SPOILER ALERT with Jimmy Nichols: Hercules—an ungodly good movie for all ages, anytime

When talking about some of the greatest Disney movies, it is easiest to break them down into different eras.  

There was the “Golden Age” with movies like “Snow White” and “Bambi.” 

Then, after World War 2, the company entered its “Silver Age,” featuring movies like “Cinderella” and “The Jungle Book.” After what some refer to as the “Dark Age,” Disney in the 90s entered the “Renaissance Era” with movies like “Mulan” and “Pocohontas.” 

However, one of the best movies from this group that often gets overlooked is the 1997 classic “Hercules.” Loosely based on Greek mythology, the story follows the demigod Hercules. 

Hercules was born on Mount Olympus as the son of Zeus and Aphrodite. After a baby shower for the young god, Hades discovers from the three fates that Hercules is the only person who can stop his master plan of conquering the mortal realm.  

He sends his minions Pain and Panic to kidnap baby Hercules, strip him of his godhood and kill him. The two steal the newborn and take away his immortality but drop the bottle before they can drain him of his superhuman strength.  

The movie then follows Hercules' journey to become a hero and god. While it is obviously a kid’s movie, the movie is still enjoyable as an adult. 

One of the reasons for this is the character. Each of the main characters has depth and emotions, not being limited to a one-dimensional character. 

Another great thing about this movie is the comedy. The movie is filled with one-liners and other jokes that still hold up today as hilarious. 

The movie does not try to make jokes just for kids, but it is not one of those movies where every joke has a double meaning or an innuendo for the parents. 

A fun fact I learned while watching this movie is that one of the jokes breaks the fourth wall. When Hercules kills the Hydra for the first time, Hades says,“Relax, it’s only halftime.” 

The movie is 93 minutes long, not including the credits, and this line occurs at the 46-minute mark, exactly halfway through the movie. 

One of my favorite things in the movie is the use of colors for the characters. The animators went out of their way to shade and depict each character through color. 

The gods on Mount Olympus are these colorful, glowing characters, while Hades and his minions have a more subdued, more dim color palette. Hercules’ shade changes throughout the film, matching his mood and his closeness to godhood. 

One of the best examples is at the end, when he makes a deal with Hades, taking away the rest of his strength to free Meg, his love interest. Hercules is drainedof his strength, and when he walks around, he looks gray. 

When he finds out Meg was working for Hades, he appears to be even more gray because he almost destroyed a friendship defending her. Later, Meg sacrifices her life to save Hercules and give him his strength back.  

The audience literally watches as the color, meant to represent his strength, rushes back to the beloved hero as he tries his best to save Meg. Once he realizes she has died, he runs down to the underworld and dives into the sea of the dead to save her. 

As he is going after her, he is aging, and the three fates reveal he is close to death and go to cut his string, representing his life. However, the string does not cut,and Hercules emerges from the sea of the dead holding Meg. 

He comes out glowing gold. The bright and shininess of the hero is because this noble act made him worthy of becoming a god again.  

While the colors used by the animators are amazing, the best part of this movie is its songs. Each protagonist is given a great song to sing. 

Hercules has his fantastic song “Go the Distance,” where he talks about doing whatever it takes to find where he belongs. Another great song is by Hercules’ trainer, Phil, called “One Last Hope.” 

Phil has trained heroes wanting to be gods before, but each has disappointed him and died. Phil is putting all his hopes and dreams into Hercules, believing that together they can accomplish their goals. 

The narrators, the Muses, also have some iconic songs like “Gospel Truth,” where they explain the setup at the beginning of the movie and then reprise it throughout the film to keep bridging storylines. Another one of their songs is “Zero to Hero,” where they sing about how famous Hercules has become and is no longer viewed as a loser. 

However, the most famous song from this movie is from Meg when she is singing in a garden after a date with Hercules. “I Won’t Say I’m in Love” is an amazing song. 

With the Muses as her background singers contradicting her, Meg tries to convince herself she is not in love with Hercules. 

This was one of my favorite Disney movies growing up, and as I get older, it remains amazing, unlike other movies I watched as a kid and look back on now. It is truly timeless and deserves to be one of the next live-action remakes.