Rating: G
Genre:
Children's/Family
Release Date: 08/01/2000
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: English/French/Espanol
Sound: DD5.1
Run Time: 93 Minutes
Distributor/Studio: Walt Disney Video
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."
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
;)
