Why Disney fans still love this underrated ’90s hit

Disney is known for its entertaining animated films for the whole family with catchy music, gripping storylines and lots of humor. Hercules is no exception. A loose adaptation of the Greek myth of Heracles, the film follows the young demigod as he trains to become a hero and falls in love with the human woman Megara, while Hades plans to destroy the other gods. While the plot is interesting on its own, the film goes even further thanks to its chorus of muses narrating the film, its anachronistic jokes, and the great animation style. It’s obvious why this 1997 classic is still a hit with fans.

The music in Hercules goes far beyond the usual

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The Hercules soundtrack

The first and most obvious strength of Hercules is his music. The film score was composed by Alan Menken, one of only 19 EGOT winners, who is known for his work on other successful Disney film scores, such as The little mermaid and Broadway shows like Little shop of horrors. The cast consists of strong singers such as Susan Egan, the original Belle of Beauty and the Beast on Broadway and the voice of Rose in Steven Universe, Lilias White, the founder of Effie Melody White in Dream girl on Broadway, and Roz Ryan, the head nurse “Mama” Morton played in Chicago on Broadway from 1999-2017 and voices Cake in the Adventure Time World. Since the music was composed by a great theater composer and was so powerful in both singing and dubbing, it was clear that it would be great.

Instead of just standing out through quality, the music of Hercules is also characterized by its diversity. Ranging from traditional theater ballads like “Go the Distance” to gospel-inspired songs like, fittingly, “The Gospel Truth,” the songs in the film are in tune with the themes of the film and contribute greatly to its overall mood. “Go the Distance,” for example, is a heartfelt and understated song that reflects how isolated Hercules feels. It then builds the reprise to a soaring and triumphant melody that shows his inspiration.

Meanwhile, “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love)” shows Meg’s character as one of the less traditional Disney women, who is hardened and suspicious. The film foregoes the theatrical love ballads typical of musicals or Disney films, and instead gives her an R&B-inspired song that has the muses joining in and adding more energy. The gospel influences in songs like “Zero to Hero” and “The Gospel Truth” keep the film optimistic and reflect the fact that these songs are about gods and demigods, and at the same time, Christian-influenced music styles are used to add a slight ironic touch when talking about mythical gods. So overall, the film is full of fantastic music.

“Hercules” brings contemporary humor to an ancient society

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The characters and setting of Hercules are superficially ancient Greek, but there are constant references to cultural trends of the 90s. While it may not appeal to the history buffs in the audience, the ancient Greek setting is more about aesthetics and story structure than authenticity. The film primarily uses the Greek myth of Hercules as inspiration rather than acting as a true adaptation. The clash of two completely different worlds makes the film funnier. Some of the gags include Hercules merchandise, including sandals labeled “Air-Hercs” (an obvious reference to Air Jordans) and a Hercules-branded drink (“Herculade”) in a mug designed to resemble an Ionic column. Hercules’ heroic rise is portrayed like the rise of famous athletes in the ’80s and ’90s, with brand deals, a “training reel” in the form of celebrity workout videos or albums, and thousands of admiring fans. It allows Hercules’ trainer Phil, played by Danny Devito, to take on the comedic role of the hot-tempered, exhausted, fame-seeking coach.

The film also jokes about how the setting and the language of the characters are more reminiscent of the modern world. After Hercules’ training, he goes to the hero’s home in Thebes, which is called “The Big Olive,” a reference to New York City. As they walk through the city, Hercules and Phil encounter a sundial salesman and a man who (rightly) predicts that the end times are near. Phil and Hades both make liberal use of New York accents and more modern Yiddish terms, which puts them in contrast to their time. Many of these vocal idiosyncrasies and line delivery are thanks to their brilliant actors, Danny DeVito and James Woods. With DeVito’s many comedic roles, such as It is always sunny in Philadelphia, It is no surprise Hercules has some of Disney’s funniest lines.

Further, the Comic Relief characters are written with more comedic flair than many current Comic Relief characters, like lackeys with their nonsense talk. Pain and Panic, Hades’ henchmen, represent their names, with Pain constantly stumbling and getting into accidents while Panic agonizes over every situation. The two often let Hades down and either prostrate themselves before him, such as turning into worms to show that they are unworthy scum, or simply hope that Hades never punishes them for their mistakes. They play on both visual and dialogue gags and come across as incompetent but independent characters. Pegasus is also often a comical character, who, while sometimes acting like a pet like some of Disney’s other animal sidekicks, is also more noticeable as a brother to Hercules; the two butt heads and tussle in some scenes to show that Hercules is still a teenager.

The art style in Hercules is absolutely unique

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While Hercules still has some of that iconic Disney look, it has its own distinctive flair that makes it stand out and shows an originality that Disney has been missing lately. Certainly, Much of the art is inspired by the surroundings and imitates ancient Greek artwork. The scenery includes mosaics, pottery, and paintings that are reminiscent of ancient Greek art, sometimes even directly copying an existing work. Additionally, the character designs feature flourishes, flowing lines, and strong facial features. Looking at Hercules, these design elements are obvious; his hair falls in loose lines over his shoulders, his nose is prominent and follows a straight line from his forehead down, and his chin, chest, forearms, and calves are all drawn with lines that curve inward at the end. Additionally, in certain energetic scenes, the colors are limited and designed with high contrast, similar to the art on Greek pottery. The distinctive art not only sets the film apart from others, but also has a thematically relevant inspiration.

The other interesting aspect of art in Hercules is the use of CGI. toy story, the first fully computer-animated feature film, was not released until 1995, two years before the release date of Hercules In 1997, the use of CGI in animated films was still relatively new. Hercules some CGI elements were added to enhance action scenes, particularly the early scene where Hercules accidentally knocks over the columns in the agora of his hometown. It was also used in the phenomenal fight scene with the Hydra. While some viewers may wish for 2D animation again, this mixture of methods in Hercules gives the scenes an original look. When fighting the Hydra, the three-dimensional models allow the Hydra’s many heads to cross over and form a writhing monster mass.

Overall, Disney’s Hercules still has loyal fans because every aspect of the film is deliberate and original. The unique music, humor and art style complement each other and reinforce the overall storyline. The inclusion of gospel music, the decision to play with anachronisms and the Greek-inspired art style characterize Hercules from other Disney films to make it one of the company’s strongest.With a live-action adaptation currently in production, hopefully the aspects that made this animated film so enduring will be brought to the screen once again.

Hercules

The son of Zeus and Hera loses his immortality as a child and must become a true hero to regain it.

director

John Musker, Ron Clements

Release date

13 June 1997

Studio

Disney

Pour

Tate Donovan

Duration

93 minutes