Hercules is a 1997 American animated musical fantasy comedy film loosely based on the legendary hero Heracles (known in the film by his Roman name, Hercules), a son of Zeus in Greek mythology. Produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, the film was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, both of whom co-wrote the screenplay with Irene Mecchi, and the writing team of Donald McEnery and Bob Shaw. Featuring the voices of Tate Donovan, Susan Egan, Danny DeVito, and James Woods, the film follows the titular Hercules, a demigod with super-strength raised among mortals, who must learn to become a true hero to earn back his godhood and place in Mount Olympus, while his evil uncle Hades plots his downfall. It features six original songs written by Alan Menken and David Zippel, and an original musical orchestral score also composed by Menken.
Development of Hercules began in 1992 following a pitch adaptation of the Heracles mythological stories by animator Joe Haidar. Meanwhile, Clements and Musker re-developed their idea for Treasure Planet (2002) following the critical and commercial success of Aladdin (1992). Their project was removed from development in 1993, and they joined Hercules later that same year. Clements and Musker studied multiple interpretations of Greek mythology, though they later abandoned darker mythical aspects such as Hercules's birth through Zeus's adulterous affair with Alcmene. The project underwent multiple story treatments and a first script draft was inspired by the screwball comedy films of the classic Hollywood era and popular culture of the 1990s.
During production, McEnery, Shaw, and Mecchi revised Musker and Clements's script. British cartoonist Gerald Scarfe was recruited as production designer and produced over 700 character designs. Research trips to Greece and Turkey provided inspiration for the background designs. The film's animation was done in Burbank, California and Paris. Computer animation was used in several scenes, predominantly in the Hydra battle sequence. The production budget was $85 million.
Hercules was released June 27, 1997, and received generally positive reviews from film critics, with James Woods's performance as Hades receiving particular praise. The animation (particularly the visual style) and music received a mixed response. The film under-performed in its theatrical release notably in comparison to previous animated Disney films, ultimately earning $252.7 million in box office revenue worldwide. Hercules was later followed by Hercules: The Animated Series, a syndicated Disney television series focusing on Hercules during his time at the Prometheus Academy, and the direct-to-video prequel Hercules: Zero to Hero (1999), which consists of four episodes from the TV series.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
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