If you read my reviews regularly you may remember me saying that Aladdin was going to be a hard film for me to review because I have such a huge personal attachment to that film. Well, now I’m in that position once more as we arrive at Hercules, Disney’s thirty-fifth Animated Classic. So, am I going to be able to do what I hoped to do last time and put my childhood nostalgia for the film behind me to give an honest critique of the film, or is going to end up like Aladdin where I fail to find fault with the film because it’s honestly so incredible?
In ancient Greece, the Gods Zeus (Rip Torn) and Hera (Smantha Eggar) have a baby boy named Hercules. Zeus’ brother Hades (James Woods) plans to overthrow Zeus when the planets align in eighteen years’ time, however Hades is warned that if Hercules intervenes then he will lose. Unwilling to allow this to be a possibility, Hades orders Hercules to be killed. Unbeknown to Hades this doesn’t go as planned and whilst Hercules is stolen from Mount Olympus, he now lives amongst the humans, unaware of who he really is.
Several years pass and Hades’ plan draws ever closer, until Hercules (Tate Donovan) discovers his heritage and is told by Zeus to find Philoctetes (Danny DeVito) and train to become a hero so that he may return to Mount Olympus as a God again. Along the way though Hercules falls in love with a woman, Megara (Susan Egan), and gets caught up in Hades’ last-ditch plans to kill him once and for all.
In ancient Greece, the Gods Zeus (Rip Torn) and Hera (Smantha Eggar) have a baby boy named Hercules. Zeus’ brother Hades (James Woods) plans to overthrow Zeus when the planets align in eighteen years’ time, however Hades is warned that if Hercules intervenes then he will lose. Unwilling to allow this to be a possibility, Hades orders Hercules to be killed. Unbeknown to Hades this doesn’t go as planned and whilst Hercules is stolen from Mount Olympus, he now lives amongst the humans, unaware of who he really is.
Several years pass and Hades’ plan draws ever closer, until Hercules (Tate Donovan) discovers his heritage and is told by Zeus to find Philoctetes (Danny DeVito) and train to become a hero so that he may return to Mount Olympus as a God again. Along the way though Hercules falls in love with a woman, Megara (Susan Egan), and gets caught up in Hades’ last-ditch plans to kill him once and for all.
I’m going to kick things off with a negative so that I can gush about the film for the rest of the review, Hercules’ story is a bit simple and moves at a pace so fast it can be difficult to keep up with at times. There’s so much to cover in such a short timeframe that everything needs to be sped through so quickly, and as a result some things like character development aren’t as deep as they could be.
But that’s about the only bad thing I have to say about Hercules because the rest of it is awesome! The opening of the film, narrated by the Muses recounts thousands of years of Greek mythology in just a couple of minutes in a way that simple to understand and unforgettable. It’s one of my favourite Disney opening sequences of all time because of how it looks, and how it sounds with the song ‘The Gospel Truth’ narrating what we see.
Almost any scene with the Muses in is excellent and I feel they’re an often forgotten and hugely underrated element of the film.
Hercules is a great character who goes from being a kid that doesn’t fit in anywhere, to finding his real home and family through sheer grit and determination. The chemistry he has with Phil is also great as the two share plenty of jokes, which is aided infinitely by DeVito’s excellent comedic timing.
Megara as well is an excellent character who is never quite good nor evil, she’s just concerned with her own self-preservation and is in the unfortunate position of being indebted to Hades. Her song ‘Don’t Say I’m In Love’ is one of my favourite Disney songs of all time, and the visuals that accompany it are excellent.
But that’s about the only bad thing I have to say about Hercules because the rest of it is awesome! The opening of the film, narrated by the Muses recounts thousands of years of Greek mythology in just a couple of minutes in a way that simple to understand and unforgettable. It’s one of my favourite Disney opening sequences of all time because of how it looks, and how it sounds with the song ‘The Gospel Truth’ narrating what we see.
Almost any scene with the Muses in is excellent and I feel they’re an often forgotten and hugely underrated element of the film.
Hercules is a great character who goes from being a kid that doesn’t fit in anywhere, to finding his real home and family through sheer grit and determination. The chemistry he has with Phil is also great as the two share plenty of jokes, which is aided infinitely by DeVito’s excellent comedic timing.
Megara as well is an excellent character who is never quite good nor evil, she’s just concerned with her own self-preservation and is in the unfortunate position of being indebted to Hades. Her song ‘Don’t Say I’m In Love’ is one of my favourite Disney songs of all time, and the visuals that accompany it are excellent.
Speaking of Hades though, the crown of my favourite Disney villain absolutely goes to this guy. Hades is without a doubt one of the best Disney characters ever created, and Woods’ voice performance goes a long way to making Hades not only threatening but totally hilarious at the same time. I’d happily watch an entire film about Hades and his daily dealings as God of the Underworld. He’s so self-aware, self-deprecating, and so tired of being the smartest guy in the room that his plan only fails because of the incompetence of everybody else around him. It is a shame that Hades doesn’t get his own musical number akin to ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ or ‘Be Prepared’, but the fact that he’s as sinister as Scar but as charismatic as Genie makes him completely unforgettable.
I keep going on about how good Hercules looks and that’s because Like Pocahontas, Hercules has a very distinct visual style to it. With more angular character designs reminiscent of Dinsey’s old Xerography style, along with richer colours and a style very clearly imitative of Ancient Grecian art makes Hercules instantly recognisable and extremely memorable. Sequences like ‘Zero to Hero’ are among the most visually impressive sequences Disney has ever made, and the song is very impressive as well.
Hercules is one of my favourite Animated Classics for so many reasons, but the way it brings so many elements together so well is what makes me fondly return to it time after time. Whilst the story structure may not be quite as good as previous Disney Classics like The Hunchback of Notre Dame or Beauty and the Beast, the excellent voice performances along with some great songs and inventive animation makes Hercules a true classic for the ages.
I keep going on about how good Hercules looks and that’s because Like Pocahontas, Hercules has a very distinct visual style to it. With more angular character designs reminiscent of Dinsey’s old Xerography style, along with richer colours and a style very clearly imitative of Ancient Grecian art makes Hercules instantly recognisable and extremely memorable. Sequences like ‘Zero to Hero’ are among the most visually impressive sequences Disney has ever made, and the song is very impressive as well.
Hercules is one of my favourite Animated Classics for so many reasons, but the way it brings so many elements together so well is what makes me fondly return to it time after time. Whilst the story structure may not be quite as good as previous Disney Classics like The Hunchback of Notre Dame or Beauty and the Beast, the excellent voice performances along with some great songs and inventive animation makes Hercules a true classic for the ages.