HERCULES
Dr T. White
Directed by: Ron Clements & John Musker
Written by: Ron Clements, Barry Johnson, Don McEnery, Irene Mecchi, John Musker & Bob Shaw
Music by: Alan Menken
Voice Cast: Tate Donovan (adult Hercules), Josh Keaton (young Hercules), Roger Bart (young Hercules singing voice), Danny DeVito (Phil), James Woods (Hades), Susan Egan (Meg [Megara]), Bob Goldthwait (Pain) and Matt Frewer (Panic)
Produced by: Ron Clements, Alice Dewey & Kendra Halland
Running Time: 92 min
Rating : ***
Production Co: Walt Disney Productions
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
Official Home Page: www.disney.comDisney's Post-Modernist March Through the World's Classics Continues
Well....just what the hell can you say about a new Disney animated movie, anyway? I mean, you know going in that the quality of the animation is going to be good - meaning "good" according to the standards of contemporary Hollywood standards, standards that are set by...Disney animation. And you know that if you complain about any aspect of the movie, people will accuse you of taking it too seriously, of being a grumpy old fart who can't just sit back and enjoy sugar-coated treats, of being an out-of-touch academic without a clue...or all of these. So what can you say?
There is a part of me that cringes at movies like HERCULES. It is, after all, another in a string of movies from the "Mouse factory" that takes history (POCAHANTAS), literature (THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME), cultural legends (ALADDIN and THE LITTLE MERMAID) or mythology (HERCULES) and "Disneyfies" them, trivializing, modernizing, and Americanizing them to satisfy short attention spans around the world. Even Winnie the Pooh, a rather sophisticated story for children that I was particularly fond of as a kid, was turned into a lifeless, commercial...product... by Disney. And all of these movies are merely parts of the Disney marketing machine, carefully planned to meet the needs of Hollywood's "synergy", promoting sound tracks, toys, pajamas, lunch boxes, you name it. If you think about it, it really is pretty depressing.
So the trick, I guess, is just not to think about it too much. If you can succeed at turning off this part of your brain, Hercules is a quite enjoyable movie, after all! Sure, it is a marketing scam; in fact it makes fun of itself as such (upon becoming the official hero of Thebes, Hercules endorses "Air Hercs", his image is used to sell drinks, he becomes an action figure...you get the picture). But what do you expect? After all, we all want to make some money, so can we begrudge Disney for wanting to squeeze a few extra billion bucks from its efforts?
The story itself is not especially complicated or interesting. Hercules, the infant son of Zeus and Hera, is a potential threat to the plans of Hades to take over Earth and Olympus. Hades sends his bumbling underlings, Pain and Panic, to kill the little tyke; they fail, naturally. Hercules doesn't die, but he does become a mortal and, according to the rules that govern the gods, must leave Olympus and grow up as a (sort of) normal boy. In order to regain his rightful place in Olympus, he must prove himself a true hero; not just a guy who destroys monsters and stuff like that, no, he must prove that he is a true hero in his heart. To do this, he has the help of Phil, a faun who just happens to be a professional hero trainer.
In the process of proving himself, Hercules does, in fact, pose a threat the Lord of the Underworld and his plans. To get rid of this "Hero for hire", Hades sends Megara ("Meg" to her friends), his babelicious servant, to use her feminine wiles against the obviously infatuated "Golden boy". Herc needs little encouragement to fall for Meg, but, unfortunately for Hades (and Meg), Meg falls for Herc also. But fortunately for all, this leads to the ultimate sacrifice that proves Hercules' true hero-ship (hero-hood?)!
The movie has some significant things going for it. The pseudo-gospel singing of the Greek chorus, which functions to tell us important information throughout the movie in the fashion of, well, a Greek chorus, is a step above the usually insipid music of Disney films. And the production design of political cartoonist Gerald Scarfe (who animated some sequences of Pink Floyd the Wall; remember that one?) also sets this movie apart from its predecessors, giving the film a much-needed dark side. This grittier edge is enhanced by the casting of James Woods as Hades (a fairly obvious choice), who, despite his campy performance, is convincingly satanic. And, although the casting of the main character is typically Disney (bland and nondescript in order, presumably, not to get in the way of the characterization), "Bobcat" Bob Goldthwait as Pain and Paul Shaffer as Hermes are perfect (but Danny DeVito as Phil is just a little too obvious).
So....what can I say about Hercules? Just this; if you can put aside your prejudices against Disney (no matter how well deserved these prejudices may be), or if you don't have them to begin with (which is probably more likely; how many grumpy old farts like me are out there?), you will probably enjoy the Hades out of this movie.
* Wait for the TV2 broadcast. ** A little creaky, but still better than staying at home with Gotcha! *** Pretty good, bring a friend. **** Amazing, potent stuff. ***** Perfection. See it twice.
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