Hercules
Director: Ron Clements, John Musker
Cast: Tate Donovan, Danny Devito, James Woods, Susan Egan
Although not considered one of the more prominent jewels in the Renaissance Era, Disney’s 8th Renaissance film, Hercules, remains a worthy addition. The film follows the journey of Hercules as he is robbed of his immortality and his family as an infant and must transcend from being a misunderstood outcast in the mortal world to understanding what it truly means to be a hero and restoring his immortality.
One of the themes which stands out in Hercules is the true meaning of being a hero. Hercules personifies the ideal hero in the movie with saving the girl and defeating the monsters and being a popular guy, however none of these are what define him as a true hero…it brings him fame and glory, but it doesn’t make him a hero. I think Hercules became a hero when he was willing to put his love for Meg above his desire to be a hero and regain his immortality and go beyond death to save her.He made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of love when he struck a deal with Hades to give his own life so that Meg could live (in essence giving up his chance at restoring his immortality and rejoining his family in order to save Meg’s soul).Finally, even when his power is restored to him and Zeus tells his son that he could reclaim his birthright as a god, he chose to stay with Meg and love her as a mortal instead of returning to his life on Mount Olympus.
Strength is also a significant theme in Hercules and it manifests itself in many forms. Hercules’ strength was the only thing he retained when he was transformed into a mortal. When Hercules was a mortal child, his strength was also his downfall because it caused the people around him to scorn and degrade him. When Hercules went on his journey to become a hero, his strength was the catalyst which won the people’s trust and respect as it aided Hercules in defeating the monsters, although it did give him a bit of an ego. Hercules sacrificed his strength in his deal with Hades to ensure that no harm would come to Meg at Hades hand.When Hades breaks his vow to Hercules and Meg is harmed, Hercules’ strength is restored and he is able to finally defeat his enemy and save the woman he loves.
Megara (Susan Egan) is one of the most ambiguous and emotionally sincere characters in the film. In the perfect Disney love story, she would simply be the love interest, but this is not the quintessential Disney love story. Meg is, in a sense, a reflection of Hercules. She is introduced as a reluctant minion of Hades (James Woods) and is exploited by the fiery villain to aid him in defeating Hercules. While initially this plan succeeds, Meg eventually realizes that despite her independent nature, she is impressed with “Wonderboy’s” courage and has fallen in love with Hercules. She then refuses to aid Hades in his quest to destroy Hercules.The interesting twist is that Meg is a victim of Hades trying to win her freedom from Hades much like Hercules is trying to regain his immortality which was also stolen by Hades. They are both victims of circumstances beyond their control. While at first Meg shies away from her feelings for the courageous hero, she really does love him, and her love ultimately becomes both the catalyst for Hades discovering Hercueles’ weakness, and the incentive which inspires Hercules to defeat Hades and his minions and finally discover the true worth of being a hero.
Hades, the god of the underworld and Zeus’ unspoken brother, is probably one of the most manipulative, diabolical, and comical Disney villains ever created. His character design, with his flaming hair and dark swirling robes is one of the most creative of the Disney villains, equal to that of Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty or Ursula in The Little Mermaid. While he tends to have an explosive temper and relies too much on the foresight of the fates to decide his future, you have to admire his determination to rule the god’s and defeat the hero and the extremes he is willing to go to in order to obtain his objective.
While Hercules doesn’t quite resonate with the elegance or emotional depth of others in the Disney Renaissance such as Beauty and the Beast or The Little Mermaid, the movie, while it is portrayed as more flamboyant and lighthearted, does possess a significant message which both children and adults can appreciate. I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys the magical quality of Disney animation.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Ron Clements, John Musker
Cast: Tate Donovan, Danny Devito, James Woods, Susan Egan
Although not considered one of the more prominent jewels in the Renaissance Era, Disney’s 8th Renaissance film, Hercules, remains a worthy addition. The film follows the journey of Hercules as he is robbed of his immortality and his family as an infant and must transcend from being a misunderstood outcast in the mortal world to understanding what it truly means to be a hero and restoring his immortality.
One of the themes which stands out in Hercules is the true meaning of being a hero. Hercules personifies the ideal hero in the movie with saving the girl and defeating the monsters and being a popular guy, however none of these are what define him as a true hero…it brings him fame and glory, but it doesn’t make him a hero. I think Hercules became a hero when he was willing to put his love for Meg above his desire to be a hero and regain his immortality and go beyond death to save her.He made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of love when he struck a deal with Hades to give his own life so that Meg could live (in essence giving up his chance at restoring his immortality and rejoining his family in order to save Meg’s soul).Finally, even when his power is restored to him and Zeus tells his son that he could reclaim his birthright as a god, he chose to stay with Meg and love her as a mortal instead of returning to his life on Mount Olympus.
Strength is also a significant theme in Hercules and it manifests itself in many forms. Hercules’ strength was the only thing he retained when he was transformed into a mortal. When Hercules was a mortal child, his strength was also his downfall because it caused the people around him to scorn and degrade him. When Hercules went on his journey to become a hero, his strength was the catalyst which won the people’s trust and respect as it aided Hercules in defeating the monsters, although it did give him a bit of an ego. Hercules sacrificed his strength in his deal with Hades to ensure that no harm would come to Meg at Hades hand.When Hades breaks his vow to Hercules and Meg is harmed, Hercules’ strength is restored and he is able to finally defeat his enemy and save the woman he loves.
Megara (Susan Egan) is one of the most ambiguous and emotionally sincere characters in the film. In the perfect Disney love story, she would simply be the love interest, but this is not the quintessential Disney love story. Meg is, in a sense, a reflection of Hercules. She is introduced as a reluctant minion of Hades (James Woods) and is exploited by the fiery villain to aid him in defeating Hercules. While initially this plan succeeds, Meg eventually realizes that despite her independent nature, she is impressed with “Wonderboy’s” courage and has fallen in love with Hercules. She then refuses to aid Hades in his quest to destroy Hercules.The interesting twist is that Meg is a victim of Hades trying to win her freedom from Hades much like Hercules is trying to regain his immortality which was also stolen by Hades. They are both victims of circumstances beyond their control. While at first Meg shies away from her feelings for the courageous hero, she really does love him, and her love ultimately becomes both the catalyst for Hades discovering Hercueles’ weakness, and the incentive which inspires Hercules to defeat Hades and his minions and finally discover the true worth of being a hero.
Hades, the god of the underworld and Zeus’ unspoken brother, is probably one of the most manipulative, diabolical, and comical Disney villains ever created. His character design, with his flaming hair and dark swirling robes is one of the most creative of the Disney villains, equal to that of Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty or Ursula in The Little Mermaid. While he tends to have an explosive temper and relies too much on the foresight of the fates to decide his future, you have to admire his determination to rule the god’s and defeat the hero and the extremes he is willing to go to in order to obtain his objective.
While Hercules doesn’t quite resonate with the elegance or emotional depth of others in the Disney Renaissance such as Beauty and the Beast or The Little Mermaid, the movie, while it is portrayed as more flamboyant and lighthearted, does possess a significant message which both children and adults can appreciate. I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys the magical quality of Disney animation.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.