It’s been 25 years since Disney’s animated film,Hercules, was released in 1997. The movie was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, the team behind hits likeThe Little MermaidandAladdin. The movie is a loose adaptation of myths about the Greek hero Hercules (Tate Donovan), as he journeys from outcast to hero, falls in love with Meg (Susan Egan), and defeats Hades (James Woods).
Herculesperformed well at the box office - though not as well as other Disney ventures - and received praise for its cast, while the music and design proved more divisive with critics. ThoughHerculesdidn’t live up to the hype of previous Disney releases likeAladdinandThe Lion King, it’s become more popular over time and is now consideredone of Disney’s underrated movies. With alive-action remake of the filmjust announced, let’s look back at the original animated version.
Music is a central part of many Disney movies, with songs that have lived on for decades. The songs inHerculesfeature music from Alan Menken – who composed many hits for Disney – and lyrics from David Zippel. Though the movie’s soundtrack doesn’t have major hits likeBeauty and the BeastorThe Lion King, it does feature unique songs with differing genres that create many memorable performances.
One unique aspect of the film’s music is the decision to use the Muses – classic figures from Greek myth – as a Supremes-style girl group that serves as the movie’s Greek chorus, narrating the action through song. In aninterview with Entertainment Weekly, Menken said he wanted a classic Greek approach for the songs, but the directors encouraged a gospel approach, since the movie focused on gods. The result is the Muses, who bring life and excitement to the movie with energetic numbers like “Zero to Hero” and “The Gospel Truth.” Their numbers contrast with songs like “Go the Distance,” a traditional Disney song. Even Meg’s solo takes a different approach; instead of a typical love ballad, she sings about how she refuses to admit she’s in love with Hercules. The different styles remain divisive; the mixed genres create a unique and well-rounded soundtrack, but it does lack cohesion.
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The Design
To create the movie, a team of animators studied Greek mythology and design, even taking a trip to Greece and Turkey for research. Disney used some computer work, but hadn’t fully transitioned to digital 3D animation, so the movie consists largely of hand-drawn images made to resemble the classical Greek art style, inspired byillustrations from English animator Gerald Scarfe. This is seen in the Muses being part of the art on a vase and in columns, and in Hercules’s childhood featuring a wall designed like a fresco painting. The movie also brings to life the temple of Zeus and imagines the Underworld. Mount Olympus is especially impressive, its light golden colors popping against the blue sky.
The character designs also vary from what Disney had typically done up to that point. As the central character, Hercules had a different body type than any other male leads, with a design that shows his real transformation from zero to hero as he grows stronger. The gods also stand out and appear larger than life and more majestic. The scene on Mount Olympus shows them all in bright colors, with shimmering outlines to emphasize their power. They all have distinct silhouettes; Zeus is rounded and muscular, while Hades is sharp and angular. Though some critics found the animation and design simpler and less impressive compared to other movies, it does effectively bring Hercules and his world to life.
The Characters
The film centers around four primary characters: Hercules, Meg, Hades, and Phil (Danny DeVito), the satyr who trains Hercules. Hercules essentially takes on the role ofa Disney princess, fulfilling many of the princess tropes: he wants to prove his worth; he has an animal sidekick in Pegasus, and he has a love interest. Donovan does a great job at bringing Hercules to life, balancing the awkwardness with the heroics. Meg’s character has a more complex background than love interest characters usually get, as she is enslaved by Hades and carries the pain of failed love, and Egan captures both her sarcasm and softer moments.
But the most memorable are Hades and Phil, who bring in most of the movie’s humor.DeVito plays Phil as a grumpy old man who still comes to care for Hercules. Woods makes Hades a fast-talking, wise-cracking villain who is even charismatic. Both of these parts saw a lot of actors shuffling around before casting DeVito and Woods, and the film is better for it. The directors cited 1930s screwball comedies as inspiration, and that zany humor is created by the actors. With a simple plot, the characters carry the film. We spend a lot of time with the main characters, and the actors all excel in making their parts real and memorable.
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The plot is familiar for a Disney film: young Hercules is an outcast who dreams of something more, and sets out on a journey in search of greatness. Through trial and error, he becomes the hero he was born to be, defeats the villain, and gets his happy ending with Meg, whom he frees from Hades' control. It’s a simple plot, and while there are exciting and emotional moments in Hercules slaying the Hydra, or thinking Meg betrayed him, it doesn’t reach the dramatic depths of other Disney films. In addition, the directors decided to do a more sanitized, simplified portrayal of Hercules’s mythology. They left out that he was born after an affair between Zeus and a mortal, for example, and instead gave Hercules demigod status by making Hades take away his godhood. While this makes for a simpler movie, it does remove the complexity and depth of major portions in Hercules’s story, and isnot a historically accurate portrayal.
However, the movie is plenty of fun. With Hercules’s rise to fame, the movie treats him like a modern sports star, putting his face on everything and giving him his own shoe model. It’s a clever, self-referential take on celebrity and marketing.Herculestakes a simple approach in its myth and story, but elevates it with strong characters and a great cast. Though it may not be considered one of Disney’s best, it remains a fun movie that anyone can enjoy.
