Hercules Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
A Comedy of Epic Proportions
Happy IV of July!
Zero to Hero!
Who puts the GLAD in GLADIATOR?
You can run but you can't Hydra!
After Zeus fights and sends the Titans to the underworld, he becomes the ruler of Mount Olympus, home of all greek gods. Hades is sent to rule the underworld, but he makes plans to throw Zeus out of Mount Olympus with the Titans' help. The three Fates warn him that his plans would be endangered if Hercules, Zeus newborn child, is still around by the time he tries to take over Mount Olympus. Hades sends Pain and Panic to turn Hercules into a mortal and kill him, but they fail in their attempt and leave him on earth with his divine strength to be raised as a human. Hercules grows up but later learns he is the son of gods, and in order to return to Mt. Olympus he must turn into a "true hero". He is trained by Phil the satyr and becomes the most famous hero in ancient Greece after battling monsters of all kinds. He even saves Mt. Olympus from Hade's take-over, but he only becomes a god again after he offers to exchange his life in order to save Meg, his love, from Hades' underworld and shows that a true hero must have a strong heart and not only physical strength.
| James Woods | Hades |
| Charlton Heston | |
| Danny DeVito | Philoctetes |
| Tate Donovan | Hercules |
| Roger Bart | Young Hercules |
| Susan Egan | Megara |
| Bob Goldthwait | Pain |
| Matt Frewer | Panic |
| Rip Torn | Zeus |
| Samantha Eggar | Hera, Hercules' Mother |
| Barbara Barrie | Alcmene |
| Hal Holbrook | Amphitryon |
| Paul Shaffer | Hermes |
| Carole Shelley | The Fates |
| John Musker |
| Ron Clements |
6.50 out of 10 (6377 votes)
Visitor Reviews
One of the last Disney's great movies
posted on 13 Jun 2009I think that no one wants to admit that this is a good movie because of it's unseriousness, and because of the fact that Hercules here is depicted more as a super-hero rather then a classic mythical hero.Don't listen to those who curse the movie because it doesn't stick to original myths. Does anyone really want to see Zeus as he is depicted in myths - as a horny geezer who f***ed everyone BUT Hera? Who really cares about the accuracy? The movie is fun, hilarious, and has a nice love story. Megara (or Meg if you want) is a great character. Nice change after all those fair princesses like Jasmin and Pocahontas (don't get me wrong, I like them). Hades is also a great villain (thanks to James Woods), and I also liked his two stooges ("Thirsty?" -best scene).The movie's downfall was the music. I expected more from Menken. None of the songs are memorable like ''A Whole New World'' or ''Colors of The Wind''. While the songs sung by the Muses sound nice thanks to the singing voices and the song ''Go the distance'' has a catchy tune, the words are a crying shame. Lyrics in ''Go the distance'' are so shallow, obvious and soulless, and repetitive. It makes the song boring after certain time of listening. The only song I liked was Meg's "I won't say I'm in love".And to wrap it up - one of Disney's different projects, but fun nonetheless. It's got nice story, good humor all the way, and a teensy weensy bit of a tearful ending. So there's something for everyone.Oh, yeah! And watch it at least three times, to see it's full quality.
Fast forwarded through most of the songs and battles...
posted on 20 Apr 2009Hercules is hands down, the worst of the Disney animated films, and I have seen most of them. There is too much bad here for me to recommend it to anyone.The songs weren't very good. Hercules' main song sounds like "Eye of the Tiger" or worse, a South Park parody, which I am sure wasn't their intent, but it was laughable. The Muses' gospel song clashed with the whole Greek myth idea and I have no idea why someone thought that was a good idea. The animation itself seemed flat as compared to other features. Even the plot line wasn't that interesting, full of pop culture references until you burst, characters that weren't very intriguing and really the only suspense came from seeing how badly Disney could mangle Greek myth. I suppose kids are more sophisticated these days and need more adult acting cynical characters and modern culture references in order to keep their ADD in line, but I would like movies with good characters, good animation and a plot. I know it is a Disney film and it is for kids. But I remember at that age, I was reading the real Greek myths. Watching this could mess kids up when they read actual mythology. For example, Hera and Zeus were not a loving couple and Hera tried to kill Heracles with snakes not Hades. The reason? Because Hercules was born to a mortal woman and Zeus. Now, I know Disney thinks they are sly for changing Megera's name to Megara, so they could make her anything they wanted, but it comes off as confusing to anyone who knows myth. Hercules killed Megera later on in the story, but I suppose Disney can't have anything bad happen in their stories, even their fairy tales aren't so Grimm. Even giving them that, they could have done better than this. Even making something completely their own would be better than this. Why do a take on the Greek myths at all? Why not just do something modern?And the difference between features like Hercules and older ones like Snow White and Cinderella, is that the older movies have charm and you can see all the work and talent that went into them. The modern Disney fare, other than Beauty and the Beast, is produced a lot faster and the product looks rushed, without much soul. Like another reviewer, I didn't find myself excited by any of the songs in this one and I like a lot of the Disney soundtracks. It's just a dud on too many level to make it watchable except by very small children who don't know better and Disney fanatics.
Hercules
posted on 30 Mar 2009Hay! I have to say music does make a movie what it is.This version of the Greek myth has been presented well, i'm amazed taken into account the number of times the story has been covered that it has pulled of so well, but then again this is Disney Productions.The characters are all included and quite involved into this addictive story line. Which has been executed in away that doesn't actually confuse the younger audience. Instead it allows them to become quite involved with the story line and join in with the action as the story progresses as well as the finger clapping, toe tapping songs! The music for this Disney picture is amazing, right up to the standards we 'd expect.This film is worth buying in any edition. I've had the opportunity to try out the computer game for this picture and its just as much fun, I would definitely recommend the soundtrack too! :-) xmex
A Comedy of Epic Proportions
posted on 07 Feb 2009"Hercules" - another terrific animation from Disney Studio. I enjoyed it very much and recommend it to all people who like good laughs, some moral tale, colorful characters etc. If you really want to spend your free time with your family enjoying great movie, you should choose "Hercules" - a Comedy of Epic Proportions.
God-like
posted on 23 Jan 2009"Hercules" is a cracking Disney film and for once it's not just for the kids. The animation is more like the "old-school" Disney, before the cute, big-eye syndrome and the characters are hugely entertaining. It has sly humour and in-jokes, but what sets it apart are the songs; soul, RNB, jazz and not a drippy sugar-song in sight. Quality entertainment!
Enjoyable, but not Disney's best!
posted on 18 Nov 2008First of all, there are a lot of things I like about this movie. The animation, in general, is very nice to look at, and Charlton Heston's narration is very satisfying. More pluses are a genius turn from Danny DeVito as the hilarious Phil, and a wonderfully sleazy James Woods as the hot-headed villain Hades( a great villain, might I add?)Rip Torn also has fun as Zeus, especially when his statue came to life. The incidental music is lovely as well. However, there are a few negatives. Hercules himself, both child and adult, is a little bland, but Meg manages to establish herself as one of the best female Disney characters. Also, there isn't much of a story. The prove-you're- a-hero formula was a little unoriginal for me. The biggest minus was the rather dull songs by Alan Menken. The songs, especially "Zero to Hero" were a real disappointment, as Menken had so much better work before this, namely Beauty and the Beast. However, Michael Bolton's rendition of Go the Distance(the only song I had no problem with)was a joy to behold. It wasn't a good idea turning gospel, should've stayed with the classical. However, despite the flaws, I did enjoy Hercules, which is a 7/10. Bethany Cox
A hero's dream well played out.
posted on 04 Sep 2008Disney scores an impressive movie with this story about the title character and his quest to become a true hero. HERCULES has a very enjoyable sound track that you cannot help but move to (no matter how annoying you think the Muses are, it does not stop you from liking their music). Every song offers the same gospel/soul stuff, but they are all so good! Animation is also dead on with the personality of the characters though some of the scenes with Zeus really make him look like a wiener. At the beginning when Zeus teases with baby Hercules looks really silly for the king of gods compared to the poise of Mufasa in THE LION KING. Hermes was also completely not funny and seemed to take away from everything he was in. Little things here and there really did not seem necessary either. In Thebes, where Phil and the chariot driver were yelling at each other was not only stupid but there could have been another funny joke in there. Once the River Guardian was defeated, Pegasus did not have to trot all over him and then stomp on the back of his head. For a children's movie, I would not like all the children who watch HERCULES to turn into sore winners. But in an era where the media acknowledges girl power and independent women constantly, it was good to see just one movie that talks about a young man pursuing his dream of belonging.Hooking up with Pegasus and Phil, Hercules trains hard for the hope to be with his father and mother, Zeus and Hera. The crew heads off to Thebes where saving the town from hard times is their plan. Meanwhile, the after life god Hades and his cohorts, Pain, Panic and Meg, continue to plan their world domination against Zeus while trying to stop Hercules, who is destined by the Fates, to stop them. What also adds into the mix is Hercules' attraction to Meg who shows signs of feeling the same as well.HERCULES is a very fun movie with very fun songs and very likeable characters. It has been far too long for a Disney villain to have a personality as crazy as Hades. Considering the last few villains have been too articulate as Meg would put it. Except for a couple of dragging parts, HERCULES is great for the kids and parents. There is a great mix of comedy and drama for a good animated movie.
Among the best "classical" Disney
posted on 23 Aug 2008A few years before the computer days, Disney sang the swan's song with Hercules. Although loosely based on Greek mythology (in which Hercules is Zeus' illegitimate son with a human, which obviously had to be surgically removed), and while the story of Hercules 12 Tasks is far from respected, the Disney studios managed to deliver a funny and entertaining adaptation of the myth.Most importantly, songs and musical bits are really good, especially the opening sequence with Charlton Heston's voice and the muses, the duet Meg / the muses and guess what "Zero to Hero" sung by... the muses.What I also liked very much are the second level humour (spot the spice girls if you can), such as "Air-cules" ads and references to Greek myths in general.This double-level reading makes it a nice and entertaining cartoon for kids and grown-ups. Even more enjoyable now these paper and celluloid days are over.
Hilarious
posted on 20 Aug 2008Hercules is probably the funniest film Disney has ever done. It has so many laughs and some very entertaining scenes. Well, it's definitely not Disney's best but I love this movie. I grew up watching this film and I never got tired of watching it. Hades is a cool villain, it is just always so funny when he screams at his sidekicks Pain and Panic. The story is a twist from the legend, though it's not accurate, but it's still an enjoyable movie. The battle scenes are cool and entertaining, there are some good songs, and nice animation. And some nice voices from James Woods, Danny Devito and Rip Taylor in example. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a Disney film for some fun and entertainment.Rating: 10/10 Grade: A+
Clash of the Cartoons
posted on 09 Jul 2008There's very little you can do to influence Disney artists. Or Disney fans. They're always going to harp on horrid failures that they praise as innovations (Hunchback, Pocohontas, Mulan). And they will never admit that the light-hearted, comedic Hercules was the big step in Disney's revolution concerning style and storyboarding in the past twenty years.Big deal; it's true.Herc was the first time Disney decided to run on fast, colorful frenzy and coy shots at the material instead of cutesy sidekicks alone for comedy. A direct predecessor to Emporor's New Groove? You better believe it.With a "grecian" style and a gospel swing, this film comes on strong with guns blazing and hardly stops for air. A little strong is the Oscar-winning song, "Go the Distance," but I guess Micheal Bolton was flavor of the week then. What can't be ignored is how repeatedly watchable this film is, and that's important with kiddie fare, since parents must endure multiple viewings.This film does butcher its subject matter in a way nothing short of savage, it's true. No myth remains intact as the storyboard scrambles to include every monster ancient Greece had to offer, and it's sad to see Medusa, the minotaur and other greats fly by without so much as a by-line.Still in all, the mainstay of the film is the wry humor, and some very fun wordplay. If you want the myths straight, never go to Hollywood; even Harryhausen (otherwise known as The Man) cut-and-pasted mythology to suit his films.If there are spots where Herc lacks polish it's probably because the artists were rushing to finish it and work on Mulan, which is unthinkable when you see the products. Still that's the word I get directly from a former member of Disney. I met him in 2001, when he was working for dreamworks on "Ice Age." He explained that Disney artists were awed by the "deep, original ideas in Mulan," and considered Herc "just another cartoon." Well, what can you say? He was all excited about "Ice Age" too.
All rubbish
posted on 21 Jun 2008This animation is a big mockery of great Greek mythology. Even when I was about 10 years old, seems I knew about Greek mythology A LOT more than creators of this film. Almost every fact they give us is fake. Like - Musas were nine, not five, none of them was fat, Hercules died BEFORE Achilles, his mother was HUMAN woman, not god, so he born Human, not God and etc and etc without ending. They could have spent at least a weak reading Greek mythology before creating this rubbish. At least if they had added True ending of this myth - when Megera killed Hercules with poison - it would have been at least little bit more interesting, but now... I believe it was possible to create story, which one was not far away from myth and would be as interesting as this one had to be. I don't likes stories, which tells lie, and pretends they are telling truth.
A great movie, a lot of laughs.
posted on 31 May 2008When my mom brought home Hercules from the video store, I wasn't too thrilled with the prospect of having to endure an hour or more of Disney's childish movies with awful songs. But I was surprised when I watched Hercules. It is one of the best movies Disney has put out. It has a lot of laughs that adults can enjoy as well as kids. Even the songs are good, which doesn't happen too often.There are a lot of likable characters, such as Zeus, Phil, Hercules (obviously), and even Hades. Both Phil, (the personal trainer of Hercules) and Hades produce a lot of laughs from young and old alike. And besides the movie being extraordinarily funny, it actually has a plot, and is fun to watch. Hercules was definitely one of my favourite Disney movies.
Gods and Monsters: HERCULES is one of Disney's funniest.
posted on 07 May 2008My Take: The typical masterpiece Disney is capable of. Pure magic! The gods must be funny in this hilarious animated smash from the ever-talented animation artists at Disney. HERCULES, which was released after the studio dared to venture into darker territory with THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, returns to the kind of light, fun-loving musical adventure. Despite being a magnificent instant classic of its own, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME proved to be too dark for the usual Disney routine. If that case so, HERCULES is a good throwback to the days of ALADDIN and THE LITTLE MERMAID. It may just be their funniest yet.The movie is a twist on the tales of Greek Mythology, namely the story of the title character (voiced by Tate Donovan), who happens to be the son of the great god Zeus (voiced by Rip Torn) who is robbed of his godly powers and turned mortal... sort of by the evil Lord Hades (voiced with maniacal glee by James Woods). Unfortunate for the hot-headed, comical Lord of the Underworld, Hercules maintained his god-like strength, making him look like a freak in the eyes of everyone else. So young "Herc" set on a voyage to find his true identity and reclaim his destiny as a god on Mount Olympus. Aiding as his mentor is a tough-mouthed satyr named Phil (voiced by Danny DeVito) and his magical bird-brained Pegasus, while also tempted by a lovely maiden named Meg (voiced by Susan Egan), short for Megara, who may just have a weakness for his "Wonder Boy"'s charms.The magic of Disney's timeless animation is still stirring and imaginative, but the voice cast have never been more appropriate. James Woods was born to play the villain Hades. He basically steals the scenes he's in, if not the whole movie. He may be the bad guy, but you'll like hims so much, he's good! Other than Woods is Danny DeVito, who imbues his familiar voice and personality to his character Phil and comes up with a character that even adults will love. Then there are the lovely singing muses, who tells the series of events through winning musical numbers (reminiscent to the Greek Chorus from LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS). The songs by the way are written none other than brilliant lyricist Alan Menken (ALADDIN), here whipping yet another magnificent strain of brilliant songs. Mythology fans, film fans and musical fans rejoice! Here's the gods to deliver all your requests. Gather the family together! Rating: ***** out of 5.
Great, but full of errors
posted on 14 Mar 2008I don't think this contains spoilers but not sure. This was a great movie. The only thing is that it was as far off of the story of Hercules as one could get. But I understand why they did what they did since it was a Disney movie, they had to make it kid friendly. One thing was there were nine muses. Also Hercules was not Zues's child with Hera, he went outside his marriage to have Hercules with a mortal women, Alcemene. Also, Hera hated Hercules because of her husbands infidelity. The Hydra was not killed the way in the movie, and it only grew two heads every time a head was cut off. The tasks that Hercules went on were not because he wanted to become a God, but because he was trying to make up for accidentally killing his wife Megera and his children. These are only a few things that were wrong with the movie. But if you did not know the true story of Hercules then the movie was great.
"Hercules...Hercules...Jerk-ules..."
posted on 24 Dec 2007BTW, that was from the trailer (Hades called him Jerk-ules, LOL)Disney's 1997 animated feature "Hercules" puts the excitement in Greek mythology. Yes, I am very familiar with Greek myths, and although we don't care much about this film anymore because it doesn't really follow the original myths of Hercules, I still really like this movie!!!!! Yes, there are characters other than Hercules, Zeus, Athena, Hades, etc. that have been added on for enjoyment, but it's still very exciting, indeed.Some of the characters that I have liked the most included Hades; here, because it's a Disney film, he is bad, but not really bad like in the myths. He is a funny little demon; he is an extremely fast talker: "You kiss, you snooze, etc." (Try saying that 5 times fast!!!!!)"Hercules" is the movie to watch for big time fun!!!!!10 stars
not the strongest
posted on 09 Nov 2007Hercules is solid fun for all the family. Whilst never reaching the heights of The Lion King or Tarzan. The animation also looks a bit dated now with the arrival of Shrek and Toy Story etc, but Disney has always prided itself on glossy colors and emotional stories. The usual mix of heroic characters and show stealing sidekicks make this a firm entry in Disney's portfolio, but it probably wont live long in the memory.
an epic indeed!
posted on 19 Oct 2007This Disney film provides a good twist on the Hercules legend. A good voice cast strengthens things, and I loved the music and writing in it. Danny De Vito was great as Phil, and Tate Donovan shined as Hercules. If you are in the mood for a good Disney film, give this one a try.*** out of ****
Greek mythology, Disney style
posted on 16 Sep 2007If you thought "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"'s toying with the original was bad, wait'll you see this. Zeus and Hera (and, get this, they're not brother and sister!) are happily married! Yeah, Hercules is Hera's kid! And he doesn't kill Megara! Did we mention his name is supposed to be Heracles? DID I MISS SOMETHING???... Anyway, what did you expect, it's Disney. As was said many times before, this film is candy, although for me it's not an exceptionally tasty piece of candy. Bland animation, bad music (the Muses need to shut up - oh yeah, and that song "I Won't Say" - oh God I think I need a vomit bag!), and, aside from James Woods, ho-hum voice acting. Funny parts here and there (mostly with Woods) but aside from the self-referential merchandising jabs, nothing to write home about. And the plot, with absolutely no parallel in Greek mythology, is rather bland. But, hell, it's all worth it to see James Woods as Hades.... oh yeah, and the ending. *sniff* I haven't felt this choked up since I got a hunk of MUSAKA caught in my throat, huh? huh?... Is this an audience or a mosaic?
Grows on you
posted on 10 Jul 2009First time? Hated it. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Lame, lame, LAME. And the music -- good lord, what on EARTH was Disney thinking?!?Second time: Ah, what the heck, I've seen every other recent Disney flick ten times and my friend insists that it's pretty good. Whatever...uhhh, wait. No, actually, this is better than I remember. Heh. Okay, maybe I was being too harsh the first time.Third time: This time *I* was the one who asked to watch it. I just wanted to see it one more time...James Woods as the AWESOME Hades (one half evil, one half lounge-lizard schmooze), the adorable Muses (!), that foxily cynical Meg, the unbelieveably stupid-cute Pegasus...all right. I admit it.
By the third time, I loved it. And the songs finally stuck in my head. It could be because they so resemble the soundtrack to Menken's original success "Little Shop Of Horrors," but that's a GOOD thing. In other words, if you hated it the first time (like I did), give Disney's "Hercules" another chance now that you're not expecting so much of it.Though I'm STILL not forgiving them for the way they mangled mythology.
Hera the loving mother indeed. ;) .-=K=-.