Disney Renaissance Month - Hercules (1997)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, it's been a couple of days, but we're officially back with more Disney Renaissance Month. Today, we're taking a look at the third film in the Disney Renaissance to have been directed by Ron Clements and John Musker: 1997's Hercules, based on the heroic figure of the same name from Greek mythology, and starring Tate Donovan, Susan Egan, Danny DeVito, James Woods, Paul Shaffer, and Rip Torn. Now, I am fully aware that the original Greek name for Hercules was Heracles, but for the sake of this review, we'll be sticking to the Romanized version of the name, which is Hercules. 

       So, the movie starts off with the Muses, who tells the story of the Titans, and how Zeus, King of the Gods, threw his mighty thunderbolts and locked the Titans in a vault. Some time later, Zeus and his wife Hera are having a celebration of the birth of their son, Hercules. And among those in attendance include the likes of Poseidon, Aphrodite, Hermes, Ares, and so on. Pulling together a bunch of different clouds, Zeus creates a friend for Hercules in the form of Pegasus. Ultimately, Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, shows up to pay his respects to the newborn, but ultimately has to return to the Underworld, where he's set to meet with the three Fates, who can see and interpret everything from the past, present, and future. The Fates give Hades the following prophecy: in eighteen years, the planets will come into perfect alignment, allowing him to free the Titans from their imprisonment, Zeus would fall, and Hades will rule everything. However, if Hercules were to fight, Hades will fail. Realizing what he must do, Hades sends his minions Pain and Panic to kidnap Hercules, take him to Earth, make him mortal with a potion, and kill him. 

       Now, while Pain and Panic do succeed in the kidnapping and making Hercules mortal, the baby doesn't drink the last drop of the potion, and thus retains his godlike strength. The baby is located by a couple of farmers, Amphitryon and Alcmene, who raise him as their son. Pain and Panic, realizing what Hades will do to them if they report the baby is still alive, falsely declare that the baby is dead. Sadly, as he is now mortal, Zeus and Hera realize that Hercules can't come home, and have to watch as he grows up on Earth. Years later, a now teenaged Hercules is a bit of an outcast, and his godlike strength is a burden that gets him in more trouble to he wants to be in. Hercules' real dream is to find a place to belong, and to know where he's meant to be. Amphitryon and Alcmene give him the medallion from his infancy, and upon it is the symbol of the Gods. Hercules, determined to find answers, journeys to the temple of Zeus, and he prays to get answers as to who he is and where he belongs. The giant statue of Zeus awakens, as Zeus himself has channeled his consciousness through the statue, and reveals the truth: Hercules is the son of Zeus and Hera, and he has one chance to regain his Godhood and return home to Mount Olympus: prove himself a true hero on Earth. Dispatching a now fully grown Pegasus, Zeus sends Hercules to meet Philoctetes, who was once a great trainer of heroes. 

        Arriving at a remote island, Hercules meets Philoctetes, or Phil for short. Phil, unfortunately, has no interest in training another disappointment of a hero, as had happened with the likes of Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus, and even Achilles. Ultimately, after some convincing, Phil agrees to train Hercules, and after a musical montage of his training, we see Hercules full grown and extremely muscular. I mean, this guy looks straight up jacked. Anyway, Phil decides to take Hercules to the city of Thebes, which suffers from one problem to another. On their way, Hercules hears a woman screaming, and goes to investigate. Arriving near a waterfall, Hercules fights a giant centaur called Nessus, who serves as the River Guardian, in order to save the screaming woman, who is revealed to be called Megara, or Meg for short. Meg takes off, and Hercules and Phil continue on their way to Thebes. It's here where we learn that Meg works for Hades, having previously sold her soul to him to save the love of her life, who left for some other woman. However, when she reveals that her task in recruiting Nessus to work with Hades was thwarted by Hercules, Hades turns to Pain and Panic, and confronts then about lying about killing him as a baby. So, Hades formulates a plan to eliminate Hercules. 

       In Thebes, none of the citizens take Hercules seriously as a hero. It's ultimately when Meg shows up to get his help in saving two boys trapped by a rock slide in the gorge that Hercules gets the chance to prove he's the real deal, and he flies off to save the two boys. The townsfolk of Thebes follow him to see for themselves, and are only slightly impressed by his strength and bravery. Of course, the two boys are actually Pain and Panic, and this was all a trap set by Hades, as the boulder was sealing a dangerous monster within the cave: the Hydra. Hercules fights the Hydra off, cutting off its head, only for three more to sprout up from every head cut off. And, I gotta say, the combined animation used to bring the Hydra to life is truly something spectacular. It really blurs the lines between computer animation and hand-drawn animation, and I was easily fooled by the look of the creature. Eventually, Hercules causes a rock slide that crushes and entombs the Hydra, freeing himself from its grip, and gaining elation from the crowd. 

       Over the course of a musical montage, sing by the Muses, Hercules fights several other monsters sent by Hades, including a massive bird, a massive lion (that resembles Scar from The Lion King for some reason), a sea serpent, a massive boar, and so many other foes. At the same time, Hercules becomes a local celebrity, with lines of merchandise like sandals, drinks, toys, and the kind of stuff you'd expect from the likes of professional athletes and comic book superheroes. After all of his accomplishments, Hercules goes to the temple of Zeus to tell his father all about his endeavors, and hoping his accomplishments will be enough to finally allow him to rejoin the Gods. Zeus, unfortunately, tells him that all of his accomplishments and being famous don't equate to being a true hero, and he needs to look inside of his own heart to learn what it means to be a true hero. 

       Hades, meanwhile, tries to see if Hercules has a weakness that can be exploited, and sends Meg to find out what that weakness is. After an afternoon and evening together, Hercules and Meg grow much closer. Unfortunately, Phil shows up to break up the romantic moment, and takes Hercules to train at a nearby stadium. After she's alone, Meg initially fights her feelings, but eventually accepts that she does, indeed, love Hercules. Hades shows up to check on her progress, and she tells him off, indicating that Hercules has no weaknesses. However, Hades points out that Hercules does have one: Meg herself. At the stadium, Phil tries to warn Hercules that Meg is playing him for a fool, but Hercules won't have it, and Phil walks away. Hades then shows up, and reveals the truth: Meg was working for him, and she was under contract with him. But, being willing to make bargains, Hades makes one with Hercules: give up his strength for the next twenty-four hours, and Meg will be freed from her contract with Hades. Hercules agrees, has his strength drained, and Meg is set free from Hades' control. One addition to the deal is as such, if Meg is hurt in any way, Hercules' strength will be restored to him. Hades takes off, as the planets are finally aligned, revealing the vault containing the Titans. Hades frees them, and they have one goal: destroy Zeus. Four of the Titans (the Rock Titan, the Ice Titan, the Lava Titan, and the Tornado Titan) all head to Olympus, while the final Titan, the Cyclops, is sent to Thebes to destroy the weakened Hercules. 

        On Olympus, Zeus and the Gods are overwhelmed by the Titans, with Zeus being encased in a mixture of lava and ice. Hercules, despite his state, goes to face the Cyclops, and Meg goes to fetch Phil, who initially refuses, but Meg admits what she did was wrong, but it's now more about Hercules than it is about her, telling Phil "If you don't help him now, Phil, he'll die." Phil, Meg, and Pegasus hurry to Thebes, where Phil gives Hercules the pep talk he needs by telling him "Giving up is for rookies. I came back 'cause I'm not quittin' on ya. I'm ready to go the distance. How 'bout you?" His sense of purpose renewed, Hercules uses his wits to tie up the Cyclops and send it tumbling to its death. Unfortunately, a column starts to fall, and Meg shoves Hercules out of the way, being crushed by it. Hercules' strength is restored, and Meg tells him to stop Hades. Phil stays with Meg, and Hercules goes to Olympus to save the Gods and destroy the Titans. Unfortunately, Hades has one last trump card: Meg. 

        Despite his best efforts to hurry up to her side, Meg's life is ended as the Fates cut her string of life. Hercules, arriving too late, realizes what he needs to do. Heading to the Underworld, Hercules uses the Underworld's guardian, Cerberus, to enter Hades' chamber, and demands Meg be set free. Unfortunately, her soul is forever bound to the Underworld. Hercules offers one last deal to Hades: take him in Meg's place. Hades agrees, saying "Okay, you got it. She goes. You stay." As Hercules dives in to save her, Hades adds "Oh, one little detail I forgot to mention. You'll be dead before you get to her. That's not a problem, is it?" As Hercules gets closer to Meg, he ages most rapidly. Unfortunately, his string of life flows Gold and is uncuttable. Hercules, also glowing, makes it out with Meg's soul, and his Godhood is officially restored. Hades tries to bargain once again, but Hercules knocks him into the river below, dragged down by the souls of the dead. Hercules returns to Thebes, restores Meg's soul to her body, and when she asks how, he replies "People always do crazy things when they're in love," repeating what she said to him when she shoves him out of the way of the column from earlier. Hercules and Meg are taken to the Gates of Olympus, where the Gods all cheer for Hercules, with Hera and Zeus commending him for saving Meg's life, with Zeus remarking "A true hero isn't measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart." Finally welcoming his son home, Zeus gets ready to show Hercules around the Realm of the Gods atop Mount Olympus. Hercules, realizing where he's truly meant to be, chooses to live his life on Earth with Meg. Accepting his choice, Zeus and Hera allow him to return to Earth, where everyone celebrates him and everything he's accomplished. Finishing the film off, Zeus draws an image of Hercules in the stars, and one of the citizens of Thebes remarks "That's Phil's boy," bringing a tear of pride to Phil's eyes. 

       Okay, so Hercules was one of the Disney Renaissance films I enjoyed more as a kid than I do currently. Not that I like it any less than I did as a kid, but it's just that there are definitely better Disney Renaissance films out there. I think a big part of why I've grown a bit more detached from the movie is probably because it's been featured in pretty much every Kingdom Hearts game released since the original Kingdom Hearts in 2002. I think that the overexposure to the world and characters from Hercules in the Kingdom Hearts series may have made it one I find myself revisiting less frequently than other movies from the Disney Renaissance. But, let's not dwell on the fact that Tetsuya Nomura keeps including Hercules in the Kingdom Hearts franchise, let's focus on the actual movie. 

       Now, the story is pretty good, with the telling of the legend of Hercules being told at a brisk pace that, while sometimes rushed in places, is relatively easy for younger viewers to follow. One major noteworthy point is a use of visual shorthand to get a point across to the audience, which comes up when teenage Hercules first enters the temple of Zeus, praying on his knees in front of the statue of the King of the Gods. Now, for further details on this use of visual shorthand, I recommend checking out Lindsay Ellis' video essay of Hercules on her YouTube channel. It's a truly fascinating watch in regards to certain storytelling shorthands Disney used for this movie. 

      The voice cast is easily one of the best put together since the cast of Aladdin five years prior. Tate Donovan is very likeable as the heroic Hercules, and he plays up the hero at the start of his journey very nicely. Susan Egan is very sassy and very fun as Megara, and the performance makes Meg one of my favorite female leads in a Disney animated movie. Danny DeVito is hilarious as Phil, and a lot of his jokes and remarks are absolutely hilarious. Rip Torn was definitely a perfect choice to voice Zeus, as he had that perfect commanding voice that worked for the King of the Gods. But easily the biggest casting highlight is with James Woods as Hades. Much like with Robin Williams as the Genie, James Woods just adds that sense of improvisation and excellent timing with jokes that make Hades easily one of the most beloved of the Disney villains. 

        The music is also really good, albeit not among the best of the Disney Renaissance. Alan Menken returns to compose the film's score, and he's joined by lyricist David Zippel. The best songs written for the movie are easily "Go the Distance" and "I Won't Say I'm in Love." The rest of the songs, like "A Star is Born," "Zero to Hero," and "The Gospel Truth" are all decent enough, and the actresses playing the Muses do really well singing them, but they really all blend together and don't do much to stand out. But, admittedly, "Zero to Hero" is the the most fun of the set. 

       Okay, so overall, this movie is a lot of fun. Yes, it does suffer from tonal whiplash, shifting from light and comedic to dark and serious, but it's still a fun movie. So,. I'm giving Hercules a rating of 4.6/5. Well guys, that'll do for the time being. Come on back this Saturday when we continue Disney Renaissance Month with arguably one of the better movies in the back half of the Disney Renaissance, Mulan.