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The Disney film

  • Accidental Aesop: Hercules is told that "being famous isn't the same as being a true hero". This ignores that he got famous by fighting monsters that terrorized the ancient world, and even saving Mt. Olympus from the Titans doesn't earn him godhood; he becomes a "true hero" by performing a Heroic Sacrifice to save Meg, proving the strength of his heart. When this is taken together with Phil's attitude towards heroism and stories of other famous figures, the film puts forth the idea that heroic deeds like saving lifes and fighting monsters don't count as heroic deeds if you reap fame and fortune from doing them, and if you have some sort of self-serving motivation as your reason for doing this, even if it isn't something material like money, then that inherent selfishness means you are not a "true hero". What makes you a true hero is what you do when you have nothing to benefit.
  • Adorkable: Herc himself fits this, especially as a youngster. Even as an adult, he's still sorta awkward.
  • Alternate Aesop Interpretation: Hercules regularly saves total strangers and gets quite famous for it, but he is denied a spot on Mt. Olympus because "being famous doesn't make you a true hero." Sacrificing himself to save a single person whom he's in love with, however, is enough to seal the deal. None of Hercules' actions were purely selfless, but they were genuinely heroic, too, so the moral ends up reading something like "good deeds are negated if you reap lots of attention and money for them" with a side of "love stories count for more." The intention, of course, is that Hercules sacrificing his life for Meg is more heroic because there's no ulterior motive or reward, and he's aware his life will be lost in the Pit, rather than his other battles, which he fought with selfish intent to regain his godhood and with no actual sacrifice, all after training for years until he was strong enough to accomplish this.
  • Alternative Character Interpretation: We learn that Phil has trained a number of heroes and every single one of them has died horribly. We're expected to take him at his word (as does Hercules) that none of them "could go the distance", rather than consider what this says about Phil's abilities as a trainer.
  • Americans Hate Tingle: While the rest of the world's audiences and critics liked the movie well enough (though, of course, not to the extent of The Lion King and the earlier Renaissance films), people in Greece despised this movie, even denying the film a premiere there. They didn't care much for the many, many liberties taken with their own mythology and for making the hero a "star" with merch In-Universe, even if the rest of the movie was pretty decent. It's kind of similar to how a lot of American historians hated Pocahontas , though with a lot more nationalism on it as the Greeks, while being Christian, view their mythology as part of their Culture, and so the liberties were viewed as mocking or as an affront (even though that didn't get banned; it just got slammed with a lot of criticism) while other countries liked it well enough.
  • Anti-Climax Boss: Granted that Hercules' final conflict of the film is with Hades, but his fight with the Titans, which was predicted by the Fates and which led to Hades causing the whole plot of the film just to prevent it happening... doesn't even last two minutes.
  • Applicability: The theme song "Go the Distance" isn't just for this incarnation of Herc; it's also referenced a lot across the Nasuverse towards his incarnation as Berserker (notably, Fate/Grand Order and Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA).
  • Awesome Art: It's definitely one of the most visually stunning Disney movies, full of great character designs, Scenery Porn, and CGI effects that still hold up today. Thank you, Gerald Scarfe!
  • Awesome Music: Let's just cut to the chase and say everything. Alan Menken is basically channeling everything he did in Little Shop of Horrors.
    • Most would agree that "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" is the best song.
    • Either that or "Go the Distance," especially the single/end credits version performed by Michael Bolton.
    • The Muses, voiced and sung by the legendary Lillias White, LaChanze, Roz Ryan, Cheryl Freeman and Vanéese Y. Thomas, carry all of the movie’s gospel choir energy. "Zero to Hero," "Gospel Truth" (all 3 parts), and "A Star is Born" are all absolute bangers.
  • Base-Breaking Character: Phil, some consider him one of the funniest characters in the film while serving as a great mentor to Hercules and acting as The Heart of the film. Others instead see Phil as a selfish Attention Whore who is only using Hercules as a means to an end, with these detractors also believing that him being an Ink-Suit Actor for Danny DeVito is more distracting than amusing.
  • Best Known for the Fanservice: Even the film's detractors adore Megara. The curvy physique, playful flirtiness, Susan Egan's sexy voice and fiery, sassy Lois Lane esque characterization all come together in a very tantalizing package.
  • Broken Base: "Go the Distance." By some, it's considered a cookie-cutter "I Want" Song just there because every other Renaissance film had one. However, there are plenty of fans who find it a genuinely moving song (especially the single/end credits version performed by Michael Bolton) and enjoy its presence in the film.
  • Critical Dissonance:
    • The film is panned as a "flippant failure" in a Disney-authorized book, along with cult classics like Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Treasure Planet. Conversely, the book praises Pocahontas, which is generally considered the weakest of the Disney Renaissance (but not a bad film), and it praises Chicken Little and Home on the Range, which are generally considered the two absolute worst entries in the canon. It also completely neglects to mention how crazy popular Hades is, while praising possibly the least cool/menacing villain in the canon, Governor Ratcliffe!
    • Filmtracks' Christian Clemmensen also completely ripped apart the soundtrack, calling it a complete disgrace to Alan Menken's output for Disney.
  • Ensemble Dark Horse:
    • Thalia, the short, fat muse, is pretty much everyone's favorite. Fittingly, Thalia is the Muse of comedy - even in the original myths.
    • Persephone is a background character (she's the pink goddess with the flower headdress and blonde hair) and doesn't get any lines or characterization, but is very popular among the fandom for her mythological role as Hades' queen.
  • Evil Is Cool:
    • Hades, though anyone with magical powers and the voice of James Woods would be cool.
    • The Titans are also awesome forces of nature; the Stone and Ice Titans appeared as bosses in the Kingdom Hearts series, with the Lava and Wind Titans finally joining their brothers in Kingdom Hearts III.
  • Fandom-Specific Plot: Hades' mythological abduction of Persephone, by force or otherwise, is a very popular Hercules fanfic topic due to being one of the few myths that feature Hades, Demeter and Persephone having canon designs as background characters in the movie, and how it could serve to develop the characters. It helps that several licensed games make note of it despite it never coming up in the show or movie.
  • Fanon:
    • Meg becoming a goddess and joining Hercules on Mount Olympus is a very popular notion.
    • A popular fan theory is that when Meg entered into service with Hades, he had something to do with her boyfriend falling for another woman.
  • Genius Bonus: Many, for the Greek mythology buffs in the audience:
    • "Zero to Hero" is full of half-second allusions to Hercules' Labors, famous Greek (and Roman) art, as well as ancient Greek culture.
    • On a date, Hercules and Megara go and see Oedipus Rex. In the original myths, the mother of Oedipus was Jocasta. Jocasta's brother was Creon. Creon's daughter was Megara. Which makes her and Oedipus cousins.
    • When the kids are stuck under a rock, they shout, "Somebody call IX-I-I!" Technically wrong (Seeing as this is Greek, not Roman) but if you know your numerals, you know they're saying "Call 9-1-1!"
    • When Phil says "Two words: I am retired." Hercules is confused, counting on his fingers that it's three words. But the Greek translation is "Είμαι συνταξιούχος". Two words.
    • When the planets are shown lining up, six are visible even though the ancient Greeks only knew about five, plus the Sun and Moon. However, Uranus is also visible with the naked eye in clear conditions despite not being noticed, so six is the correct number.
    • For those familiar with the Greek Myth:
      • Hercules telling Megara "I would never hurt you".
      • Herc's mentor and friend being called Philoctetes. Yes, the mythological Hercules knew a Philoctetes as well, but he was the one to light Herc's funeral pyre.
    • The Muses' behavior makes more sense when you know their mythological roles.
      • Calliope, the one with the afro, acts as their leader because she is the Muse of Epic Poetry, thus the entire film falls under her domain.
      • Thalia, the chubby one, gets the most comedic moments because she is the Muse of Comedy.
      • The Muse who sings the "Gospel Truth" sequence where Zeus and Hera mourn the fact that Hercules will have to live with mortal parents is Melpomene, the Muse of Tragedy, fitting with the song's tone.
    • An observant Redditor pointed out the Titans' Failed Attempt at Drama was more than just a throwaway joke, but it's because the Titans assumed Zeus was still on Mount Othrys, the Titans' ancestral home.
  • Hilarious in Hindsight:
    • The Hades in this movie is incredibly similar to Kid Icarus: Uprising's Hades, both even having a Credits Gag. It's almost as if Disney predicted another Hades would troll us again.
    • Hades pointing to Pain's Hercules shoes and asking "What are those?"
      • As noted by a viewer, Hades' scheme has gone on for 18 years. This movie came out in 1997, 18 years later is 2015, the same year the "What are those" trend happened. Yep, Hades predicted the trend itself.
    • Also, Hades's design being based off of Jeffrey Katzenberg. He returned the favor with Lord Farquaad, whose design was based off Michael Eisner and was voiced by one of the original casting choices for Hades, John Lithgow.
    • The film's climax has Aphrodite passionately kissing Phil. Phil is voiced by Danny DeVito, and in the TV series Aphrodite would be voiced by Lisa Kudrow. Friends fans will recall a memorable episode where Danny DeVito plays a stripper who repulses Phoebe at her bachelorette party.
    • Rip Torn, who voices Zeus in this movie, would later play a role in a very different take on Greek mythology. And not only that, the second game of that series would show the vengeful Titans climbing the Olympus. And then the third game would show them getting stomped by the Olympians, the complete opposite of how things went in this film.
    • A few peoplenote  believe this movie to be one of the best movies of Superman ever made. Just the year before Hercules came out, an Elseworld comic, Superman / Wonder Woman: Whom Gods Destroy, had Superman and the women of his life (Lois Lane and Lana Lang) all being used in power games of the Greek Gods. (Despite the title, Wonder Woman, who is generally connected to the Greek Gods in the comics, is only a red herring.)
      • 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.
      • Not only that, Disney would acquire the other big superhero comics company twelve years after this film was released.
      • And two decades after the film, James Woods would voice Superman's arch-foe Lex Luthor in Justice League Action, bringing it full circle.
    • A Greek tale with gospel-inspired musical elements, which includes a journey to the Underworld to rescue a soul from Hades? Hadestown has those elements and more. Became even funnier in 2022 when Lillias White, who played Calliope in Hercules, was cast as Hermes in Hadestown, who describes himself as a friend of Calliope's who raised Orpheus. In the myths Calliope was Orpheus's mother, which adds another layer to the proceedings.
  • Iron Woobie:
  • Just Here for Godzilla:
    • Even those who don't like the film admit that James Woods having a ball as Hades is the best thing about it. Hades is one of the most popular Disney villains to this day.
    • Meg likewise gets a lot of love, and plenty find her arc more interesting than Hercules. It helps that her song "I Won't Say (I'm In Love)" is one of the favorites on the soundtrack, and Susan Egan kills the role. Many watch the film just for Meg.
  • Love to Hate: Hades. Methodic, calculating, and the epitome of deals with the devil. Yet also a charismatic motor-mouth with some of the funniest lines in the movie. Also quite notably the rare Disney character where they always make sure to bring back the original actor whenever he appears in tie-in material.
  • Memetic Badass: AND THEN ALONG CAME ZEUS!
  • Memetic Mutation:
    • This film version of Zeus is popular as a template for jokes about the real Zeus' sex adventures. (The following is corrected for diction.)
      Zeus: I'm gonna put my dick in it!
      Everyone: Don't put your dick in it!
      Zeus: Too late!!
    • Jokes about how the way Hercules is depicted here is basically the "Disney version of Superman's origin" have also been quite abundant.
    • "And then along came Zeus! He hurled his thunderbolt-" (clip of lightning strike / electrical burst).
    • The "Olympus would be that way" scene is often found in object labeling memes.
    • It's not uncommon to see jokes about the film's happy ending being subject to Happy Ending Override by way of Kratos.
  • Mexicans Love Speedy Gonzales: In contrast to the various criticisms levied at the film by native Greeks, Greek-Americans have much kinder things to say about the film, acknowledging that it's not intended to be an accurate retelling of Classical Mythology, and finding the Lighter and Softer take on their mythos to be an enjoyable experience on its own merits.
  • Moral Event Horizon: Hades orders the kidnapping of baby Hercules and plans on killing him by turning him mortal.
  • Never Live It Down: Phil's tendency to miscount how many words he says. It only happens three times in the film (one of which was clearly a Last-Second Word Swap caused by Zeus' Bolt of Divine Retribution), yet fanworks and Kingdom Hearts would make you think this Verbal Tic was his primary character trait.
  • Older Than They Think:
    • While Hercules riding Pegasus is an invention of the Disney film, in the myths he was briefly in possession of another legendary horse, named Arion, who was often depicted as having wings.
    • This movie has attracted some criticism for popularizing the idea of Hades as an evil, Satan-like figure, and Zeus as a noble Big Good. However, both of these portrayals do have roots going all the way back to ancient times depending on which versions of the mythologies you read. For instance, Homer describes Hades in The Iliad as the most hateful of all the gods, while the idea that Zeus's behavior marked the standard for justice was common enough in Ancient Greece that Plato wrote a whole dialogue arguing against it, called the "Euthyphro".
  • Questionable Casting: For both Mexican and Latin American viewers, Ricky Martin as the titular Hercules, due to his thick Puerto Rican accent. While the rest of the voice cast was filled by Mexican voice actors, Ricky Martin's voice really sticks like a sore thumb. For a better equivalent for English speakers, try to imagine Hercules being voiced by Bob Marley, if he had been alive at the time the film was made.note 
  • Recurring Fanon Character: It’s very popular for fanfic writers to introduce Persephone, who was the Goddess of Spring, Hades’ wife, and queen of the Underworld in the myths. Some use her character design from the movie while others use something more original.
  • Retroactive Recognition:
  • Rooting for the Empire: An unfortunate side-effect of making Hades so interesting and funny is that you want him to win.
  • Signature Song: "Zero to Hero", although "Go the Distance" is just as memorable.
  • Spiritual Successor:
    • This could be seen as a cartoon analogue of Clash of the Titans, which had Perseus instead (both heroes are already sons of Zeus in the myths, and both of them get Pegasus unlike the myths, and this actually has the Titans). Ironic how in the 2010 remake Hades would become the villain!
    • The scenes starting when Herc's foster parents find him up until when he talks with Zeus for the first time are much more like "Superman: The Movie/Smallville in Ancient Greece" than the myths. Hercules also temporarily gives up his superhuman abilities, as in Superman II, while his love interest temporarily dies just like what happens with Lois in the first film. All-Star Superman writer Grant Morrison even considers Hercules to be the best Superman movie ever made.
  • Squick:
    • The first time we meet Megara is while she is being sexually assaulted by the enormous centaur, Nessus. This ain't one of your happy, frolicking Fantasia centaurs. This becomes even worse to people familiar enough with Greek mythology to recognize the name Nessus. Nessus was a centaur killed by Hercules who tricked his wife into using Nessus's blood to create a poisoned tunic that caused Hercules to die a horrible, painful death.
    • Also, an earlier scene has Hades plucking a piece of hair out of an eyeball.
  • Ugly Cute: Pain and Panic. While their adorable personalities are false, their appearances are still pretty cute, even when they do terrible things.
  • Unintentionally Unsympathetic: Phil falls into this for several viewers, as in spite of his Character Development his motivations remain rooted in selfishness. As we're introduced to him, he's disappointed by how many wanna-be heroes he's trained that couldn't live up to the ideals of heroism, and he's become jaded and bitter after getting burned so many times. Aside from the Alternative Character Interpretation that Phil's ineptitude as their trainer may be more to blame than any faults of their own, Phil namedrops some of the most famous heroic figures of Greek mythology with fame and deeds rivalling that of Hercules; Jason, Achilles, Odysseus, Perseus, and Theseus. Phil also claims that his dream was to train a hero so great that the gods would create an image of them in the sky, which people would recognize as "Phil's boy". This can make Phil come off as an Attention Whore who is only training heroes to reap fame and glory by proxy, and presents the idea that the reason he considers his former pupils disappointments is not because they were failures themselves, but because they just weren't great enough to achieve Phil's dream for him (which is a lofty one to strive for anyway).
  • Unpopular Popular Character: Hades isn't liked by any of the Greek pantheon at all (barring Zeus) due to how out-of-touch and estranged he is with them, but among Disney fans he's easily one of the most popular villains for his hammy, snarky nature and brilliant vocal performance by James Woods, and might actually be the most popular character in the entire movie.
  • Vindicated by History: When it was first released, Hercules was regarded as a box office failure and audiences had little positive to say about the film besides "It's a step forward from Pocahontas!" and it was criticized for Bowdlerizing Classical Mythology - notoriously being loathed in Greece itself at the time for its disrespect of Greek culture. Looking back now, many fans praise Hercules for a) having one of the most memorable and likable villains in the canon, b) for being one of the funniest films in the canon, c) having a very distinct art style, and d) having some of the best songs in the entire Disney Renaissance. It later becoming something of a mainstay in the popular Kingdom Hearts games (appearing more often than even the more iconic Disney Renaissance era films such as Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast) also likely helped.
  • Visual Effects of Awesome: The nightmarishly impressive CGI animation on the Hydra.
  • The Woobie: Meg. She had to sell her soul to Hades to save her boyfriend's life, only for him to abandon her for another woman, and essentially become his slave. Not to mention, she gets a massive stone column dropped on her and dies.

The licensed game based on the Disney movie

  • Anti-Climax Boss: Hades. To even reach him, the player has to play one of the higher two difficulty levels. Given the challenging penultimate level, "Passageways of Eternal Torment," the fight with Hades is a letdown. He only has one attack, launching a fireball, which has a noticeable windup, and hitting him will prevent him from using it. Even if he throws it, it is not that hard to avoid. The only other hazard is the flames that come down from the ceiling, which are also easy to dodge.
  • Awesome Music: The game has a fantastic soundtrack, comprised of instrumental versions of the movie's songs and original arrangements of the movie's score.
  • Disappointing Last Level: The final level is a very underwhelming Boss-Only Level against Hades.
  • Goddamn Bats: The stymphalian birds that show up in the earlier levels. They aren't particularly difficult, but they appear frequently in large numbers and can be rather annoying to fight as their ability to fly keeps them out of Herc's limited sword range.
  • It's Short, So It Sucks!: While the game has a fun gameplay and gorgeous musics, the fact that only one third of levels are actually platform-exploration means that it can be finished in a few hours.
  • No Problem with Licensed Games: This PS1/PC game based on the movie is quite decent, boasting impressive 2½D graphics, a fantastic soundtrack, and pretty fun gameplay with fair challenge. The PS1 version may be held back by an obtuse saving system, but the PC version alleviates this problem with a level select.
  • That One Boss: Nessus, since the only way to hurt him is to jump on his back in a Mythology Gag to the movie. There is no indication the player is supposed to do this, since no other enemy in the game is harmed by jumping on them.
  • That One Level: Cyclops Attacks. One of 3 levels where Hercules runs straight ahead and the player can only jump, slow down, or speed up. The level is full of obstacles, many of which give you almost no time to react, and the fleeing villagers often give you very little space to maneuver without taking damage. One particular obstacle is when the Cyclops causes the road to collapse, which causes instant death if Hercules doesn't make the jump. The earlier checkpoints mean nothing either, since if you die before the last checkpoint, it's game over.

The pinball game


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