Hercules (1997) (Limited Edition Artwork Sleeve) [DVD]

You'll be enchanted right from the first number, in which the five Muses (from Greek mythology) set the stage of ancient Greece in a powerhouse gospel number which gives a whole new meaning to a Greek chorus. Recalling the three ladies in Little Shop of Horrors or Motown groups like the Supremes, the Muses appear randomly throughout the movie to narrate the story of Hercules with jazzy musical numbers that you'll be humming for days. The songs (by Alan Menken) are certainly a twist from the classic Disney musical, but there's enough variety to create a great, well-rounded musical.Of course liberties have been taken with Greek mythology. The dysfunctional Olympian family has been cleaned up (No more Zeus having affairs or Hera trying to kill people) and the story has little in it of the original Greek legend. Instead, it's really an archetype, a modern retelling of all the Greek legends at once. Appearances are made by the Muses, the Hydra, satyrs, the Fates, Pegasus, the Titans, Narcissus, and of course all of the Olympian gods. Scholars may take offense, but since legends evolve and are to be taken with a grain of salt anyway, I didn't have a problem with it.

This is a truly epic Disney film at its best! Inspired by the legends of Ancient Greece and its old gods, "Hercules" tells the story of a young god who wants so much to be like everybody else after his godly glow was sapped from him when he was an infant. The only trouble is that since he retained his godlike strength as a human, he stands out from everybody else whenever he gets into scrapes or pulls off a hugely physical stunt, such as the hilarious and exciting scene where he accidentally demolishes an entire market town, earning himself rude names and pitiable insults. Unable to cope with this, he turns to the two people who love him the most, his foster parents Alcmene and Amphitryon, and afterwards embarks on his ultimate quest, to prove himself a hero. However, being a hero outside of human society suddenly starts to feel less appealing (and the need to fit in stronger) when (and after) he encounters the beautiful Meg, voiced by Susan Egan, who is certainly not your typical Disney damsel in distress, being as deceptive as Hercules is modest, and for whom he nurtures a soft spot for the rest of the film, much to the annoyance of his trainer and sidekick Phil, voiced by the hugely talented Danny De Vito, therefore making for delicious comedy and a right royal struggle to aspire for a love - life. Also, who better to get in the way than Hades, Lord of the Underworld, voiced by the outrageously funny James Woods, along with his henchmen Pain and Panic? They are just so hard not to laugh at; every scene involving these three characters are great entertainment, and I do love a witty, sarcastic and wise - cracking villain who practically tells Hercules to ' "Get a grip!" ' whilst being held by the throat! With ingenious one - liners from both De Vito and Woods in particular, fabulous songs, hosted by several of the feisty Muses, daring action, sparkling romance and stunning animation along with some cool Special Features including an exclusive "Art Attack" video (I used to love that TV series), this film of heroic proportions is just the ticket to Ancient Greece!

Considering buying the blu-ray? DO IT! This is a brilliant restoration for blu-ray. The picture and sound are both incredible and the film has never looked this good.Extras: Making of (approx. 9 mins) and Ricky Martin's 'Go the Distance' Music video (in Spanish).Sound options:English DTS-HD Master 5.1French and German DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1Dutch, Portuguese, Castilian Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1Catalan Spanish Dolby 2.0Subtitles: English, Dutch, German, Portuguese, Spanish and French

As with most of the great Disney films this is something you can watch with the children, but that is not so dull that adult and older viewers will not enjoy it. The script is perfect, the film is quite funny in places, features some killer musical numbers and has some great characters such as sassy Meg.The film all carries a deeper message about growing up, dealing with fame, finding your place in the world and belonging. It features young Hercules who has grown up in Greece, but always felt like he does not belong. His 'parents' reveal that he s not, in fact, their son and they found him one day wearing a medal with a symbol of the Gods on him. With his super-human strength Hercules sets out on a voyage of discovery.With wonderful Disney animation, a good script, great characters and all the good elements of children's films, comedy and great musical numbers what's not to love?

Finally, Hercules is on blu-ray!I'm happy to say that the picture quality does not disappoint, Hercules has never looked better! This is the release to go for. Unfortunatley, considering Hercules is one of Disney's black sheeps, the bonus features are the ones from the old DVD, and they're not that great. Making-of featurette, clip video, karaoke, with bad picture quality. When you think about it, it may be the best we get for Hercules, ever. Considering I'm buying it for the movie and nothing else, I'm cool with that.But to be honest, I'm still giving the blu-ray 5 stars, the picture quality is GREAT, the sound is good too.

This is fun.Soundtrack is great. Most of the times I just play this movie at the same time I'm working on my illustrations or something else. I must have seen it more than 100 times.Art: the animators and artists were able to put as much greek style as possible in it. Great character design.Story: Fun epic adventure. I loved to watch Hercules from a boy to an adult. The villain is hillarious with his anger management problems.