Deep Dive Disney: Wes Looks at Hercules

Welcome back to Deep Dive Disney everyone. Today, we’re looking at a movie that I already remembered fondly that actually turned out to be way better than I remembered it. Welcome to Deep Dive Disney’s look at Hercules. This is a fun, exciting, funny and surprisingly deep film that was a staple of my childhood which I absolutely loved reliving as an adult. Before we get too far into it, I feel like we should address something. Way back in Snow White, I said that I would not be holding deviations from the source material against the films themselves and would instead be judging them based on what they are as opposed to what they are not. However, as much as I love this movie, for some reason, the way it plays fast and loose with Greek mythology tends to irk me more than other Disney films. It’s nowhere near enough to ruin the film, and frankly, it’s probably a good thing that they didn’t adapt Greek Mythology perfectly since it’s not always the most kid friendly, but it still gets to me for whatever reason. I’ll try to keep it to a minimum, but I do have a couple of rants prepared so, heads up. With that out of the way, put away your big book of Greek myths because I’m about to give you the story of Disney’s Hercules. High up on Mt. Olympus, the fabled home of the Greek pantheon, the king and queen of the Gods, Zeus and Hera, have just welcomed their newborn son, Hercules. However, while the rest of the Gods are partying, Hades, lord of the Underworld is busy hatching a scheme to seize control of the cosmos for himself by unleashing the Titans, fearsome elemental monsters that were sealed away by Zeus eons ago, when the planets align in eighteen years. According to the all-knowing Fates, the only person who can foil Hades’ plan is the young Hercules. So, in order to nip this problem in the bud, Hades sends his two henchmen to kidnap the baby, force him to drink a potion of mortality and then kill him. They manage to get the first two right, but since baby Herc didn’t drink the last drop of potion, he managed to retain his God-like strength and fight off the two minions. However, since the boy was now mortal, he could no longer live on Mt. Olympus. When Hercules is old enough to learn the truth of his origin, he is told by Zeus that if he proves himself a true hero, his Godhood will be restored, and he can rejoin his family on Mt. Olympus. So, after some intense training under Philoctetes, the trainer of heroes, Hercules quickly becomes the most famous hero in all Greece. In the process, a girl named Megara catches Herc’s eye and our hero becomes instantly smitten. Unbeknownst to Hercules, Meg is actually the unwilling servant of Hades who plans to use her to finally get rid of Hercules once and for all. It’s an astoundingly fun movie with a unique art style that may actually be my favorite Disney Renaissance film we’ve covered thus far. Let’s get into, Hercules.

Main Character:

There’s really not a whole lot to say about Hercules. He’s a genuinely nice person who’s heroic and determined but also fallible and vulnerable. As a child, Hercules, despite having loving Foster parents, nonetheless feels like a freak because of his insane strength. Hercules’ journey is all about finding where he belongs and ultimately learning what it means to be a true hero. At first he believes that being a hero is about notoriety and great deeds but ultimately, when he willingly jumps into the River Styx to save Meg, he learns that being a hero is about self-sacrifice. While this character shares some similarities with the mythical Hercules, or Heracles to use the actual Greek spelling, they really aren’t the same character. The more I think about it, the more I realize that this character more closely resembles a more modern mythological figure. Think about it, Hercules comes from a race of powerful beings, is sent to earth where he’s adopted by good natured farmers, discovers that he has powers beyond the limits of a mortal man and eventually becomes a protector and champion of the people. This isn’t Heracles, this is Superman! The film feels less structured like the classic Greek myth of Heracles and more like a superhero story. With that in mind, so much of the story makes a lot more sense. I've been a fan of Superman since I was very young so realizing this aspect of the character makes him a lot more appealing to yours truly.

Villain:

So, let’s get it out of the way. I love this character but before I further elaborate on that it’s important that you all realize that as great as this character is, arguably one of the most compelling villains in Disney history, as I said back in my Top 20 Disney Villains article, this is not Hades. An all too common mistake made by those who adapt Greek myth is confusing the Greek God of the Underworld with the Christian Devil when in reality they’re really nothing alike. The Hades of Greek myth, contrary to what modern popular culture may have you believe, was not evil. He wasn’t exactly a nice fellow and you definitely did not want to piss him off but Hades was no more or less malevolent than any of the other Gods. That having been said, this version of Hades is awesome! I know that James Woods is a bit of an asshole in real life but I need to give credit where it’s due. James Woods OWNS in this movie. Woods has said many times that Hades is his favorite character that he’s ever played and man does it show. I cannot think of a better marriage of actor and character than this one. Hades perfectly straddles that line between comedic and threatening with every mile a minute sentence out of his lips. With all this going for him, naturally, Hades is yet another one of Disney's Franchise Villains. Can you believe we only have one more of those left? Well, we still got twelve years worth of movies before we discuss Dr. Facilier so let's keep talking about Hades. As per the norm, Hades is accompanied by his two incompetent minions, Pain and Panic voiced by comedian Bobcat Goldthwait and Jackal himself, Matter Frewer, respectively. In addition to the two little imps, Hades also has plenty of evil monsters at his command, preferring to let them do his dirty work while he sits and watches from the sidelines. In many ways, Hades is a lot like a better version of Ursula from The Little Mermaid, an unscrupulous huckster who specializes in making one sided deals that ensure he’s the only one who really gets what he wants. With a speech pattern like a used car salesman, this fast-talking con artist manages to convince both Megara and later Hercules himself to agree to one of his deals and they both ended up getting screwed over. Actually, what Hades does to Hercules is incredibly vindictive. Hades tricks Herc into giving up his strength using Meg as leverage, and only after Wonder Boy agrees does Hades choose to reveal that Meg was actually working for him just to further twist the knife. Now, not only has Hercules been robbed of his strength, his spirit has been completely broken, leaving him a miserable shell of his former self and easy pickings for when Hades sends the Cyclops to finish him off. Despite his cool demeanor, there’s always a sense that Hades is just minutes from flying off the handle, and when he does, it’s pretty funny but also frightening, especially when one of his minions ends up wearing Hercules brand shoes. Even when his eighteen-year plan to sic the titans on Mt. Olympus is foiled, Hades proves himself to be a sore loser and claims Meg’s soul as a consolation prize. Funny and entertaining but still evil to the core, Hades is one God you don’t want steamed up.

Side Characters:

Heads up, this is going to be a long section since there’s quite a few characters I want to talk about. We may as well start at the top with the Gods of Olympus themselves. Now, for the most part, the Gods are fine. Rip Torn as Zeus does an excellent job balancing the bombast you’d expect from a Greek God as well as the kind sincerity that you’d want in a loving father, Paul Shaffer, though seeming like an odd choice, gets a few laughs as Hermes and I’m always happy to hear Keith David who cameos as Apollo. However, there is one Greek God who this movie gets so fundamentally wrong that it may as well be a slap in the face to every Greek mythology scholar who ever lived. I speak of course, of Hera. Now, I said I would keep my irritation about the various deviations from Greek mythology to a bare minimum and I meant it, but this just gets under my skin. I have no idea what this character is supposed to be but it sure as fuck ain’t Hera. Hera, the Greek goddess of marriage and birth, was not a kind-hearted maternal figure nor was she even the mother of Hercules in the first place. Hera was a vengeful deity who had zero patience for her man-whore of a husband sleeping around behind her back and would punish Zeus’s various mistresses in various horrible ways. And here’s the kicker. The part where Hercules strangles the two snakes as a baby, that is one of the few parts that actually is true to the original story. However, in the original myth of Heracles, it wasn’t Hades who sent them, it was Hera. This characterization of Hera is such a betrayal of everything the character was about that it’s like if Captain America was revealed to have been a Hydra agent all along. Yes, I know that actually happened and it was fucking stupid.

Moving on from the Hera fiasco, let’s discuss Philoctetes, or Phil for short, voiced by the always awesome Danny Devito. Phil, the trainer of heroes, is very much a character akin to someone like Mickey from the Rocky movies, a stern taskmaster who still clearly cares about the person he’s training. He clearly was once a more optimistic sort but after having been let down by past pupils so many times, she’s grown bitter and cynical, hence why it takes Hercules to restore his hope. I especially appreciate that at the end when Herc is at his lowest point, it’s Phil who’s able to talk some sense in him. Also, his "two words" running gag is actually pretty funny.

But, the time has come to talk about my favorite character in the film and quite possibly my favorite female character in any Disney movie ever, Megara, or Meg as she’s known to her nonexistent friends. Meg is a very interesting and complicated character who I personally find infinitely more engaging than anyone from the Disney Princess crowd. It also helps that she’s voiced by Susan Egan who would later go on to play Rose Quartz in one of my favorite TV shows of all time, Steven Universe. What’s interesting here is that Meg’s story is surprisingly similar to that of Ariel, a character whom you may recall, I absolutely can’t stand. Megara short sightedly sold her soul to a lucifer-like figure for the love of a man without considering the consequences of doing so. However, unlike Ariel who ended up getting everything she wanted without facing any consequences, Meg did not get her happily ever after. Instead, Meg’s boyfriend left her for some other girl, even knowing what she sacrificed for him. Unlike Ariel, Meg’s ill-advised deal backfired horribly and doomed her to a life of misery and servitude. When we meet Meg in the film, she’s grown bitter and cynical and hides her true emotions behind a wall of sarcasm. She’s clearly someone who’s been hurt and is afraid to open her heart and trust anyone for fear of being hurt again. When she meets someone who’s as genuine as Hercules, at first Meg think's he's too good to be true but once she realizes that he’s for real, you can understand why he’s a positive influence in her life and how he’s able to get her to drop her guard and open herself up to love again. Something I never noticed until viewing the film for the retrospective is that after she admits to herself that she’s in love with Hercules, the excessive sarcasm that Meg so often used as a defense mechanism is pretty much gone for the rest of the movie as her true emotions are finally allowed to shine through. I love Meg and found her arc incredibly compelling. She shows that a character like Ariel can work, provided that one is made to face the consequences of their actions.

Songs:

While not quite on the level as something like Lion King or Hunchback, the soundtrack to Hercules is still a lot of fun. This is another one of those films where most of the musical numbers follow a specific genre. Much like how you wouldn’t think Bing Crosby would be a good fit for a ghost story or country folk music would work for a Robin Hood tale, Gospel music initially seems out of place for a Greek myth but it surprisingly works. A lot of the songs in this film are handled by the Muses, the literal Greek chorus of the film who serve as the musical narrators. Pretty much every one of their songs is absolutely awesome.

Go the Distance, the song sung by young Hercules, is a solid number with a universal message about never giving up and finding one’s place in the world. It really works.

One last hope is a fun training montage song that contains a lot of laughs and a pretty cool homage to the karate kid. It’s a great song but it’s sadly been overshadowed since the very next movie arguably features the greatest training montage song of all time but we’ll get there when we get there.

Finally, there’s my favorite song in the movie, I Won’t Say I’m in Love. This song is damn near perfect in every conceivable way. If you’ve seen her as Rose Quartz or as the original Belle for Broadway’s Beauty & The Beast, then you know that Susan Egan has some incredible pipes and she harmonizes with the muses perfectly. I mentioned that Meg’s arc was very engaging to me, well, this is where Meg’s emotional journey comes to a head. She obviously has feelings for Hercules and well, she doesn’t know how to feel about that. Should she open herself up again, leaving her vulnerable, or should she remain closed off, safe but miserable. Speaking as someone who’s been in a bad relationship or two in my time, it can be very difficult to trust people and the emotional struggle Meg goes through in this song feels very relatable. It’s beautiful, it’s powerful and I love every second of it.

Memorable Scenes:

The fight with the Hydra is pretty iconic even if the 1997 CGI doesn’t look great by today’s standard. The whole scene is epic and I absolutely love Hades watching on with a cigar and commentating on the fight like it’s a sporting event. It’s great stuff.

Also, the scene where Hercules and Meg are out on a date is incredibly well done. It’s the first time that Meg admits her fear of being hurt to another and I really like seeing the relationship between Meg and Hercules built up in this scene. It’s a lot of fun but also tells you a lot about these characters.

Story:

The overt message in the film is about how a being a true hero is not about feats of strength or fighting monster, but about sacrifice and the strength of one’s heart. Afterall, Hercules’ Godhood is only restored after he jumps into the River Styx, knowingly putting his life on the line to save Meg. That’s all well and good, but honestly, I think there’s a deeper message here and it ties into the whole Superman thing I discussed earlier. See, a lot of people tend to say that Superman is boring and over-powered. I personally scoff at that assessment since those people are missing the point of the character. Superman’s whole MO is giving people hope when it’s needed most. Hell, Superman’s iconic emblem is literally the Kryptonian symbol for hope. Superman is someone with the power to rule the people of Earth as an all-powerful tyrant but instead he acts as a protector of the people purely out of altruism. Hercules is very much the same in that regard. Hercules, simply by being a genuine person who wants to do good, inspires others who have long since lost hope to feel it again. Phil had become disillusioned with the world after his former pupils all proved failures in his eyes, but seeing Hercules’s promise and genuine dedication, he allows himself to hope again and it is ultimately Hercules who helps Phil realize his dream of training a hero so great that the Gods would hang a picture of him in the stars that people would see and say “That’s Phil’s Boy.” The people of Thebes have long since resigned themselves to living in a city of turmoil so much so that anyone who strolls into town claiming to be a hero is met with skepticism if not open hostility. But, when Hercules comes through where others have not, the people of Thebes also allow themselves to feel hope again. And finally, there’s Meg. As we’ve said, Meg sacrificed everything for love, and it blew up in her face. She’s clearly lost her ability to hope, perhaps more so than any other character. However, when she sees that Hercules is the real deal and not some jerk who offers nothing but false promises, for the first time in a very long time, she too allows herself to feel hope. Hercules is an inspiration to those around him, and because of that, when Hercules loses all hope later in the film, those whom he’s inspired to be better return the favor and bolster him up to the point that he’s able to defeat the Cyclops even without his strength.

The Dark Disney Factor:

There’s plenty of stuff that could be seen as dark and disturbing. The Hydra scene could definitely be pretty scary, especially for little kids. I also thought that the means by which Hades is defeated is pretty disturbing. See, it’s shown that when you swim through the River Styx, you age rapidly until you die. However, since Hades is a God and therefore immortal, he’s likely to spend the rest of eternity in never ending agony as the souls of those he’s tormented for eons drag him deeper and deeper into the bottomless abyss. Jesus! Finally, there’s the scene in which Megara dies. Even though she’s brought back, it was still a ballsy move on Disney’s part to make us watch this likable and well-developed character die on screen. And this is no Snow White sleeping curse, she actually dies and ends up in the afterlife. Even though we know it’s not going to stick, it’s still tough to watch.

Final Thoughts: I love this movie. The art style is very unique, the characters are fleshed out and complex, the villain is wonderfully sinister and Megara is easily the most interesting female Disney character in history. It is easily the best movie of the Disney Renaissance that I've watched so far and one dangerously close to sneaking into my Big 5, something unheard of prior to this retrospective, and that's the gospel truth. Well, our next film is Mulan but we're not done with Hercules just yet. Next time I have a special treat in store for you all as Deep Dive Disney will be looking at an episode of the Hercules animated series.