Hercules
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Hercules: Directed by Brett Ratner. With Dwayne Johnson, Ian McShane, John Hurt, Rufus Sewell. Having endured his legendary twelve labors, Hercules, the Greek demigod, has his life as a sword-for-hire tested when the King of Thrace and his daughter seek his aid in defeating a tyrannical warlord.
- (165K)
- Action, Adventure, Fantasy
- Brett Ratner
- 2014-07-25
A fantasy action film starring Dwayne Johnson as the demigod hero who leads a band of mercenaries against a warlord. Based on a graphic novel, the film explores Hercules' past, his strength, and his quest for revenge.
This is a list of films that feature the Greek divine hero Hercules. During the 1950s and 1960s, a series of films featuring Hercules were produced in Italy.
FilmYearActorNotesHercules1995Tony Ail (voice)Direct-to-Video Animated production by ...1997Tate Donovan (voice)Theatrical Animated production by Walt ...Enchanted Tales: Hercules1997Direct-to-video animated production by ...2005TV film- Plot
- Voice Cast
- Production
- Release
- Reception
- Legacy
- Bibliography
- External Links
In Ancient Greece, the gods Zeus and Hera have a son named Hercules. While the other gods are joyful, Zeus' grumpy and jealous brother Hades plots to overthrow Zeus and rule Mount Olympus. Turning to the Fates for help, Hades learns that in eighteen years, a planetary alignment will allow him to free the Titans to conquer Olympus, but only if Hercu...
Tate Donovan as Hercules, based on the mythological deity Heracles. Supervising animator Andreas Deja described Hercules as "...not a smart aleck, not streetwise, he's just a naive kid trapped in a...Danny DeVito as Philoctetes/Phil. Eric Goldberg, the supervising animator for Philoctetes, cited Grumpy in Snow White and Bacchus in Fantasiaas the inspirations for the character's design. Goldberg...James Woods as Hades. Producer Alice Dewey mentioned that Hades "was supposed to talk in a slow and be menacing in a quiet, spooky way", but thought that Woods' manner of speaking "a mile a minute"...Susan Egan as Megara. Supervising animator Ken Duncan stated that she was "based on a '40s screwball comedienne" and that he used Greek shapes for her hair ("Her head is in sort of a vase shape and...Development
In early 1992, thirty artists, writers, and animators pitched their ideas for potential animated features, each given a limited time of two minutes. The first pitch was for an adaptation of The Odyssey, which entered into production in the following summer. However, production on the film was abandoned when it was deemed too long and lacked central characters, and failed to translate into animation comedy. Animator Joe Haidar also suggested pitching a story from Greek mythology, but thought h...
Writing
With Hercules in production, Clements and Musker conducted research and wrote extensive notes for the film. On excerpts detailed in November 1993, the similarities between their outlines included the naive title character caught between two worlds, a Danny DeVito-type sidekick, a world-wise heroine, and a powerful villain in a battle of idealism versus cynicism. The directors also sought inspiration from classic screwball comedy films directed by Preston Sturges and Frank Capra with "Hercules...
Casting
Donny Osmond originally auditioned as the speaking voice of the title character, but he was turned down because his voice was considered too deep. Writing the role of Philoctetes, Musker and Clements envisioned Danny DeVito in the role. However, DeVito declined to audition so Ed Asner, Ernest Borgnine, and Dick Latessa were brought in to read for the part. After Red Buttons had auditioned, he left stating "I know what you're gonna do. You're gonna give this part to Danny Devito!" Shortly afte...
Marketing
On February 4, 1997, Disney began its marketing campaign by starting a five-month promotional traveling tour called Disney's Hercules Mega Mall Tour. Sponsored by Chevy Venture, the tour traveled throughout 20 cities starting first in Atlanta, Georgia. Previously used for the marketing campaigns for Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the tour featured eleven attractions including a multimedia stage show, a miniature carousel themed to Baby Pegasus, a carnival with Hercules-themed gam...
Home media
Hercules was first released on VHS and widescreen laserdisc in the United States on February 3, 1998, included as an installment of the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection series. By the summer of 1998, sales and rentals of the VHS release had accumulated to $165 million. Released on November 9, 1999, Hercules was released in a "Limited Issue" DVD for a limited sixty-day time period before going into moratorium. Launching in January 2000, Walt Disney Home Video began the Gold Classic Collectio...
Box office
Wall Street analysts estimated that Hercules could bring in between $125 to $150 million in the United States, on the basis of the extensive marketing campaign and the movie's light, humorous tone similar to that of Aladdin. Hercules began its limited release in North America on June 13, 1997, playing in one selected theater. The film earned $249,567 in box office receipts during the weekend of June 13–15, standing at the thirteenth place in the box office ranking. On the following weekend, t...
Critical response
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported the film has an approval rating of 84% based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Fast-paced and packed with dozens of pop culture references, Hercules might not measure up with the true classics of the Disney pantheon, but it's still plenty of fun." Audiences polled by CinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. James Woods received universal acclaim from film reviewers for...
Controversy
Disney intended for the film to have an open-air premiere at Pnyx hill, but the Greek government declined after the Greek media and public panned the film. A Greek newspaper entitled Adesmevtos Typoscalled it "another case of foreigners distorting our history and culture just to suit their commercial interests".
Follow-up and TV series
Hercules: Zero to Hero is a 1999 American animated fantasy television film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The film is a direct-to-video follow-up to 1997 original animated feature film. It was released on August 17, 1999. The film serves as a package film combining three episodes of the TV series as flashback segments. Hercules: The Animated Series is an American animated television series based on the original film and the Greek myth. The series premiered in syndication on Aug...
Stage adaptation
On February 6, 2019, it was announced that a theatrical adaptation of the film would premiere at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park as part of its annual Shakespeare in the Park festival from August 31 until September 8. Menken and Zippel returned to compose and write the songs, while Kristoffer Diaz wrote the book, Lear deBessonet directed and Chase Brock will choreograph. The cast included Jelani Alladin (Hercules), Roger Bart (Hades), Jeff Hiller (Panic), James Monroe Iglehart (Phil), R...
Live-action remake
On April 29, 2020, it was reported that a live-action remake of Hercules is being developed by Walt Disney Pictures, with Jeffery Silver and Karen Gilchrist, who previously produced the CGI remake of The Lion King, set to produce the film. The film is expected to feature songs from the original film. Joe and Anthony Russo will also serve as producers on the film, while Dave Callaham will write the script.On May 7, 2020, the Russo brothers said that the remake won't be a "literal translation"...
Rebello, Stephen; Healey, Jane (June 28, 1997). The Art of Hercules: The Chaos of Creation. Hyperion Books. ISBN 978-0786862634.Thomas, Bob (March 7, 1997). Disney's Art of Animation: From Mickey Mouse To Hercules. Disney Editions. ISBN 978-0786862412.Hercules at AllMovieHercules at IMDbHercules at Rotten Tomatoes- Kayla Turner
- Hercules (1997) Starring Roger Bart as the voice of Hercules. Disney delivers the most lovingly crafted version of Hercules. No Hercules film before or since has better captured the spirit of the mythic champion like Disney’s 1997 animated musical.
- Hercules (1958) Starring Steve Reeves as Hercules. This movie set the template for countless Hercules epics to follow. The 1958 film Hercules stands as a landmark entry in the hero's Hollywood legacy for its grand depiction of his mythical exploits.
- Hercules (2014) Starring Dwayne Johnson as Hercules. Hercules. PG-13. Release Date. June 20, 1997. Director. Ron Clements , John Musker. Cast. Tate Donovan , Josh Keaton , Roger Bart , Danny DeVito , James Woods , Susan Egan.
- Jason And The Argonauts (1963) Starring Nigel Green as Hercules. Nigel Green cements Hercules as eternally powerful and full of life, embracing the core of his mythic appeal that is magnificently captured on film.
People also ask
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Having endured his legendary twelve labors, Hercules, the Greek demigod, has his life as a sword-for-hire tested when the King of Thrace and his daughter seek his aid in defeating a tyrannical warlord. 1400 B.C., a tormented soul walked the Earth that was neither man nor god.
