Disney's
animation team dipped into the rich well of ancient mythology for this
musical comedy. The son of Greek gods Zeus (voice of Rip Torn) and Hera
(Samantha Eggar), Hercules (voice of Josh Keaton) is stolen as a boy by the
minions of Hades (voice of James Woods), lord of the underworld. Forced to
live among humans, Hercules is turned into a half-god and half-mortal after
drinking a forbidden potion brewed by Hades' right hand men, Pain (voice of
Bob Goldthwait) and Panic (voice of Matt Frewer). Now Hercules has the
remarkable strength of a god, but is trapped in the body of a human, and
before he learns how to use his power properly he goes through a typically
adolescent awkward period. In order to become a god and return to his home
on Mount Olympus, Hercules must prove himself a true hero on Earth. With the
assistance of Philotes (voice of Danny De Vito), a plucky satyr known as
"Phil," the grown-up Hercules (voice of Tate Donovan) learns to use his
strength to his advantage and becomes a famous and benevolent protector of
those around him, successfully battling a variety of gods and monsters.
However, Hades, wanting to cut Hercules down to size, sends his secret
weapon after him — Megara (voice of Susan Egan), a seductively beautiful
woman under Hades' control, who is to win Hercules' heart and render him
helpless against the forces of the underworld. Acclaimed British cartoonist
Gerald Scarfe served as production designer for this project, while Alan
Menken wrote the musical score. Incidentally, for the Spanish language
version of the film, Latin pop singer Ricky Martin provided the singing
voice of Hercules, two years before he became a chart-topping sensation in
America with his hit single "Livin' la Vida Loca." | Tate Donovan | Hercules [Voice] |
| Josh Keaton | Young Hercules [Voice] |
| Roger Bart | Young Hercules (singing) [Voice] |
| Danny DeVito | Phil [Voice] |
| James Woods | Hades [Voice] |
| Susan Egan | Meg [Voice] |
| Bob Goldthwait | Pain [Voice] |
| Matt Frewer | Panic [Voice] |
| Rip Torn | Zeus [Voice] |
| Samantha Eggar | Hera [Voice] |
| Barbara Barrie | Alcmene [Voice] |
| Hal Holbrook | Amphitryon [Voice] |
| Paul Shaffer | Hermes [Voice] |
| Amanda Plummer | (The) Fates [Voice] |
| Carole Shelley | (The) Fates [Voice] |
| Paddi Edwards | (The) Fates [Voice] |
| Charlton Heston | Narrator [Voice] |
Genre/Type - Children's/Family, Fantasy, Adventure Comedy, Children's Fantasy,
Mythological Fantasy
Produced by - Buena Vista / Walt Disney Productions
Running time - 92 min.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996, Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise)
The Lion King (1994, Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff)
is followed by: Hercules: Zero to Hero (1999)