Review of Hercules (1997) by Matt F — 29 Feb 2012

Based extremely loosely on ancient Greek mythology concerning the title character, "Hercules" is a vibrant, yet somehow forgettable, Disney musical. After Hercules, the son of Greek god Zeus (Rip Torn), is poached by minions of underworld lord Hades (voiced with zeal by James Woods), the infant grows up on Earth with superhuman physical ability. As a man, he is coached by the satyr Phil (Danny DeVito) to attain hero status and defeat Hades and his considerable forces. Oh yeah - and there's a love story somewhere in there too. In general, this is typical 90s Disney fare: plenty of fun characters and action sequences for the kids, as well as enough industry in-jokes to keep the adults chuckling throughout (there's even a good running gag poking fun at Disney's own merchandising obsession). British cartoonist Gerald Scarfe was the brains behind the unique production design of the animation, which gives the film a brighter, more zany feel. Disney vet Alan Menken composed the music, which is great at times (featuring a fantastic Greek chorus bearing a striking resemblance to the Supremes), however I wouldn't put any of the film's songs on a "Disney's Greatest Hits" collection. All this being said, "Hercules" remains great fun, with a standout vocal turn from James Woods as a deliciously funny villain, and is probably the last above-average picture Disney made in standard, hand-drawn, 2D animation.

PS: Fun fact: Ricky Martin provided Hercules' singing voice in the Spanish dub of this movie. Two years later, his debut album hit stores and he became a global megastar.