HERCULES
US, 1997, 92 minutes, Colour.
Voices of: James Woods, Rip torn, Samantha Eggar, Tate Donovan, Danny De Vito, Amanda Plummer, Bobcat Goldthwait, Matt Frewer, Roger Bart.
Directed by Ron Clements, John Musker.
From the more serious point of view, Hercules is one of the Disney Studios lesser films of the 1990s, especially in comparison with its predecessors including Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King. This is designed for sheer entertainment, very little message – except the old one to be true to oneself!
The film is geared for comedy, especially with the voice performance of James Woods as the arch-villain, Hades – whose patter and intonations sound like James Woods in most of his other films of the time! Tate Donovan is a rather calm and pleasant Hercules. Other voices include those of Danny DeVito?, Susan Egan, Roger Bart, Amanda Plummer Bobcat Goldthwait, Matt Frewer, Rip Torn and Samantha Eggar as Zeus and Hera, Hal Holbrook and Barbara Barrie as the adoptive parents.
Perhaps because of the success of the musical versions of the previous Disney films, this one is already designed as a musical. Taking the cue from the paintings on Greek vases, a group of singers come alive and serve as a chorus throughout the film. One of the oddities of the film is that one of the recurring lyrics in the film refers to the story about Hercules as “the gospel truth”! Nothing to do with the gospel – which makes it something and of an absurd lyric, especially where Christians sensitivities are concerned.
We are shown life on Mount Olympus, the experiences of the gods. Hercules is sent to earth for his own safety after threats from Hades, grows up with foster parents, gradually emerges with a great desire to return to his father and become a god again. However, as he performs all the labours of Hercules with visual and comic style, he falls in love and has to make the obvious decision at the end of the film – true love versus the comfort of divinity on Mount Olympus.
Hercules entertains in its way while it is on the screen – but is one of the least memorable of the Disney films of the period.
