Hercules

At first I thought that Hercules was a bit too wacky for its own good, the Supremes-like Muses didn't really feel appropriate for an Ancient Grecian setting and I wasn't really prepared for something quite so lighthearted, but by the end it had grown on me. The shift in tone after more serious Disney films like The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Pocahontas seems like a misstep but perhaps this was to make the violent nature of the story more acceptable for a Disney setting. It would be pretty hard for a Disney cartoon to be serious and violent. To this end I guess an out and out comedy shouldn't be beyond Disney's grasp. The end result has a rough sense of charm but ultimately I can't say it's one of the 'great' Disney animated feature films.

When we first meet the adult Hercules he isn't the hero we expect him top be - he's a rather gawky young man yet to realise his full potential. He teams up with Phil (Danny DeVito), a yaded Satyr who specialises in training Greek heroes, and together they craft Hercules into a popular sensation for ancient times as he slays monsters and woos the masses. But Hercules is yet to learn the true meaning of what it is to be a hero. Meanwhile, Meg (Susan Egan) - the girl of his dreams - faces an impossible decision: betray Hercules or remain remain the slave of the evil god Hades (James Woods).

I don't know about Hades... I think James Woods is unsuitable for the role. His voice just isn't a good match for this sort of all-powerful villain (even in an ironic way), and the character's design is very much a retread of Ursula from The Little Mermaid. Another aspect of the film that doesn't really work is the use of CGI for some of the monsters (such as the Hydra) - it just doesn't mesh well with the more traditional 2D animation of the rest of the characters.

On the positive side, I loved the motown influence on the songs. I like the idea of Disney looking in new directions for their music, it's just a shame the motown thing wasn't taken further as a whole-movie approach. There's a lot of stuff going on in Hercules, a lot of comedy characters and references to just about every major Greek myth. You've got to admire a film with this much energy. I can see why kids would love it but it doesn't have the more family-orientated staying power of The Lion King or Mulan.

DIRECTOR: Ron Clements and John Musker
WRITER/SOURCE: Script by Ron Clements, John Musker and Barry Johnson.
KEY ACTORS: Tate Donovan, Danny DeVito, James Woods, Susan Egan, Rip Torn, Bobcat Goldthwaite, Matt Frewer, Wayne Knight, Hal Holbrook, Charlton Heston, Amanda Plummer

RELATED TEXTS:
- Disney later made a direct-to-video prequel, Hercules: Zero to Hero, which in turn inspired the animated Disney TV series Hercules: The Animated Series.
- Hercules is a demigod from Greek and Roman mythology, and has appeared in many works of literature and films. The most famous films are probably the films made in Italy in the 1950s and 1960s, some of which starred the American bodybuilder Steve Reeves - there are about 20 of these.
- Hercules features as a supporting character in the adventure film Jason and the Argonauts.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger got his first big acting break as the lead in the 1970 film Hercules in New York.
- Kevin Sorbo starred in the popular adventure series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys in the 1990s.
- There has also been a mini-series about Hercules (by Hallmark) and a film about the fabled 12 Tasks of Hercules (the 1995 film Hercules). The Asterix story The Twelve Tasks of Asterix is also based on this.

AWARDS
Academy Awards - nominated Best Song (Go the Distance).