Hercules (1995)

Directors:

Toshiyuki Hiruma, Takashi

Stars:

Tony Ail, Nathan Aswell, Chera Bailey

Cast

Credited cast:
Tony Ail	...	(voice)
Nathan Aswell	...	(voice)
Chera Bailey	...	(voice) (as Cheralynn Bailey)
Kathleen Barr	...	(voice)
Lillian Carlson	...	(voice) (as Lilliam Carlson)
Garry Chalk	...	(voice) (as Gary Chalk)
Ian James Corlett	...	(voice) (as Ian Corlett)
Michael Donovan	...	(voice)
Kent Gallie	...	(voice)
Philip Maurice Hayes	...	(voice) (as Phil Hayes)
Roger Kelly	...	(voice)
Ellen Kennedy	...	(voice)
Terry Klassen	...	(voice)
Joanne Lee	...	(voice)
Andrea Libman	...	(voice) (as Andrean Libman)

Storyline

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Taglines:

Greek mythology comes alive in this action-packed tale of the world's strongest man.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Family

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hércules

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cayre Brothers, Goodtimes Entertainment, Jetlag Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The only exception to Jetlag Productions' rule of closing all animated films with one of their original songs, along with the credits (sometimes a repeat of a song previously heard in the film). "Hercules" closes with an instrumental version of the song "Son of Zeus."

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Soundtracks

"Never Give Up"
(uncredited)
Produced by Andrew Dimitroff
Composed by Nick Carr, Ray Crossley and Andrew Dimitroff
Lyrics by Joellyn Cooperman

User Reviews

Animated rendition of highlights of the Hercules legend

I recently picked up two Mill Creek DVD sets containing eight animated literary works for children and HERCULES (1995) was the only one in the bunch that wasn't made in the 1980s. It turned out to be the best in terms of animation, design and storytelling. The others, which included ROBIN HOOD, TOM SAWYER, THE THREE MUSKETEERS, and BLACK BEAUTY were all from Burbank Films Australia, while HERCULES is from a different company, Jetlag. HERCULES also boasts a Japanese director and a number of Japanese animation personnel employed for a production that originated in the west. The other films in these sets all tend to lean heavily on cartoonish designs and voices, while HERCULES is more serious and straightforward. The character design here may be a tad simple for my tastes, but the backgrounds depicting the mythical era of Mount Olympus and ancient Greek legends are quite meticulously drafted and rendered. I thought the action animation, particularly the battle with the Nemean lion and the encounter with the shape-shifting sea god Nereus, was quite well done. While the level of imagination is not as high as we'd get in a Japanese-originated production, I thought this one offered a concise 50-minute telling of the Hercules story, from childhood to adulthood, with the famous Twelve Labors condensed considerably. There's a reassuring child-friendly ending that doesn't quite jibe with my memories of the tale's conclusion from childhood readings.