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Hercules (1997)."Whoa is my hair out?"

This week we journey back to ancient Greece, slip on our Air-Herc Sandals, and sip on some Hercu-Lade to the gospel soundtrack of the muses. It's Hercules from 1997. FINALLY!!!

 

Storyline :Hercules, son of the Greek God, Zeus, is turned into a half-god, half-mortal by evil Hades, God of the Underworld, who plans to overthrow Zeus. Hercules is raised on Earth and retains his god-like strength, but when he discovers his immortal heritage Zeus tells him that to return to Mount Olympus he must become a true hero. Hercules becomes a famous hero with the help of his friend Pegasus and his personal trainer, Phil the satyr. Hercules battles monsters, Hades and the Titans, but it is his self-sacrifice to rescue his love Meg which makes him a true hero.


Directors: Ron Clements and John Musker


Writers: Ron Clements...(animation screenplay by) &John Musker...(animation screenplay by) andDon McEnery...(animation screenplay by) (as Donald McEnery) &Bob Shaw...(animation screenplay by) andIrene Mecchi...(animation screenplay by)Kaan Kalyon...(story) andKelly Wightman...(story) &Randy Cartwright...(story) &John Ramirez...(story) &Jeff Snow...(story) &Vance Gerry...(story) &Kirk Hanson...(story) &Tamara Lusher...(story) (as Tamara Lusher-Stocker) &Francis Glebas...(story) &Mark Kennedy...(story) &Bruce Morris...(story) (as Bruce M. Morris) &Don Dougherty...(story) &Thom Enriquez...(story)


Stars: Tate Donovan, Susan Egan, James Woods, and Danny DeVito


Awards: 9 Wins & 16 Nominations


Film Budget: $85,000,000

Gross Worldwide: $252,712,101



 

My goodness...if there was ever an underappreciated Disney soundtrack it would for sure be Hercules. This film just releases banger after banger.








 

A Comedy So Big No Theater Can't Hold It

  1. Hades was scripted as a slow, menacing character until James Woods took the role and impressed the crew with his rapid-fire style. Even after the script was rewritten, Woods ad-libbed many lines.

  2. The role of Hades is one of James Woods' all-time favorite characters. So much so, any time Disney needs him to reprise the character for any cartoon show and video game, such as Hercules (1998) or Kingdom Hearts, he has agreed to do so. When this film was about to go over-budget, he offered to refund his salary and finish the film for free. Disney decided against this, and finished the film anyway.

  3. In the movie, Pain and Panic take the shape of two snakes in order to kill infant Hercules, but he simply grabs and tosses them about. This is another reference to the Herculean myths, where goddess Hera sent two snakes to kill infant Hercules, who simply grabbed and choked them.

  4. When Phil and Hercules first enter Phil's hut, Hercules bangs his head on what Phil tells him is the mast of the Argo. In Greek mythology, Jason, the captain of the Argo, was killed when the mast hit his head. In the myths, Hercules was one of the heroes/sailors on the Argo.

  5. The Spice Girls were originally approached to portray the Muses following an invitation to sing one of the songs, but declined the offer due to scheduling conflicts.



 

Hercules and the Hercules animated series (which somehow passed Kat by...) can be watched here on Disney+


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