Trailer
Plot summary
On Mount Olympus, Zeus and Hera celebrate the birth of their son Hercules. Hades, Zeus's brother, rules the Underworld and wants Olympus for himself. The Fates tell him a planetary alignment eighteen years away will let him unleash the Titans, unless Hercules stands in his way. Hades orders his henchmen, Pain and Panic, to kill the child with a potion that ends a god's immortality. The pair snatch the baby but flee when a farmer couple, Amphitryon and Alcmene, come near, so the last drop is never drunk. Hercules keeps his enormous strength but lives as a mortal and is raised by the couple. As a teenager he is mocked for strength he cannot control, so he seeks answers at the Temple of Zeus.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Hercules (1997)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Jack Nicholson agreed to voice Hades, but demanded roughly $10-15 million plus a 50 percent cut of all Hades merchandise proceeds. Disney's counter offer was far lower, so Nicholson passed on the role.
- John Lithgow was cast as Hades in the fall of 1994, but after nine months of trying to make his portrayal work, he was released from the role in August 1995.
- Phil was written for Danny DeVito, but he declined to audition, so Ed Asner, Ernest Borgnine and Dick Latessa were invited to read; Red Buttons auditioned, then left saying they would give the part to DeVito, who signed on at a pasta lunch during the filming of Matilda.
- Donny Osmond auditioned for the speaking voice of Hercules but was turned down because his voice was considered too deep; he later provided the singing voice for Shang in Mulan (1998).
- Susan Egan actively pursued Megara, but Alan Menken initially blocked her, saying the female lead was supposed to be a cynical smart-ass sounding nothing like her sweet Belle; he eventually let her audition.
- James Woods ad-libbed most of his lines as Hades, and animator Nik Ranieri said the character talked so much and so fast that it took him two weeks to animate a one-second scene.
- After backlash from Greek critics and audiences, the Greek government refused Disney's plan for an open-air premiere of Hercules at Pnyx hill, and the film was retitled Beyond the Myth of Heracles in Greece.
- Meg's original ballad, "I Can't Believe My Heart", was dropped after supervising animator Ken Duncan said it was out of character for her; Alan Menken and David Zippel then wrote "I Won't Say I'm in Love" instead.
