Hercules Week: Hercules

Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney as we continue Hercules Week as we go the distance as I review the movie.  

Trailer

Yeah, this is a great trailer for this film. It's a very '90s trailer and I love it.   It odes a great job of showing just enough of the movie to get you excited. It wasn't in this trailer but in one of the early trailers,  one of Phil's lines was different than what he said in the movie.

Phil's line "Don't let your guard down because of a pair of big goo-goo eyes" (heard in the ads) was originally "Don't let your guard down because of a pair of big, blue eyes". By the time the scene was in color, Meg's eyes were purple.

It's interesting going back and noticing this. Especially as a lot of the older VHS tapes that have previews for this film still have the goo goo eye line.  

The Plot

We open on the birth of baby Hercules and it's a great moment for all as they celebrate the birth of the son of Zeus.

And this is when we see  Zeus and Hera give Baby Hercules, their gift.  And it's one of the cutest moments in the film.

Baby Pegasus is too cute. And all of the gods save for one hotheaded ruler of the Underworld as he wants to take over Mt. Olympus and he went over this in the Villains Profile on Monday in how this plan can go down.  For a reminder.

And he has his two lackeys, who are so incompetent that I'm surprised that they were able to get anything accomplished done but they aren't able to remove his strength.  They are only able to go so far as to remove his godhood and leave him mortal but they run off and when they do, Johnathan and Martha Kent,  Amphitryon and Alcmene find and adopt the baby Hercules.

Many years later, a teenaged Hercules is made an outcast because of his freakish strength.  Okay, this is something that I never understood as a kid.  Everyone knows that Herc has this superhuman strength,  so why would people knowingly mock him and treat him like an outcast. Sorry, but this is something that never made sense to me in the context of the story of Hercules because  knowing how strong he is, I would assume that the guy isn't a pushover.   Ah well, it leads to a great number as Hercules' parents reveal the necklace that was around his neck, when they found him as a baby.

And from re, Hercules heads to find Jor-El, the Temple of Zeus and there he learns of his true parentage and how he can have his godhood restored by proving himself a true hero and after reuniting him  with Pegasus and sends Hercules off to find trainer of hero, Philocetes or Phil for short but Phil has given up on training heroes but after some inspiration from Herc and through a training montage, we see Hercules become a hero.

And it's on their way to the Big Olive, Thebes, where our hero runs into the damsel in distress of the hour as he saves Meg.

And it is here where Hades didn't know the truth of what had happened to Herc and he is fuming.  When Hercules arrives in Thebes,  none of the citizens  are interested in him saving the city as they are downtrodden. That is until Meg informs Hercules that two boys had been trapped in a gorge. Who in reality are Pain and Panic and this leads to the awesome Hydra fight.

And it is from here after defeating the Hydra after cutting off numerous heads,  Herc is now seen as a hero and a celebrity. He has his own action figure.

But as Zeus informs him,  this doesn't make one a hero.  And he still has a long way to go restore his godhood.  After this, Hercules turns to Meg as they are slowly falling in love with one another. Even if Meg doesn't want to admit it.  And Phil would rather not have this happen as he doesn't like Meg.  Hades ends up taking advantage of this as he makes a deal that Hercules give up his strength for 24 hours, on the condition that Meg doesn't get hurt. And this is when Herc learns the truth of the fact that Meg was working for Hades.

Hades unleashes the Titans to attack Mt. Olympus. They just need a reminder of where Olympus is.

Uh, guys? Olympus would be that way.

And all of the gods had been captured, while Herc goes on to fight the cyclops without his strength after Phil inspires him to keep on fighting.  And here, Meg gets hurt and the deal is off as Herc gets his strength back but it's too late as she dies before Hercules is able to save her.  He breaks into the Underworld to save her and brokers a deal, exchanging her life for his.  And Hercules swims through The River Styx, which rapidly ages him but he is able to save Meg and The Fates aren't able to cut Hercules' thread was too strong as this moment as this one moment proved his status as a true hero and restored his godhood.  And even after being summoned to Mt. Olympus, Hercules decides to stay on earth with Meg as he thinks a life without Meg isn't worth living.  Yeah,  this film is a lot of fun and I enjoy just about everything about it.

Narrators

The Muses voiced by Lillas White,  LaChanze, Cheryl Freeman, Vanesse Y. Thomas

The Muses were really fun as onscreen narrators and in a lot of ways, they remind me of the Greek Chorus from Little Shop of Horrors.  They were really enjoyable and I liked all of their numbers.

Characters

Main Character

Hercules voiced by Tate Donovan

I like Hercules as a character, he's a good guy and he's just out to prove himself as a hero. And Donovan delivers a really good performance as Hercules as he makes you want to root for the guy all the way through.

Meg voiced by Susan Egan

I like how Meg isn't a typical Disney heroine. She's witty, sarcastic and has a good sense of humor on her. But she uses this to hide a huge chip on her shoulder after what happened with her ex-boyfriend and how she exchanged her soul to save him but the guy ran off. Through out the entire movie, you can feel the heartbreak that still resides in Meg, even if she tries to hide it. Oh and fun fact,  Susan Egan, Meg's voice actress was the original Belle on Broadway.

That's interesting to think about as Belle does have similarities in how she is also a strong female character that look out for herself but Belle and Meg couldn't be more different aside from that.

Supporting Characters

Phil voiced by Danny DeVito 

Phil may have had a rough exterior but deep down, he really cared about Hercules and you saw that in how hurt, he was when he thought that Meg was only using him to get close to him for Hades.  Perhaps the biggest moment of feel good for Hades is when the citizens of Thebes recognize Hercules as Phil's boy.  Phil finally trained the hero that he had wanted for so long and he earned this reward.

Zeus voiced by Rip Torn

Zeus is a very loving father. While we don't get to see much of him in the film, you can feel the love that he has for his son.  He truly cared for Hercules and only wanted the best for his son.

Pegasus voiced by Frank Welker 

Pegasus was as loyal as a horse could come and that is why he so jealous of Meg as he felt his time with Pegasus had been taken away from him. But hey, other horses have done worse and Pegasus does turn around in the end.  And you can see throughout the movie, how much he cares for Herc.

Music

The Gospel Truth

Is Gospel an odd choice to use for this movie? Perhaps but man, if this song isn't catchy and it really does a good job of setting up what to come with the movie.  And you can't fault it for that.  And I find it to be a really enjoyable number as well. 

Go The Distance

You'll get my opinion on the Michael Bolton on Friday but I prefer this version as sung by Roger Bart.  It really taps into the yearning in Hercules to find his place in the world.  It's something that most anyone can relate to as we all have those moments of wondering, what are we going to do with our lives.

Go The Distance (Reprise)

You can really hear the determination in Hercules as he is committed to making Zeus proud and living up to what has been set in front of him.

One Last Hope

 

This song is okay but it's one that I tend to forget about.  It's not bad and serves as a good montage for Hercules' growth into a hero but other than that, there isn't much to it.

Zero To Hero

Oh yeah, this is more like it.  This song is awesome.   The Muses get some of the best songs in this film and Zero To Hero is perhaps their best song.  Sure, it's another montage like the previous song but I actually think that this one is more fun as the song does more to stay with you and it is really memorable.  Like c'mon, all can you not smile at this song.   It's just such an uplifting song that is so fun.

(I Won't Say) I'm In Love 

For the longest time, this was my favorite song from a female Disney character and it's still really good and I like how it taps into how Meg is slowly falling in love with Hercules but doesn't want to admit as she doesn't want to be hurt again.

A Star Is Born

Yeah,  this is another great song from The Muses celebrating the success of Hercules and the guy deserves the success that has come his way and this song is a good way to close out.

Villains

The Fates voiced by Carole Shelly,  Amanda Plummer, & Paddi Edwards

The Fates are minor at best in the film but they still serve a rather huge purpose as they set in motion,the events of the movie.   They have this eerie feel to them that you know ominous is about to happen, when they are onscreen.

Pain & Panic voiced by Bobcat Goldthwait & Matt Frewer 

Ugh, these two.  I already went over why I don't like them in my Villains Profile on Hades. They are annoying and they aren't funny.  All of their scenes in the movie are a drag and they do nothing all that entertaining. And I'd argue that they are easily two of the worst henchmen in Disney films.   I'm sure that there are worse but as it stands, I don't like them.

Hades voiced by James Woods

As I said in the Villains Profile, Hades is a lot of fun.  He is a sarcastic hilarious dealmaker that is always ready with a one-liner.  And again like I said there,  Hades' arc in the film is less about what he wants as he know what it is and it's more about how he goes about getting it. And that makes him, a really entertaining villain. And of course,  the performance from James Woods doesn't hurt either.

My Final Thoughts

While I understand that not everyone likes this film and it is one of the more divisive Disney films and is considered to be a box-office disappointment, I really enjoy it.  It is one of my favorite Disney movies and it is one that I always enjoy watching as I think that it's a decent little flick with a lot of heart.  And everything comes together to deliver a really good time. Join me next time for a Screen To Stage as we head back to the world of Disney Cruise stage adaptions as I look at...

Hercules: The Muse-ical.