Hercules (1997)

Directors:

Ron Clements
John Musker

Writers:

Ron Clements (animation screenplay) &
John Musker (animation screenplay) ...

Release Date:

27 June 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Musical

Tagline:

A Comedy of Epic Proportions

Plot:

The son of the Greek Gods Zeus and Hera is stripped of his immortality as an infant and must become a true hero in order to reclaim it.

Plot Keywords:

Hero | Hercules | Zeus | Hades | Olympus

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 8 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Tate Donovan	...	Hercules (voice)
Josh Keaton	...	Young Hercules (voice)
Roger Bart	...	Young Hercules (singing voice)
Danny DeVito	...	Philoctetes (voice)
James Woods	...	Hades; Lord of the Underworld (voice)
Susan Egan	...	Meg (voice)
Bobcat Goldthwait	...	Pain (voice)
Matt Frewer	...	Panic (voice)
Rip Torn	...	Zeus (voice)
Samantha Eggar	...	Hera, Hercules' Mother (voice)
Barbara Barrie	...	Alcmene; Hercules' Foster Mother (voice)
Hal Holbrook	...	Amphitryon; Hercules Foster Father (voice)
Paul Shaffer	...	Hermes; the Messenger God (voice)
Amanda Plummer	...	The Fates (voice)
Carole Shelley	...	The Fates (voice)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-8/5 (re-rating) | Finland:K-8/6 (original rating) | Denmark:7 | Iceland:L | USA:G (certificate #35360) | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Canada:G | Chile:TE | Germany:o.Al. (bw) | Mexico:A | Netherlands:AL | Portugal:M/6 | Sweden:7 | UK:U | Singapore:G | Norway:7 | Brazil:Livre

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

John Goodman, James Belushi, Gregory Peck and Patrick Stewart were all considered for the role of Zeus.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In Phil's house Hercules bumps his head on the mast of the Argo and he is surprised to hear what the wood was. Hercules was part of Jason's crew on the Argo.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: Long ago, in the faraway land of ancient Greece, there was a golden age of powerful gods and extraordinary heroes. And the greatest and strongest of all these heroes was the mighty Hercules. But what is the measure of a true hero? Ah, that is what our story is...
Thalia: Will you listen to him? He's makin' the story sound like some Greek tragedy.
Terpsichore: Lighten up, dude.
Calliope: We'll take it from here, darling.
Narrator: You go, girl.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (2009) (VG)

Soundtrack:

The Gospel Truth I, II, III

The last of the new classics

Although I know I have heaped praise on several other Disney films...Hercules stands out as my favourite among them all. After this movie the Disney features once again seemed to slip downhill. However I can watch this movie again and again, it has a spectacular Greek chorus, gospel type score, which will ring in your head for days (and you will like it!). The characters are all likeable, even the villain and it is absolutely hilarious!

I have never understood the panning this film got from Disney fans, as I have never comprehended what there is to dislike. The animation is beautifully done, although it is done in the style of Greek art, which may not be to everyone's taste (very similar situation to Sleeping Beauty which was disliked by some because it was animated in the style of a medieval tapestry), but it works wonderfully for the film.

Take a chance and watch it...and when you're done watching it for the sixteenth time, go out and buy the soundtrack!