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- Sandal Punk: This movie is a loose re-telling of the ancient myths about Hercules with several anachronistic elements.
- Sassy Black Woman: All five of the Muses; however, Thalia, the short plump one, seems sassier than most. At the start, they sass the narrator over being so somber and serious.
- "Say My Name" Trailer: Though the last one is Hades saying "Jerkules" (but with the voice of one of Herc's mocking classmates, from the collapsing agora scene).
- Scenery Porn: Mount Olympus and Hades (The Underworld, not the villain) simply look amazing.
- The Scream: There are several instances where Hercules screams. When a flash of lighting brings the statue of Zeus to life, Hercules has a look of staring horror on his face and screams before the frightened awkward teenager tried to run away from the giant figure. Even as an an adult and fully-trained hero, Hercules has a look of horror and screams in terror during his battle with the Hydra, whether it had one head or multiple.
- Screw Destiny: Herc manages to blindside the Fates, of all people. They're ready to cut his Thread of Life after he leaps into the Well of Souls to retrieve Megara, but in the act of sacrificing himself to save her, he proves himself a true hero, and so, his divinity is restored just as the scissors snip.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
- When a flash of lighting brings the statue of Zeus to life, Hercules has a look of staring horror on his face and screams before the frightened awkward teenager tries running away from the giant figure.
- Phil does this when the Hydra first emerges, hiding behind a rock, leaving Hercules to fight alone. After the monster grows three more heads, Hercules initially runs before Pegasus picks him up to resume the battle.
- Phil again, after Hercules refuses to believe him that Meg is working for Hades.
- The Titans attempted to do this when Hercules frees Zeus from their imprisonment, much to Hades' chagrin. Hercules is able to catch them and eject them all into space before they could get away.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: The Titans. Zeus imprisons them all beneath the ocean with lightning bolts, but when the planets align, Hades is able to release them. Hercules uses the Tornado Titan to suck the other Titans in, then throws them all into space where they explode.
- Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Hades was already savvy about infant Hercules being a potential x-factor in his scheme. The conference with the Fates and their foretelling not only validates these concerns, but also reveals it's worse than Hades had feared: Should Hercules fight, Hades will fail. So, Hades immediately moves to take Hercules off the board...and instead sets off the chain of events that only ensures Herc does end up stopping the Titans and Hades 18 years later.
- Seven Deadly Sins: Hades demonstrates all sins throughout the film.
- Pride: He thinks he deserves to be the Top God of the Greek Pantheon, planning to do so by overthrowing Zeus and turning baby Herc mortal so he'll be killed off.
- Sloth: He's the apathetic Lord of the Underworld who hates his job, finding it to be the cosmic equivalent of janitorial duty. Unlike the other gods, it's unknown if he smited anyone personally, preferring to let others do his dirty work for him. It makes sense when handling Hercules (never knowing which god from Olympus might be watching) or the other gods (being hopelessly outmatched), this seems to apply to everybody.
- Greed: The only thing he cares about is becoming king of the Gods at all costs. He'll use manipulation and smooth talk to manipulate various beasts and creatures for his bidding. It's how he got Megara to make a Deal with the Devil.
- Gluttony: All he cares is lording over Olympus. Why would he care about living mortals if he doesn't care for mortal souls?
- Envy: Resents Zeus for being a Universally Beloved Leader while Everyone Hates Hades.
- Lust: If one were to go by the Biblical definition of this sin, he has an insatiable lust for power. If we go by the modern definition, he likes flirting with females (be it mortal or immortal), who are put off by his creepy behavior. The way he talks to Meg makes him look like a crazy jealous guy.
- Wrath: He goes off like a volcano at the tiniest inconvenience or when Herc foils his evil schemes. When he does, he throws hissy fits like a Sore Loser with Pain and Panic being the usual targets to vent off his anger.
- Sexy Figure Gesture: Hades decides to throw "the right set of curves" (i.e. Megara) at our hero, emphasizing the point by making the hourglass gesture around Meg, tracing her figure.
- Shout-Out:
- Hercules's origin story bears a striking similarity to the backstory of Superman. Although the character bears some resemblance to Shazam!, a boy who becomes a man, due to retaining his teenage characteristics even after growing into a hero upon completing his training.
- One of the Muses' sculpture incarnations during "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" should look very familiar to fans of the Haunted Mansion ride at the Disney Theme Parks.
- Hades, just before the fight between Hercules and the Hydra: "Let's get ready to RUMBLE!"
- And Hades again:Hades: Zeusy, I'm hoooooome!
- Followed by:Hades: You are correct, sir!
- The Hydra looks like Mohawk the Gremlin from Gremlins 2: The New Batch.
- The way Hercules slides down into a spiral of one of the Hydra's necks is reminiscent of the 1967 Disney film The Jungle Book where Mowgli slides down into a spiral of Kaa's coils.
- This isn't the first time Disney has shown Hephaestus forging bolts and throwing them to Zeus.
- The Muses themselves are very similar to Alan Menken's other famous Greek Chorus.
- Don't forget the lion skin Hercules wears in one scene—it's Scar! Quite possibly to the specific line Zazu says to Mufasa. "He'd make a very handsome throw-rug."
- There's also the Mr. Miyagi-esque bit of the training montage.
- The maiden in the constellation getting her skirt blown upwards.
- There is a sign that says "Over 5,000,000,000 and 1 served", a nod to the McDonald's Corporation.
- The female pegasus that Pain and Panic disguise themselves as to lure Pegasus away resembles a My Little Pony, right down to having a symbol (in this case a heart) on its flank.
- A seductress is sent to find out a seemingly invincible hero's weakness, and he then loses his superhuman strength due to her betrayal... just like Samson and Delilah!
- Pain & Panic after Hades yells at them when the Fates arrived without his knowledge: "We are worms! Worthless worms!". While bowing down.
- The fish that Hercules picks up when facing down Nessus bears a striking resemblance to a certain Mr. Limpet.
- During one of Hades' rants, he referes to Zeus as "Mr. Hey You, Get Off My Cloud".
- Meg catches Hercules hiding behind a curtain and says, "Let's see. What could be behind curtain number one?"
- Phil's house is the head of Talos from Jason and the Argonauts.
- Shown Their Work: The sheer number of references to real Ancient Greek Religion makes it clear that the writers did, in fact, do the research.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: Hercules does this to Hades by punching him in the face when the latter tries to enforce Herc's end of their second bargain. Though it could be argued that both parties cheated the other (or at least tried to).
- Signs of Disrepair: When the Cyclops attacks Thebes and taunts a depowered Hercules to fight. Herc answers the challenge, and was quickly swatted aside into a billboard advertising "Air-Herc" sandals with Herc's portrait losing a few teeth.
- Silk Hiding Steel: Though crossed with Femme Fatale and Broken Bird, Meg fulfills the trope in her ability to manipulate and her Heroic Sacrifice inner steel.
- Slave Mooks: Meg (by contract) and Pain and Panic (implied) to Hades.
- The Snark Knight: "Megara. My friends call me Meg. At least, they would if I had any friends."
- Something Else Also Rises: As Meg tries to seductively learn if Hercules has any weaknesses, he rises his leg. And keeps it close together with his other leg, to enhance the implications.
- Soul-Cutting Blade: The Fates' scissors. When your life is over, they cut it and that's why it's over. Gods are immune to them.
- Spanner in the Works: Amphitryon and Alcmene unwittingly interrupt Pain and Panic while they're in the process of turning Hercules mortal so they can kill him, meaning he's not only saved from death and is Happily Adopted but retains his super strength, since he didn't drink the very last drop of the potion.
- Spared by the Adaptation:
- Unlike in the original myth, Megara is not killed by Hercules in this adaptation and even when she does die, Hercules manages to rescue her from the underworld, guaranteeing she lives.
- Amphitryon, Hercules foster father, died in the battlefield fighting against the Minyans in the myth. In the movie, he lives all the way through to the end.
- To a lesser extent, Pegasus stays intact throughout the film and isn't turned into a constellation by Zeus in the end, which was his fate in the myths.
- Spontaneous Skeet Shooting: Hades takes out his frustrations at Hercules' rising popularity by shooting at pottery that has depictions of Herc's heroic deeds, blasting them with fireballs as his minions fling the pottery into the air.
- Stopped Dead in Their Tracks: After a falling out with Hercules regarding Meg's alliance with Hades, Phil was about to board a boat and leave him forever until Meg intervenes. He still remains dead set on leaving them all until she says that Hercules got depowered and could die. He freezes in his tracks.
- Squish the Cheeks:
- Hades likes to put his hands on Meg and plays with her cheeks on occasion to mess with her.
- Hercules had his face squished several times. The first time when teenage Herc reunites with Pegasus, who squishes his cheeks as he headbutts him. The second time, after adult Herc saves Meg from Nessus, Phil tries snapping Herc out of his lovesick stare. The third time when Herc struggles to get away from fangirls, lying flat on the floor with a girl's feet on his face as Phil is beside him. The fourth time, when Meg uses her foot to turn Hercules's head around, squishing his cheek in the process, so their eyes will meet.
- Stealth Pun:
- Gospel is a musical genre related to praise and worship of a higher power. What better way to augment the story of Hercules than with a set of Gospel Revival Numbers? Also referenced in the Title Drop of the Muses' (three-part) opening number, "That's the gospel truth."
- Hades' hair is made of fire and he has a short temper. He's a hothead!
- While fighting the Centaur, Herc lost his sword and grabbed a fish by mistake. He pulled out a swordfish!
- Stellification: Philoctetes' dream is to train a hero so good that the gods will make a constellation out of them that will be recognizable as "Phil's boy". After rejecting godhood and immortality to be on earth with Megara, Zeus creates a constellation of Hercules, leading one unnamed recurring character to remark "that's Phil's boy!", eliciting joyous tears from Phil.
- The Stinger: Stick around after the credits and hear the lamentations of Hades.
- Stock Audio Clip:
- Hercules' grunts the same way twice during the Hydra battle. The first time it was heard after he cuts of the Hydra's one and only head, then the second time as Herc slides down the cliffside only to be pinned by the Hydra's claw.
- Hades' scream after Hercules frees Zeus, and later after Herc punches Hades into the River of Styx.
- Stuck in the Doorway: When Phil invites Herc into his home, Pegasus attempts to follow inside but gets stuck when his hindquarters won't fit through Phil's tiny doorway. He tries to squeeze through anyway, but fails.
- Sunken Face: Upon emerging from the River Styx carrying Meg's soul and with his godhood restored, the first thing Hercules does is give his Evil Uncle Hades an Offhand Backhand, which caves his face inwards. Being a god, Hades shrugs this off shortly afterwards.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: When Zeus's statue comes to life for the first time and reaches for teenage Hercules, the latter screams and tries to run away. Adult Hercules also had similar reactions when battling the Hydra, though in this case, it was a monster that only became more frightening when it grew more heads.
- Surrounded by Idiots: Hades pretty much sees everyone this way. Pain and Panic are unbearably stupid to the point where they buy Hercules’ merchandise, the Fates annoy him with their omniscience, Meg is too "noble" to be of any villainy and the Olympian gods tend to humiliate him in what he feels are insensitive jokes.
- Supernormal Bindings: After Hades assaults Olympus, the gods are shown being led away in chains, which vanish rather than fall off after Herc cuts them.
- Sympathy for the Hero: Hades actually sounds like he pities Meg when he reminds her that men are scum, as she's refusing to give up "Wonder Boy's" weakness. After all, the reason why she's in bondage to him is she sold her soul to him to save her jerk boyfriend, who ran off with another girl. Hades points out that a guy is not worth her freedom because not all will appreciate true love. The sympathy vanishes when she goes on about how Wonder Boy has no weakness but he would never hurt her, causing a "Eureka!" Moment from Hades.
- Super-Persistent Predator: The Hydra was particularly persistent on Hercules, even though there Philoctetes and a crowd of people. Though it could be because the monster enjoyed the flavour of its muscular morsel, hence why after more heads grew after its initial decapitation, the three-headed monster chases him down around the canyon.
- Super Serum: Inverted in that the serum Pain and Panic give Herc is to weaken him, not give him his powers.
T
- Talk to the Fist: Done to Hades by Hercules when the former tries to make Herc uphold his end of the deal. Overlaps with Shut Up, Hannibal!.
- Tailor-Made Prison: The Titans are imprisoned in an undersea vault.
- Tempting Fate: Despite having trouble defeating the one-headed Hydra, Hercules cuts off the monster's head and tells Phil, "That wasn't so hard." Unfortunately, the monster grows more heads moments later.
- Terrible Trio: Hades and his minions Pain and Panic.
- Terms of Endangerment: Hades: "Meg, my sweet, my flower, my little nut Meg."
- The Theme Park Version: Hoo boy, let's just say that Disney really played fast and loose with the original Greek Myths when making this film—It would be far easier to list the things they got accurate. It's best to watch the film with a heavy dose of
MST3K Mantra, especially if you're a fan of Greek Mythology or a resident of Greece (in Disney's defense, being accurate to the myths would have gotten them an R rating really quickly). - This Cannot Be!: Both the fates and Hades are completely gobsmacked when Herc doesn't die in the River of Death.Clotho: (watching Herc's thread of life survive the attempt to cut it) What's the matter with these scissors?!
Lachesis: The thread won't cut?!
Hades: This is, th-this is impossible! Y-you, you, you can't be alive! You'd have to be a...
Pain and Panic: A God?
Hades: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! - Threads of Fate: Similar to Hades, the Fates underwent some Adaptational Villainy to serve as antagonists for the film's version of Hercules, as opposed to the original myth where they were non-malicious entities. Here, they're seen cutting a someone's Thread of Life with glee. In fact, it's the very first thing we see them do while they're waiting for their meeting with Hades. As soon as they cut it, a woman can be heard screaming in the background and we see her soul passing down to underworld. They then do the same with Megara, and even try it on Hercules, but become shocked when they find out that his thread is uncuttable due to his newly-restored immortality.Fate: Darling, hold that mortal's Thread of Life good and tight. (Snips it with scissors)
- Titanomachy, Round Two: Hades is trying to free the Titans to overthrow Zeus. They are not individually named, but are all elemental giants, including one made of lava. Hercules, of course, is Zeus' son and a demigod trying to attain full godhood.
- Totally Radical:
- "And that's the world's first dish!"
- They gave Meg, one of the more complicated and interesting Disney love interests, dialogue like "Been there, done that" and "Don't even go there." It... hasn't aged well. Meg has served time in the Underworld so her slang may be somewhat out-of-date.
- Phil also mentions having "been around the block before with blockheads just like you" to Hercules. He means he's trained people like Herc already, but... well, he's a satyr, and it's Ancient Greece.
- Too Dumb to Live: You are fighting a giant serpent. You chop off its head, and three more grow back. What do you do next?Phil: WILL YOU FORGET THE HEAD-SLICING THING?!
- Tough Room: Hades's sarcastic "hunk of moussaka" joke isn't appreciated by his fellow gods, who are unhappy to see him. On the flip side, the entire pantheon bursts in laughter when Zeus made a similar pun about his workaholism.
- Training Montage: Hercules taking a level in badass and going from lanky and uncoordinated to buff and combat-ready, while Phil sings "One Last Hope".
- Trainee from Hell: While Hercules gets his Training Montage, every single clip puts quite a lot of effort into showing that his trainer Phil suffered considerably more through the whole affair than Hercules himself.
- Trauma Conga Line: Thebes has seen better days according to its inhabitants, who suffer from frequent fires, earthquakes, floods, and monster attacks.
- A True Hero: Hercules goes into training to become a true hero in hopes of rejoining his birth parents Zeus and Hera. After having become a superstar and beaten a ton of monsters, Hercules thinks he must have met the requirements. Reluctantly, Zeus tells him that while his accomplishments are impressive and they're proud of him, he hasn't yet become a true hero. Not until Herc sacrifices himself to save the woman he loves from Hades are the requirements fulfilled.
- Two Words: Added Emphasis: The Latin Spanish dub makes his Last-Second Word Swap the only time Philoctetes follows "Two Words" with actually two words.
- Two Words: I Can't Count: A Running Gag is that every time Philoctetes attempts Two Words: Added Emphasis, he gets the count wrong.Phil: I got two words for ya, kid—I am retired!
Hercules: Uh, Phil? What do you call that thing?
Phil: Two words: am-scray! (Pig Latin for scram, for those under a rock.)
Hercules: [imitating Phil] Two words: Duck!
- After the "retired" line, a confused Hercules is then seen counting it out. As a Bilingual Bonus, "I am retired" is two words in Ancient Greek. In Phil's song "One Last Hope", the lines "Askin' me to jump into the fray/My answer is two words" set him to rhyme with something like "No way". Then he's forced to make a Last-Second Word Swap.
- Phil: My answer is two words... [gets hit by lightning] ...o-kay.
U
- Underworld River: The classic river Styx appears, and in this work it takes the form not of a physical river, but a stream of Hades's tortured souls which rapidly ages any living mortal who touches it. After Meg gets killed, Hades makes a deal with Hercules that the latter will retrieve Meg's soul from it to bring her back to life, in exchange for his own life. However, Hades "forgets" to inform Hercules that the river's aging effect will just kill him anyway before he can even get to Meg. Unfortunately for him though, Hercules's Heroic Sacrifice finally earns him his godhood, allowing him to successfully retrieve Meg's soul without having to die himself. When Hades attempts to salvage the situation, Hercules punches him into the river to get pulled under by his very unhappy "tenants".
- Ungrateful Bastard: Meg's former lover. She gave Hades her soul for him, and he repays her by running off with someone else.
- Use Your Head: Phil meant tactical thinking, but a headbutt works too against the Centaur. "Not bad! Not exactly what I had in mind, but not bad."
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- Vanilla Edition: The CAV Laserdisc doesn't contain any bonus features, a first for a post-The Rescuers Down Under Disney Animated Canon movie. Later, Hercules became one of the first four DAC movies released on DVD, as part of the Limited Issues series in late 1999.note Unfortunately, the disc contains only a non-anamorphic presentation of the movie, a making-of featurette that runs less than 10 minutes, and a Ricky Martin music video for the Spanish version of "Go the Distance". A second DVD release, as part of the Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection, made literally no improvement to the picture or the extras. The Blu-ray has vastly improved picture and sound, but just one additional bonus feature: a sing along of "Zero to Hero".
- Viewers Are Geniuses: Most viewers are amused that Phil says he's going to say only "two words—I am retired!" which in English is of course three words, but the joke beneath the joke is that the equivalent phrase in Greek is Είμαι συνταξιούχος—which actually is only two words.
- Villain Has a Point: When reminding Meg they had a deal for her to find Wonder Boy's weakness, Hades makes one legitimate point: one guy is not worth her freedom. After all, that's how she ended up in his service in the first place, and Meg knows that men generally don't appreciate grand gestures.
- Villain Reveals the Secret: Hades reveals the hero that his chickie-poo Meg had been working with him all the time. And this happened AFTER Herc accepted to trade his own strength to save her and let everyone else be harmed by any potential threat. As you may imagine, he doesn't take it well.
- Villainous Face Hold: Hades does this to Meg several times, specifically when she's taken hostage. He grabs her face and makes her look at him (Hades) and then at Hercules in order to mock Hercules.
- Visual Pun:
- Phil says "I get the greenhorn!" while his horns are covered in green olives.
- When Herc arrives in Thebes, there's a wall inscribed with the words "The end is near" at the same time that a crazed man comes around shouting the same message. A few steps later, the same wall says "Fin," which is Latin for "end." Very near, indeed.
- When Herc digs around in the river, he's muttering that "A hero is only as good as his weapon!" He pulls a fish out of the river. 'Fish' is also a slang term for somebody completely clueless and inexperienced, as in 'fish out of water'.
- Ares' chariot is pulled by dogs, and he's the god of war—in other words, they're the dogs of war.
- The Muses say "And that's the world's first dish!" in "The Gospel Truth", in the sense of telling a juicy story but also in the literal sense that it's being depicted on pottery as they say it.
- Meg is literally struck by Cupid's arrow when she backs up into a statue of it during her scene in the garden with Hercules. She registers a Double Take when she realizes what's happened.
W
- Welcome to the Big City: Hercules' arrival in Thebes. "Wanna buy a sundial?"
- Well, This Is Not That Trope: The film opens with a narrator voiced by Charlton Heston narrating the story in a very grim manner, only for the Muses to appear and tell him to lighten up, that this is not, in fact, "some Greek tragedy." They tell him that they'll take it from there and he agrees, "You go, girls."
- Wham Shot: Meg's Dead-Hand Shot, showing she has died for real. No Disney Death, no fakeouts. Phil saw it coming, but Hercules was hoping to reach her in time to save her from Hades. Hercules only revives her by pulling a miracle in the Underworld and bargaining with Hades.
- For a double wham shot, said bargain is that Hercules takes Meg's place in the River Styx, but with one problem; he would be dead before he could get to her. He dives in and ages rapidly trying to reach for her, and just when the Fates are about to cut his thread of life, ensuring his death… the thread glows a bright gold glow and the Fates are unable to cut it. Herc's Heroic Sacrifice has made him a god again! Even The Omniscient Fates Didn't See That Coming.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Phil calls out Hercules for being too distracted by love to see that Meg is using him. Hercules takes a flying leap to avoid the hint, takes his rage out on Phil and disowns him as his trainer, leaving Phil to mumble one last admonishment and leave him to his darkest hour. Although Phil could arguably be said to be doing his own at the same time, by completely neglecting to mention the most important part: Hades' involvement. To Hercules it just sounds like he's being hounded about an old topic, and Phil never tries to clarify that he's hounding him because he discovered a god is after his friend before abandoning him.
- Wild Take: Pegasus does one just before Pain and Panic capture him.
- Win Your Freedom: Megara.Hades: You give me the key to bringing down Wonderbreath and I will give you the thing you want most in the cosmos... your freedom.
- World of Snark: The only other Disney Canon entry that rivals this film in the amount of Deadpan Snarkers is The Emperor's New Groove.
- Would Hit a Girl: During Hercules' battle with the Hydra, the young hero strikes the serpent's head with his sword. Though not clarified in the film, the Hydra is referred to as female according to the junior novelization.
- Wowing Cthulhu: After the battle for Olympus, Hercules goes down to Hades to get Meg's soul back. He offers the god of the underworld his soul in exchange for hers, if he can get her back from the river of death. Hades is stunned when Herc emerges from the river not only alive, but as a god.
- Wrecked Weapon: During his battle with the Hydra, Hercules loses his sword. Continuing the fight, Hercules hurls a boulder at the Hydra, only for the beast to crush it into stones with her teeth and laughs maliciously at the hero.
Y
- Yank the Dog's Chain: Hercules is happy to finally get accepted into Mount Olympus after becoming a hero...only for Zeus to tell Hercules that he has yet to become a true hero.
- You Can't Fight Fate: While Zeus stopped the Titans single-handedly in the distant past, he and the other gods are swiftly defeated when they come back for revenge, just as the Fates prophesize. When Hercules arrives to turn the tides, the Titans are defeated once more, in line with the end of their prophecy.
- You Put the "X" in "XY": "Who put the 'Glad' in 'Gladiator'? HERCULES!"
- Younger Than They Look: Hercules, despite his manly build, is only barely eighteen when he fights against the Titans if the Fates' prophecy at the beginning of the film is correct.
- Your Other Left: During Hercules's fight with the Hydra. Despite Phil repeated telling Herc that he needs to lead with his left, the young hero struck out with his right, after which the serpent struck back and sent him flying.Phil: That's it! Dance around! Dance around! Watch the teeth! Watch the teeth! Keep going. Come on. Come on. Lead with your left. Lead with your left. (Hercules jumps away at the wrong direction as the Hydra lunges to the ground.) Your other left!
- Your Size May Vary:
- The Titans. While they usually stand at about a hundred feet tall or so, when we first see them they are almost as tall as mountains. Especially noticeable when Lythos (the rock titan) is able to crush an entire town with his foot!
- The Hydra. While basically being a gigantic monster, the Hydra has changed size over the course of the battle. For instance, Hercules is able to grab the Hydra's fangs to hold it back at one point, but afterwards, the monster looks a bit bigger in comparison to a few seconds ago.
- You Say Tomato: "And they slapped his face on every vase!" "On every VAHSE!"
