Hercules

Movie Title--  Hercules

Release Year--  1997

Running Time--  1 Hour and 32 Minutes

Director--  Ron Clements, John Musker

Cast--  Tate Donovan, Danny DeVito, James Woods, Susan Egan, Bobcat Goldthwait, Matt Frewer, Rip Torn, Josh Keaton, Samantha Eggar

Hercules, the son of the Greek Gods, Zeus and Hera, is stripped of his immortality as an infant and has to prove that he is a true hero to gain it back.

The world is ravaged by titan's but Zeus (Rip Torn) comes along and imprisons them under the ocean, making the world a safe place.  This secures his place as the king of the Gods and soon after, he and his wife Hera (Samantha Eggar) have a son they name Hercules (Josh Keaton, Tate Donovan).  All of the Gods are happy for the arrival of the new born baby, all except Zeus' brother, Hades (James Woods).

Hades is jealous of his brother and has a plot to overthrow Mt. Olympus, the home of the Gods, and become leader.  He enlists the help of the Fates and learns that in 18 years the planets will align and that will be the best time to release the titans and conquer Mt. Olympus.  He is then warned that as long as Hercules has his strength, he will not succeed.  He concocts a formula that will turn Hercules mortal and sends his minions Pain (Bobcat Goldthwait) and Panic (Matt Frewer) to give Hercules the potion and then kill him.  Pain and Panic succeed in kidnapping the baby but before he can drink every last drop, a man and woman stumble across them.  The couple take Hercules in as their own son.

Flash a few years forward and the now mortal Hercules is a teenager.  He still has his super human strength which has made him an outcast because he doesn't know how to control it and he tends to get him in a lot of trouble.  Hercules begins to wonder where he has come from when his parents reveal to him that they are his foster parents.  They give him a gold medallion that they found on him when he was a baby and tell him that on it is the symbol of the Gods.  He takes the medallion and leaves home, on a journey to discover who he truly is.

Once he learns his father is Zeus, he is sent to find Philocetetes (Danny DeVito) to train to become a hero. Once he has grown and studied for a while, Phil takes Hercules to Thebes to prove himself as a hero.  On the way into the city, they come across a maiden in distress and Hercules saves her.  He learns that her name is Megara (Susan Egan) and he is instantly smitten with her but she is stone cold toward him.  When Hercules leaves, Hades appears, asking Meg if she accomplished the task he had sent her to do and she tells him that Hercules interfered.  Hades then employs Meg, who is in his debt, to find out what Hercules' weakness is.  Hades soon realizes that Meg is Hercules' weakness, and in the end ultimately making Hercules choose; his life or Meg's.

This is not one of my favorite Disney Animated Classics.  I never saw this film as a child and now that I am an adult, I realized it is alright that I missed this one as a child.  I feel like this film isn't really for children, since there are a lot of references that lean heavily on the stories of the God's from ancient Greece and a young child is not going to understand that.  The jokes that rely on the references to the Greek God's aren't even very funny if you are not aware of their origins.  It just feels like a lot of the humor in this film is a little over a child's head.

I hated Danny DeVito in this film.  His Phil is already not a super likable guy but DeVito's harsh tones and brash voice make him that much more unbearable.  I feel like Meg isn't likable either; she is cold and abrasive and then about a hour or so in she just flips a switch because she is "in love".  She doesn't soften any in between.  At one point you see her alone and she has a moment where she could seem like she is trying to soften some but the very next scene with her in it, she is just as cold and harsh as before.  There is no progression between her dislike for Hercules' disruption to her discovery that she is in love with him and it makes it hard to like her because of it.  Even Hercules feels kind of flat in this film.

I would say, if you are looking for a film to share with the kids, leave this one on the shelf unless you feel like you absolutely have to see every Disney Animated Film.  Whatever you decide, Don't Forget the Popcorn!