomination for his work on this movie. It was an interesting choice to mix gospel music into a film about Greek Mythology. The studio has done something like this before however because "Robin Hood" has country music. "Go the Distance" is for guys what "Part of Your World" was for women. My favorite song is "Zero to Hero" because of its accompanying pop culture montage that parodies such things as American commercialism and Beatle-mania. Another amazing song is "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" thanks to Egan's voice. Directors Ron Clements and John Musker have their traditional animated cameos by the way when young Herc hits stonemasons with his hay wagon.

As a child, I used to watch the 1960's animated TV show "The Mighty Hercules" and so I liked the moderization in this Disney film. When I was a teenager, I might have given "Hercules" 4.5 stars out of 5 but the good news is that it has lost only a small part of its appeal as the years have passed. The film still entertains today with its dynamic characters and powerful story. The hip, contemporary mood of the film we get to experience as we watch is still fun. The songs contribute a lot to this mood.

4 Stars