Who Put The Glad in Gladiator?

Hercules
(Ron Clements and John Musker, 1997)

4 Stars

It’s very difficult to review a Disney movie objectively. An overwhelming sense of nostalgia emanates from every lyric, and association from each line. I think every child in the Western world has a connection with one of the classics; for me it was The Great Mouse Detective, for my brother Luke, Cinderella (not so surprising really…), and for my youngest brother Harry, it was the star-studded odyssey into Grecian myth that was 1997’s Hercules. Indeed so much was Harry’s love for the demi-god that he would tie a tea-towel around his neck, arm himself with rolling pin and sewing-box-lid shield and proclaim “I’m Harry-cles, and I happanabe A HERO!”

But let’s not embarrass him any further. Hercules, Disney’s 35th animated feature, takes us on a legendary journey into Ancient Greece, and though rather elaborate with the “true” stories, it’s a ruddy good bit of fun, adorned with romance, humour, betrayal, and good ol’ family fun.

Watching Hercules now, having got over a tearful little trip down Memory Lane during the heart-wrenching “Go the Distance”, I could truly appreciate just why Disney movies are real “family” entertainment. Though animated, and with all the fun of the fair, Hercules is a very mature story, with many references that will be lost on kids, that still manages to keep enough basic humour to keep the kiddies a’giggling. And, something I never noticed as a child, it’s really sexy… The tension between Hercules and the temptress Megara is so raunchy that I honestly don’t believe critics these days would allow it to pass in a Universal rating. But censorship is perhaps a story for another day.

The animation is wonderful, throwing us fully into every aspect of the Grecian world, and although the CGI is a little dated (the Hydra, terrifying at the time, looks a bit pants now I’m afraid), it is more than made up for by the seamless pen and pencil art. A skill the team have brought back to good use in the recent The Princess and the Frog, reviewed earlier this week.

The voice cast too is impressive, with James Woods (Casino, Once Upon A Time in America) at his evil best as the devilish Hades, and Rip Torn (Men in Black, Dodgeball) showing a softer side of his booming voice as Herc’s father, Zeus. Cameo roles are in abundance, with the likes of Charlton Heston, BobCat Goldthwaite, Paul Shaffer, Wayne Knight, and many more throwing in a few lines here and there, creating perhaps one of the most high-profile voice casts in animation history.

Of course, what is a Disney movie without music? A lesson learned well in fan-failures such as Atlantis and Treasure Planet (both of which I quite like actually…). And what makes Hercules so utterly divine is the soundtrack; a rousing gospel motif from the minds of Alan Menkin and David Zippel. This is one of the few films where one can honestly say that every song is a hit, from the opening “The Gospel Truth”, to the stirring finale “A Star is Born”, every song oozes memorability. Of course, it is young Hercules’ (voiced by Roger Bart, son of legendary composer Lionel) rendition of “Go the Distance” that steals the screen, creating one of the finest Disney songs of all time. Congrats chaps; another masterpiece.

In all, Hercules is a real classic, and though often overshadowed by The Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast (let’s face it, Disney had a pretty good run in the nineties), for me it will always stand strong amongst the greats. Thirteen years ago, a star was born, and it still shines bright to this day.