Hi folks! Welcome to my My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analysis blog. A blog where I'm analyzing several Disney films, Disney or Animation in general! These entries are just meant to be my analyses. Not reviews or statements. Just fun analyses! Though I'll make some personal remarks now and then, the content of these entries are meant to be depicted objectively. They're made for entertainment purpose only and the pictures/clips are copyright Disney or other companies.
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And finally; If you haven't seen the films, beware of spoilers! And the funny lines aren't meant to be nothing than funny. So I hope you won't find them offensive. If so, I apologize
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| Of course it was hard to do this... for many hours straight :) |
It's one of the rare Disney films where heroism is an actual theme. While most Disney films are about heroism in some way or another, Hercules is centered about the protagonist having to actually become a superhero! And as you know, folks, superheroes are a fit for animation.
Besides my initial description, it's not that I detest the film. On the contrary! Though I'll confess that I initially did it at first. Hercules was the first of the late-Renaissance films which truly disappointed me. As I found the film insipid, dull and generic on my first viewing.
I grew to love it later on, but my reasons for initially disliking at first may be why some haven't warmed up to it. And why it received mixed reviews. Heck, Lindsay Ellis (a.k.a. former Nostalgia Chick) discussed her thoughts of it's weaknesses on two of her videos (though she assured later on that she somewhat likes the film).
Hercules` Reputation
Hercules has it's lovers and deservedly so. But it has it's equal share of haters as well. It seems as it's either hated or loved (and none in between). It's no secret that Hercules grossed less of the canon films in the 90's (the least grossing being The Rescuers Down Under). While the reasons are well-known, they're worth scrutinizing.
The Reasons For it`s Underperformance
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| Look at this, He-Man :) |
An quintessential reason is that Hercules was the follow-up to Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Two movies which tarnished Disney's name. Hercules also opened the same weekend as Face/Off. But another reason could be the overwhelming promotion of every new Disney release, which tired the public (which is why the buzz with Mulan were milder). Why Hercules failed to engage on it's initial release, could also be how Disney's storytelling device in the 90's was getting too homogenous and derivative. But it still wasn't a complete flop. It made $99,112,101 domestically and $153,600,000 overseas.
1997 was a turning point for full-length animation, where non-Disney releases were finally gaining more hype. While none of them threw Disney out from the box office, they were given enough attention to create buzz. Five months after Hercules, Don Bluth's Anastasia was released to good reviews. While it didn't set the Box Office on fire, it grossed $139,804,348 Worldwide. And has become a semi-classic on it's own (November 1997 saw also the re-relase of The Little Mermaid, who swept $ 36,325,688 million dollars on it's re-issue).
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| Yes, I'm handsome, that's why I duplicated myself. Don't be shocked ;) |
Trivia
Hercules was pitched by animator Joe Haidar. It was John Musker and Ron Clements' follow-up to Aladdin. Eager to finally set Treasure Planet to life, Katzenberg wanted them to do something commercial first. So in late 1992 or 93 (various different sources), they've got thirty different projects to choose from. They found Greek mythology most compelling. But it's still remarkable why it took Disney so long to step into Greek material, besides the Pastoral Sequence in Fantasia.
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| Just look at my feet, not my non-animal upper body, you dear one ;) |
Disneyfication
As with Pocahontas and Hunchback, Hercules was accused for it's non-accuracy/faithfulness to it's source material (and our hero's name change from Heracles, though his Roman name Hercules is frequently used). And for it's politically correctness (though that's debatable for Hunchback, haha). But of course the criticism is rather understandable, since the content in Greek mythology isn't really appropriate for a kid's movie. Which is ironic, hence mythological creatures are actually quite ideal for animation. However, Disney has executed the Disney-fication which they've always done, so Hercules was practically no different in that regard.
Although Pocahontas, Hunchback and Hercules differed by originating by historical, controversial and adult source material (and finding the right source material was a daunting task, since there's not particularly one Herarcles story). Hercules created controversy in Greece, as some theaters refused to release it. Which was different in Hunchback's case (according to it's Audio Commentary, it was actually a hit in France). But it baffles me that Hercules got away for it's steamy seduction scene of Megara seducing Hercules, while Hunchback didn't! Since women are the ones who gets most criticism for sexuality anyway.
Similarities to it`s John Musker and Ron Clement`s Counterparts
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| This makes the term "love is in the air" literal. Duuh :) |
It's easy to see the Musker/Clements-influence on Hercules; Comical villains. The sidekick having a wish and being previously let down by his former pupil. The lovebirds failing to kiss each other at first. Hercules and Philoctetes having a fight before the third act, mirroring the Aladdin/Genie fight.
The garden where Hercules and Meg dates, is similar to the where Aladdin and Jasmine flies by (a shallow comparison, but it still counts, which has sparked some fan theories). And while Hercules lacks a Robbie Williams/Genie, it's filled with obvious (and clever) pop culture references.
Hercules takes cues from The Little Mermaid as well; Hades is visually a male version of Ursula. Zeus resembles King Triton. Originally the
Zero to Hero sequence had a Sebastian-cameo,
but was cut. Hercules takes obvious cues from Hunchback too; Both heroes being babies. Innocent leads (though Hercules' outfit resembles Phoebus'). The heroines almost dying and the heroes crying besides them. Statues. Goats. Money coins. Females with tambourines. The heroes being carried by townspeople. Though Musker and Clements weren't inolved with the Aladdin series, it's coincidental how the monsters from that show are reminiscent of those in Hercules, though the monsters were taken from the myths (and the duo loves monsters). Hercules had it's own series, which had a crossover episode with Aladdin. Funny howall the Musker/Clements-movies in the 90's had a TV-spinoff of them (the same was going to happen with Treasure Planet, but it got scrapped). The Hercules series featured young Herc's activities and life at school besides his hero training. And apparently he met Meg in an episode. Cute thought, but not exactly canon (but the creators made sure to fix it to be canon).
Hercules Himself
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| Shannon Saunders gave me The Glow ;) |
Just as it's 90' counterparts Hercules is about a outcast. His reason is being for not being able to control his own strength. The problem in Hercules is that the outcast-premise feels shoehorned in here and therefore less compelling. It's not to imply that it's completely wasted, but it is more contrived here, nonetheless. It just seems to exist for the sake of recycling the loner trope, despite how Herc himself has a genuine reason to feel like an outsider, for the aforementioned reasons.
Hercules himself is somewhat of a departure from masculine and confident Disney-leads. Just like Quasimodo before him, Hercules is innocent, naive and shy. The other Renaissance heroes have been more leading and masculine (though while Prince Eric is the least cocky of them, he's still a confident on his own right). Although I find young Hercules endearing, he becomes bland and dull as he grows older (in my opinion). While it's of course subjective, several people have stated their agreements on this as well. Adult Herc doesn't even get to sing, as Hercules' only number in the film is his "I want" number, Go the Distance. Which is sung by him as a teenager. Hercules is a character who's been constant compared to Pinocchio by both his directors and others, since he has a similar and reminiscent quest as the little, wooden puppet.
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| I know my blue eyes are irresistible. They'll impress you instead of my strength :) |
Megara, the Heroine
Megara is a departure from her heroine counterparts as well! While the Disney-heroines through the 90's developed independence and spunk, Megara was a step further and was rather a cynical, snarky babe inspired from screwball-comedies (which was a conscious choice from the directors). Thanks to Susan Egan's (Belle in Broadway's Beauty and the Beast) performance and Ken Duncan's animation, Meg's a joy to watch and listen to! And is deservedly one of the main attractions of Hercules. She's a rare heroine who works for the villain and starts out as a naughty character. But a remarkable thing about her is she's given a past; A heroine who's been hurt by her former boyfriend (a female version of the Beast, if you will). But another thing about her is that she's a rare Disney heroine without her own sidekick. Meg is given an arc and a quite realistic, relatable and compelling one as well.
And a fun fact; Megara was an actual Princess in the original myth (remarkable that Disney made her a commoner in this film. Had Hercules been made today, she would've definitively been a Princess).Meg's design is a departure from the likes of Ariel and Jasmine (since we're analyzing a Ron/John-movie after all). It's not to imply that Meg looks hideous, but she has a angular, skinny look that distinguish her from her counterparts. But that's how her lead animator Ken Duncan draws and designs women, as Jane Porter from Tarzan and Captain Amelia from Treasure Planet have proved.
Comic Relief
While most Disney leads are often outshined by their fellow characters, it's definitively quite evident in Hercules. Philoctetes by Danny DeVito was Musker's idea. James Wood's Hades is one of the funniest villains ever created (and was originally voiced by Jack Nicholson, but his demands were too high). Writer David Koenig and others claims that Hades was meant to be charicature of Jeffrey Katzenberg (and a rare 90 villain who didn't sing). But he's more compelling than the protagonist. Although nor he or Phil outshines Genie/Robbie Williams, they come close as doing so.
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| You're so subtle with irony, Hades :) |
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| The world is turned upside down now, the Underworld is above now ;) |
Similarities to Superman/Superhero Concept
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| Don't worry, I don't usually look like this. That's the beauty of animation. |
It's remarkable how Hercules comes across as an animated version of Superman, following same story patterns. Originally the story was conceived to be a depiction of the Trojan war, before landing on the Superhero-plot line. Either way, although Disney films have been predictable (due to obvious reasons, duh), Hercules comes across as perhaps too predictable, at least story-wise. Besides, the script is incredibly busy, incorporating many events and therefore coming across as semi-episodic. However, Hercules concludes with the traditional (yet admirable) moral of what true heroism is about (funny how the Donald Duck-series Quack Pack, who was released the year prior to Hercules, had a episode of about true heroism, centering after a hero who was the ideal hero. Perhaps Phoebus from Hunchback should've given our Herc a lecture, since he's an ideal hero, in my opinion, though)
Music
With Hercules, Alan Menken composed his sixth score for a Disney animated feature. But the unconventional thing is the Gospel/RnB style. It gives the movie an unique flavor. The songs are bouncy, lively and almost straight pop songs. Although the gospel/RnB sound was a conscious choice (because it about heroism and hope), it's also comes across as a headscratcher for purists Since Gospel/Rnb isn't usually associated with Greek music anyway. 
But the remarkable thing is that Hercules doesn't have traditional Greek music at all. The directors didn't want traditional bazouki music, because they thought it wasn't going to be fun. While the songs mirrors those from Little Shop of Horror's, Menken wanted originally to go a classical route with the music. Yet the directors managed to persuade him to go with the Gospel style. Go The Distance was deliberately modeled after a superhero theme.The idea of the Muses being the narrators is a creative and inspiring choice. Although Disney and several people claim them to be African-American, ancient Greeks were dark-skinned (though it's remarkable that they're the only dark-skinned people in this movie, probably due to having them blend with the vases). And yes, believe it or not, they were originally going to be voiced by the Spice Girls, but they declined the offer due to scheduling conflicts.
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| At least we're not dancing Macarena :) |
To summarize my personal opinion of the score itself, I personally consider it to be somewhat different from Menken's previous scores. It's often quite boisterous and blatant at times (no offense to Menken)! While Menken's early work is praised, there has been varying opinions of which of his last scores went with a bang. 
However, Menken took a break from Disney after Hercules and wouldn't score for Disney until 2004's Home on the Range. With Hercules, Menken teamed up with David Zippel, who he had worked with before during the 1980's. Yet Zippel would later on pen the lyrics for the upcoming Mulan, who was a rare Disney feature without Menken. When the late 90's films threw the love duets, the "I want"-numbers became the lead singles (Hercules initial "I want"-number was Shooting Star, was released as a single by Boyzone, but was finally shown entirely on 2017's Disney D23 Expo). Or the anthems, as with Hunchback and Tarzan. Btw, it's noteworthy that Michael Bolton's version of Go The Distance is melodically different than Ricky Martin's (who voiced our Herc in the Latin American version).
The New Visual Look
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| I'm great at singing opera, ain't I? :) |
Another noteworthy aspect about Hercules is the look of the film, influenced by Gerald Scarfe (Pink Floyd's The Wall). It gave Hercules an unique look which distinguished it from it's counterparts. Though the choice may seem like a odd one, it was actually a conscious choice. Clements thought Scarfe's style resembled the Grecian-vase style they wanted. The animators were skeptical at first, but warmed up to the style eventually. Scarfe influenced the design of the characters, even the CGI Hydra (who doesn't blend well with the hand drawn, no offense). While some have complained about the stylished look, other have rather praised it for it's uniqueness.
Hercules proved challenging tasks to the animators, as Andreas Deja supervised his first masculine hero. Something that he deliberately wanted, in order to not be typecasted only as a animator for villains (note the fun Scar cameo), due to him being offered Hades first. Nik Ranieri supervised his first villain. And Eric Goldberg made his second sidekick, who's an amalgam of not only Grumpy and Bacchus from Fantasia. But also of himself and Danny DeVito (and also having captured some of DeVito's unique mouth shapes every time he pronounced the letter s or ch).
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| Yes, I'm going to eat him soon as this shoot is over ;) |
Tone
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| And that's why I'm glad I'm not him :) |
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| And for a good reason; Money ;) |
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| Blame my age, not me :) |
However, Hercules could've also been considered as a retrograde, due to how it didn't broke new mold and having wide ambitions as the serious efforts did (though don't get me wrong, I'm not dismissing that Disney shouldn't made a frisky comedy in this period at all, but I'm just analyzing the subject).
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| Word. And let's not talk about it anymore ;) |
The Lack of Elaborate Bonus Features on Home Media Releases
It's a pity that Hercules haven't received a proper home video release with in-depth bonus features (alongside with The Rescuers Down Under). The problem with Disney's less successful releases are that they're often given less bonus material with their releases. At the beginning with the bonus feature-phase, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Toy Story and Hunchback were released on Laserdisc with tons of bonus features (though Hunchback were given less).
However, because of the transition between Laserdiscs and DVD, Mulan and Tarzan were released on DVD. Since they both grossed more, they were given more features (at least later on with Mulan, since it was released on a two disc Special Edition in 2004). And hence several studios don't want to budget for bonus features anymore, we're given less bonus material. Therefore, Hercules have suffered majorly from this!
Epilogue
So at the end, Hercules is an quirky oddball of a movie. But it's a fun and entertaining one, indeed! It's eventually found it's audience and deservedly so! While it was made for commercial purposes, which is evident by it's execution, it's filled with heart and soul as well. Hercules is an underrated hero and deserves to be among the greatest of them! After all, a star is born! ;)
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| Don't ask us why we were instructed to be like this ;) |
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References:
The Art of Hercules (Stephen Rebello & Jane Healey).
Mouse Under Glass (David Koenig).
Disney's Art of Animation; From Mickey Mouse To Hercules (Bob Thomas)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame Deluxe Cav Widescreen Edition Laserdisc
Movie Surfers: Hercules; (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj51-H6YUCw)
Disney Magazine Summer 1997.
Disney Adventures July 1997.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KznZcK7ksf4&t=1959s
http://legionofleia.com/2016/11/disney-animator-eric-goldberg-talks-creating-new-iconic-characters-in-moana/
http://www.threecommentears.com/2014/08/the-three-commentears-episode-15-hercules/
http://www.laughingplace.com/News-ID115140.asp
http://www.laughingplace.com/News-ID115160.asp
https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cQkFAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EjIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2055,3065624&hl=en
http://www.reelviews.net/reelviews/hercules
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/herculeshowe.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/herculeskemp.htm
http://www.dvdmg.com/hercules.shtml
http://web.archive.org/web/20030605094621/http://www.animated-movies.net/Hercules.html
http://www.dvdizzy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=31931
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=releases&id=littlemermaid.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8DHGu69Yos
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