Hercules (June 27, 1997)

I love this movie. Along with Aladdin, I have watched it countless times. I realize it is wildly inaccurate to the Hercules myths, but I honestly do not care. I treat this movie as an entirely separate story, a unique Disney spin on a Greek classic. Its animation is so sleek and colorful- with the wonderous cloud filled Olympus to the dark and cavernous underworld, to the earthly world of Ancient Greece. And the characters bring so much life to the production with their expressiveness and godly effects (Hades is particularly stunning with his fiery mane.) The aspect I love most, however, is the music. The muses are spectacular with the Gospel truth I-III. Every time they appear onscreen to provide a bit of exposition or extra information, even if sad, it is a party. Their sassy exchanges are just wonderful. My favorite song in the film, though, is “Go the Distance”. I love the positive outlook Hercules has despite his longing. He believes he is more than just a screw up who has felt out of place among the regular humans all his life. That feeling of being out of place is one I can relate to. The song transitions once he finds out he has a connection to the temple of Zeus. This gives him drive and purpose. The song becomes triumphant and hopeful as he knows that “every mile will be worth my while.” He is steadfast in his determination to return to Olympus and be reunited with his birth family. A close second is, “Zero to Hero” which shows a montage of Hercules’ many victories. Two other great songs are, “One Last Hope,” which is a great training montage as we see Hercules grow into his strength and become the strong and heroic man we know him to be and the classic “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love)” which is such a great unconventional love song sung by Meg, Hercules’ love interest. She had been burned by a lover before, for whom she sold her soul to Hades to save only to be cheated on in return, and so became jaded and closed off her heart. But Hercules is just too damn charismatic, and he is able to break down those walls and she falls in love with him (though she does not want to admit it!) Moving on to the characters, Hercules is a real wonder boy. He was given a poison as a child that took away his immortality but because he did not drink all of it, so he retained his godly strength. Hades had him poisoned because he saw a vision from the Fates who said that only Hercules would be able to stand in the way of his plan to take over Olympus. Hercules is so likable and genuine (though his fame does go to his head for a time and he becomes blinded by love) but deep down he remains the same charming farm boy though with the addition of a magnetic charisma to match his enormous strength and budging muscles. Meg is a perfect love interest, the perfect combination of sassiness and sarcasm, beauty and grace, and kindness and vulnerability. As mentioned previously, she uses her cutting wit to protect herself but beyond her quips (and hips) she has a beautiful soul. She is one of the princesses (though in her case unofficially) that pulls off the independent and rebellious streak believably. Pegasus and Phil, Hercules’s childhood friend and mentor respectively, are memorial sidekicks. Phil believes wholeheartedly in Hercules while Pegasus helps him out of various binds as his loyal steed who just happens to be able to fly! Hades is another great villain, who is reminiscent of Scar. He is surrounded by idiots and feels he drew the short end of the stick by being forced to rule the underworld. He wants to right the scales, in his mind, and uses Meg as a pawn to kill Hercules. Hades seems like a pretty bad gig so I can understand why Hades would want to leave for greener pastures and why he would harbor resentment towards his brother, Zeus, who is living the high life in Olympus. Overall, this film stands up to multiple viewings with its wonderful songs, colorful characters, and brilliant world. It is one of the best films to come out of the Disney Renaissance and out of Disney Animation in general. It is well worth watching as a unique take on the Hercules mythology.

Final Rating: 9/10