Hercules (1997)

The classic Greek myth gets the full Disney treatment in this film from directing duo Ron Clements & John Musker.

From high on Mount Olympus, Zeus (Rip Torn) and his wife Hera (Samantha Eggar) have just given birth to their son, Hercules. Blessed with god-like strength even as a baby, he is set to become one of the greatest gods ever.

But when god of the underworld Hades (James Woods) learns that in eighteen years time, the planets will align just right to allow him to release the Titans (whom Zeus imprisoned centuries before) and overthrow the gods of Mount Olympus and rule himself, he enlists the help of his servants Pain (Bobcat Goldthwait) and Panic (Matt Frewer) to kidnap the baby god.

You see, in learning of the aligning of the planets, he also learns of the fact that if Hercules fights with the gods, then Hades will fail. His plan is to turn Hercules mortal so that he can be killed.

But when Pain and Panic try to turn Hercules mortal by giving him a potion that will strip him of his godlike strength, their plan goes slightly awry when he doesn't quite drink the whole thing. Even though there is only one drop left in the bottle, it means Hercules retains his godlike strength while at the same time becoming mortal.

And since he is now mortal, he cannot return to Mount Olympus and so must live out his life on earth.

So Hercules (voiced by Josh Keaton as a teenager, and Tate Donovan as an adult) now finds himself in a world in which he doesn't fully belong. He doesn't fit in anywhere, and is in fact an outcast, as his enormous strength coupled with his incredible clumsiness always results in disaster.

When Zeus tells Hercules that he can one day return to Mount Olympus if he can prove himself a true hero, Hercules seeks out the satyr Philoctetes (Danny DeVito) to train him in the ways of a hero.

But when his adventures bring him across the path of a beautiful woman named Meg (Susan Egan) - who may be more than she seems - it might just be enough to bring him undone.

The script, by Ron Clements & John Musker and Donald McEnery & Bob Shaw and Irene Mecchi, is actually quite good. The writers have incorporated numerous references from Greek mythology, while also making the story their own. I love all the small little in-jokes that pop up every now and again, such as a young boy in an emergency shouting to his friend 'Somebody call IX-I-I!"

The music - by Disney regular Alan Menken - is fantastic, perfectly supporting the film at every turn, in the same way as all of Menken's scores do. There is a small handful of songs, with music by Menken and lyrics by David Zippel, and these are also very well written, with very clever rhymes in the lyrics, and unique melodies that work very well.

The voice cast are all superb, but the clear standout has got to be James Woods as Hades. His ability to convey so much with subtle little changes in intonation and expression is wonderful.

Oh, and a note on Hercules here, too. When he sings his big 'I want' number (see some of my other reviews for discussion on this concept), it is actually the voice of Broadway performer Roger Bart (who has also appeared in films and television, but it is on Broadway that he really shines). And his performance is magnificent, and well worth a mention here.

All in all, this is a very enjoyable film that I have probably watched a few more times than some of Disney's other animated films, purely because it is so much fun, and the script so clever.

Directors Clements and Musker have done a great job, and if you haven't seen it yet - or even for a while - I would recommend you check it out.

7 1/2 out of 10.

Aladdin (1992)

A Disney retelling of a classic tale, this film is a delight for audiences young and old, and still holds a special place in my heart, and always takes me back in my mind to events in my life at the time of its release.

The Sultan of Agrabah (Douglas Seale) is desperate for his only child - the Princess Jasmine (Linda Larkin) to find a suitor, so that she can marry and rule Agrabah in his absence. When we first meet the Sultan, he is largely under the control of his grand vizier Jafar (Jonathan Freeman) and his sidekick, the parrot Iago (Gilbert Gottfried).

Meanwhile, street urchin Aladdin (Scott Weinger) is barely surviving life on the streets. Forced to steal from street vendors just to stay alive, he lives life on the run from the city guards, and one day, finds himself thrown into the dungeons under the palace.

It is while he is in the dungeon that he meets Jafar (who is in disguise to begin with), who tells him of a Cave of Wonders, filled with more treasure than he can possibly imagine. Jafar needs Aladdin’s help to enter the cave, and retrieve a particular item, a golden lamp.

Aladdin agrees, and goes into the cave, but while trying to retrieve the lamp, finds himself trapped underground in the cave, with little hope of escape.

Trapped underground with the lamp, he rubs the lamp, and a genie (Robin Williams) appears, offering him three wishes.

I will leave the rest of the plot for you to discover if you haven’t yet seen this film.

The two directors of this film (Ron Clements and John Musker) have created a wonderful film, which I would consider a timeless classic in the tradition of earlier Disney films (early as in while Walt Disney was still alive). Together with screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, with whom the two directors worked on the script, they have brought this classic tale to a whole new audience.

With music by Alan Menken (who has composed music for so many other Disney films), and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice (Tim Rice came in later after Howard Ashman sadly passed away during the making of this film) to round out the creative team, everything comes together to make this film the best it can be.

And it is truly great. Of course, one of the things that make this film so great is of course the performance of the late great Robin Williams as the Genie. I am sure that significant portions of the Genie’s lines didn’t come from the script, but were ad-libbed by Williams in the recording studio, as was the case with so many of his great characters throughout his career.

Gilbert Gottfried is also fantastic as the parrot Iago, with so many great quotable lines, and hilarious moments. In fact, all the voice casting is fantastic, with all performers bringing their own characters to life in such a beautiful way, bringing the viewer head-first into this amazing environment.

It is hard to believe that this film was still largely hand-drawn animation; the scenery, environments, and all the characters are so incredible. This film will continue to delight audiences for many years to come, I believe, and with a live-action version of Aladdin due to be released later this year, I think the legend will continue to delight a new generation of fans.

8 out of 10.