Automoderated users, Autopatrolled users, Bureaucrats, Comment administrators, Confirmed users, Moderators, Rollbackers, Administrators
213,951
edits
Hercules (1997 film): Difference between revisions
m
no edit summary
m (→Original Film: clean up, replaced: Pieta Plagiarism → Pietà Plagiarism) |
mNo edit summary |
||
| (12 intermediate revisions by 6 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{work}}
{{Multiple Works Need Separate Pages}}
[[File:HerculesCoverArt.jpg|frame|''I would go most anywhere to feel like I belong'']]
Line 6 ⟶ 7:
While the film is considerably [[Bowdlerization|Bowdlerized]] from the original myths, there [[Pragmatic Adaptation|really was no alternative]] if you want to make a family film out of [[Greek Mythology]]. The result was a widely praised film, which despite not reaching the critical success of ''[[The Lion King]]'' or ''[[Beauty and the Beast]]'', is considered by many to be one of the [[Disney Animated Canon|Canon's]] [[Funny Moments|funniest films]] along with ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]'', ''[[The Emperor's New Groove|The Emperors New Groove]]'' and ''[[Lilo and Stitch]]''. Plus, it's one of the only times [[Everyone Hates Hades]] has improved a work rather than dragging it down, mainly due to how genuinely [[Affably Evil|likeable]] and [[Deadpan Snarker|funny]] he is. For myth buffs, keep the [[MST3K Mantra]] in mind, and you'll find a solid, [[Rule of Funny|funny]] film with a lot of literal [[Mythology Gag]]s that show that they did, in fact, [[Shown Their Work|do the research]] - they just couldn't make said research work in a G-rated family film without bumping the rating up a few notches. After all, in what other animated film is [[Oedipus Rex|Oedipus]] mentioned as a passing gag?
Over a year after its release, the film [[Recycled: the Series|spawned a cartoon]] that ran both in syndication and on Disney's One Saturday Morning on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], from 1998 to 1999. It was a Midquel series that presented Herc's life in High School and had him hanging out with fellow Greek characters Icarus and Cassandra. It also presented a plot hole in that Hades was still trying to get him killed, despite the fact that in the movie he didn't know Herc was still alive until he was an adult, but that didn't seem to matter much to the viewers.
----
{{tropelist}}
== Original Film ==
* [[Abusive Precursors]]: The Titans, the portrayal of which was in some ways very close to ancient Greek Theology (ancient beings defeated by Zeus and imprisoned in the Underworld, their powers were very broad as well) and in some ways very different (the original Titans were deities [[Not So Different]] from the Olympians and the parents of several of them, rather than near mindless elemental monsters).
* [[Actor Allusion]]: Not sure if this was on purpose, but as Phil is an Expy (or at the very least an [[Affectionate Parody]]) of Mickey from the Rocky films, [[Batman Returns|this isn't the first time [[Danny DeVito]] has played a character made popular by Burgess Meredith...]]
* [[Alliteration]]: One of the lyrics for ''Zero to Hero'' is "and this perfect package packed a pair of pretty pecs!"
* [[Adorkable]]: Herc himself fits this, especially as a youngster. Even as an adult, he's still sorta awkward.
* [[Adult Fear]]: Surprising? Check Zeus and Hera's reaction when they discover baby Hercules is no longer in his crib and they have to watch another couple raise him from afar at the beginning.
* [[Affably Evil]]: [[Big Bad|Hades]] is a [[Deadpan Snarker]] and general comedian, who is voiced by James Woods.
** [[Word of God|The crew of the movie said]] that Hades ''was'' going to be dark, scary, and menacing, but Woods took a different route than the other auditions and the original plan, and they loved it so much they rewrote the character (though Pain and Panic do still fear him) and, by extension, the script.
* [[All Animals Are Dogs]]: Pegasus. Especially when he's younger.
* [[All of the Other Reindeer]]: Hercules is a [[Cute Clumsy Girl|Cute Clumsy Guy]] with [[Super Strength]]. Guess how well it goes...
Line 33 ⟶ 34:
* [[Big Bad]]: Hades.
* [[Big Beautiful Woman]]: The plumpest (and funniest) muse, Thalia.
* [[Big No]]: Done by Hercules {{spoiler|when Meg is
* [[Bilingual Bonus]]: "Someone call IX-I-I!" It's 911.
* [[Blessed with Suck]]: Herc's super-strength, when combined with an adolescent's typical clumsiness.
* [[Bond Villain Stupidity]]: It's never really mentioned why Hades doesn't just open a can of divine whoopass on Hercules himself. He's clearly shown to be powerful enough and seemingly immune to any physical attack Hercules can throw at him while he's still mortal. Maybe he's worried Zeus will suspect him, but that doesn't hold up at the end of the movie when he's still trying to get Hercules out of his hair literally minutes before he mounts an attack against Zeus.
Line 148 ⟶ 149:
* [[Hair On Fire]]: Hades is probably the [[Trope Codifier]].
* [[Hair-Trigger Temper]]: Hades, who over the course of the movie has constant difficulty keeping his smooth demeanor with his generally-annoyed-at-everything attitude leading to a tendency to snap into a rage at the slightest provocation. Minor explosions are common, major meltdowns are a sight to behold. Bonus points for having his hair literally go off when he gets angry.
* [[Happily Married]]: Unlike the mythology, Zeus and Hera are quite happy together, and Zeus apparently never cheats on her. Incidentally, they don't seem to be siblings in this one. Hercules' human parents qualify as well.
* [[Harpo Does Something Funny]]: After James Woods was cast, the script was essentially re-written to allow for his ad-libbing. Most of the dialogue between Hades and Megara was simply made up.
* [[Hey, It's That Voice!]]: Numerous examples. For starters, [[Danny
* [[Heroic Build]]: Hercules, following his training with Phil. Just look at the picture!
* [[Hijacked by Jesus]]
Line 171 ⟶ 172:
* [[I Know You Know I Know]]: Between Hades and the Fates.
* [[Impossible Hourglass Figure]]: Four of muses and Aphrodite, especially Aphrodite given that she's the goddess of love and has a waist so tiny she could practically wrap one hand around. Artemis and Megara have [[Hartman Hips]].
* [[Ink Suit Actor]]: In addition to short, portly [[Danny DeVito]] as the short, portly Philoctetes, you've also got Hermes, who shares the same features and trademark shades of his voice actor Paul Shaffer, best known as David Letterman's bandleader.
* [["I Want" Song]]: ''Go The Distance'', which also became an [[Award Bait Song]].
* [[It Can Think]]: While the titans don't know where Mount Olympus is until Hades points it out to them, they're smart enough to work together. The Rock Titan breaks open the gates to Olympus, the Wind Titan captures everyone who tries to stop them, and the Lava Titan and Ice Titan work together to imprison Zeus in a mountain like he imprisoned them. It's not so scary when the Rock Titan realizes that he's in danger.
* [[Kaleidoscope Hair]]: Hades's hair turns from blue to bright orange whenever he is angry. Since his hair is made of fire, this is justified.
* [[Kubrick Stare]]: Herc's [[Moment of Awesome (Sugar Wiki)|Moment of Awesome]] ensues.
* [[Large Ham]]: Hades. Being a Disney villain, not unexpected at all.
** Also Zeus: "I NEED MORE ''THUNDERBOLTS''!!!"
*** It's probably a Greek God thing, though it's left ambiguous if Poseidon is, even though he is brothers with Zeus and Hades.
* [[Let's Get Dangerous]]: Zeus. On his free time, he's a loving father and husband, spends time joking with everyone and attempts to be a good big bro for Hades; in fact, he's ''much'' more lovable than the original Zeus (though he ''was'' lovable by Greek standards), but once the Titans attack and Hades proved to be a backstabber, we quickly see where Hercules' strength come from and ''why'' you don't mess with the King of the Gods.
* [[Lighter and Softer]]: This followed on the heels of ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]''. Essentially, we went from the dark, gritty streets of Paris with a brooding and depraved judge to James Woods as one of the most funny Disney villains of all time and the green fields and colourful cities of Greece. Perhaps they got tired of the grit.
** Well, after this was ''[[Mulan]]'' and ''[[Tarzan (Disney film)|Tarzan]]'', two relatively dark films, so it was more of a [[Breather Episode]] than a full rest.
** The take on Greek mythology present in the film, in addition to being [[Sadly Mythtaken]], is ''much'' lighter and more family-friendly, probably to get it a lower rating.
* [[Love Makes You Crazy]]: Portrayed positively here.
** "People always do crazy things when they're in love."
* [[Midword Rhyme]]: In the Spanish dub.
* [[A Million Is a Statistic]]: It's very easy to miss, but it's implied thousands of people start dying horribly once Hades releases the Titans.
* [[Minion Maracas]]: Happens repeatedly to Pain and Panic.
* [[Mortality Ensues]]: Hercules gives up his demigod status to save Megara. Although not technically immortality, it comes close.
Line 197 ⟶ 199:
* [[Oh My Gods]]: [[Trope Namer]]
* [[Only Sane Man|Only Sane God]]: Hades.
* [[Opposite Gender Protagonists]]: Meg and Hercules, where Meg serves to motivate the titular character. She often gets kidnapped, requiring Hercules to save her, advancing the plot. The two initially start out disliking each other, but slowly warm up over the course of the runtime. She is used by Hades as a bargaining tool, knowing that Hercules will come to her rescue at some point.
* [[Orphean Rescue]]/[[To Hell and Back|To Hades and Back]]: {{spoiler|Hercules travels to the Underworld in order to rescue Meg's spirit and reunite it with her body, thus getting his godhood back.}}
* [[Papa Wolf]]: Zeus tries to be this, but it is to no avail the first try.
Line 310 ⟶ 313:
* [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]/[[Noodle Incident]]: "She lost her left buttock."
* [[Godly Sidestep]]: At the end of one episode, Zeus is about to give the meaning of life on a chat show. However, they run out of airtime just before he states it.
* [[Gorgeous Gorgon]]: Medusa is portrayed as a lonely teenage girl who just wants friends.
* [[The Gump]]: Most of the episodes dumped Hercules into various Greek myths, such as replacing Phaeton (Apollo's son, who failed miserably at driving the sun chariot) and facing the Minotaur alongside Theseus (which he actually did in some versions of the myths). Thus, Hercules became responsible for practically everything in Greek mythology before he even became famous. [[It Makes Sense in Context]].
* [[She Is Not My Girlfriend|He Is Not My Boyfriend]]: What Cassandra says about Icarus.
Line 343 ⟶ 346:
{{reflist}}
[[Category:
▲[[Category:Disney Animated Canon]]
[[Category:Wang Film Productions]]
[[Category:Tama Productions]]
Line 352 ⟶ 354:
[[Category:Saturday Morning Cartoon]]
[[Category:Films of the 1990s]]
[[Category:Western Animation of the 1990s]]▼
[[Category:Sword and Sandal]]
[[Category:One Saturday Morning]]
▲[[Category:Western Animation]]
[[Category:Disney]]
[[Category:The Disney Afternoon]]
[[Category:
[[Category:
| |||