Tate Donovan, Joshua Keaton, Roger Bart, Danny
DeVito, James Woods, Rip Torn
Genre:
Animation
Director:
Ron Clements & John Musker
Screenplay:
John Musker, Ron Clements, Bob Shaw, Don McEnery,
Irene Mecchi
Cinematography:
-
Composer:
Alan Menken
Runtime:
92 minutes
Disney animation movies typically follow the successful
formula of the young hero trying to prove his virtues, fighting the evil
to free his loved ones. This one is no exception. Obviously the age old
line "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" applies here. The problem is, this
is not a great movie like "The Lion King" or even as interesting as "The
Hunchback of Notre Dame". It's fun, well realized, but lacks something.
The soundtrack by Alan Menken (who in the past has composed
some of the best soundtracks ever for Disney movies) is disappointing. It's
a bit too far toward the cheesy side. The story won't appeal to historic
purists because there are several nods to modern culture (consumerism applied
to the Hero's image) and quite a few "licenses" taken from the legend of
Hercules. Technically, Hercules is a notch down the usual great Disney work.
Sure, the new way of portraying the images is edgier and more colorful, but
overall it's not as impressive as recent Disney movies and it feels pretty
rushed.
Disney is starting to lose their edge to the other big
majors as far as animations go. While impressive looking CGI will be forgotten
in 30 minutes and the thing that will eventually hold the interest of the
viewers is the story and the characters, this movie falls short because eventually
Hercules' character doesn't have enough "beef" to be likable.
He just seems to be a frustrated teenager in a hero's body. It seems like
the most developed and interesting characters of the recent Disney era are
always the "supporting cast." Examples include Jafar, Timon, Pumbaa, and
The Genie.
There are quite a few things to like in this movie
though. James Woods is wonderful as the twisted Hades. While it's hard
to come close to Robin Williams' performance as the Genie, Woods does a
great job of portraying the villain. He's not cheesy, doesn't overact (or
strictly reserves that for the right moments) and is even funny, showing
Hades' multi-dimensional character. Also, Danny DeVito very funny as "Phil."
Overall, although it's not up to the usual Disney standard, it's still
a fun movie that (cue trailer voice)"all the family will like."
