Plot: What’s it about?
With all the gods abuzz, Zeus and Aphrodite finally have their bouncing baby boy, Hercules. As would be expected, Zeus throws a huge party, and all the gods attend. Hercules, even though he is a tiny baby, has his legendary strength, and lifts his father off the ground by one finger, and tosses his dad’s thunderbolts around like toys. That little devil! Even Hades, ruler of the underworld, shows up, with his snide remarks and fiery temper. He quickly exits to return to his underworld, and after he does, Zeus gives Hercules a gift…one hell of a gift! Zeus gives his little boy a Pegasus, and it rules! While hesitant at first, Hercules and Pegasus soon bond. But away from Zeus’ happiness, Hades is plotting along with the Fates on when to make his bid to take over the heavens. The Fates tell Hades if he can turn Hercules mortal, he can be killed, and therefore, things are easier on Hades. But…instead of doing it himself, Hades sends his bumbling underlings, Pain and Panic, to kidnap Hercules, take him to Earth, and give him a potion to turn him mortal.
Hercules is another Disney classic, focusing on the gods and surroundings of ancient Greece. I for one find the topic of Greek mythology highly interesting, and it makes the transition to cartoon very well. The idea of seeing all the different gods, with their unique looks and personalities makes this movie work. It’s so cool to see how the artists at Disney pictured each of the Olympus dwellers. The whole landscape looks great too, with all the pillars and Greek architecture galore. The costumes (I know they are cartoons but still) are designed beautifully, and the whole feel of ancient Greece is present throughout this feature. I know it’s animated, but the attention to detail is amazing, and the extra effort in this film really paid off.
Video: How’s it look?
In the “it’s hard to believe” department, Hercules is now nearing its 20th anniversary. Yes, time flies. Still, this is the first incarnation of this fabled classic on the Blu-ray format and Disney usually does a good job with their catalog titles. Granted this isn’t Fantasia or Snow White, but it’s part of their pantheon nonetheless. Presented in a 1.78:1 AVC HD image, Hercules looks good – very good. But as I looked a little deeper, it appears there are a few minor issues present. Nothing major, but a bit of banding in a few of the scenes and the tiniest bit of aliasing. This is nothing to get in an uproar about, but it’s worth nothing. The core audience for this film certainly won’t mind, then again those that were 5 years old when this movie came out are now likely college graduates. Why did I mention that? I have no idea. All babbling aside, Hercules is a great effort on Disney’s part and it’s nice to have this as a part of the Blu-ray collection.
Audio: How’s it sound?
A little more impressive is the rather robust DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack that really packs a punch (I was actually trying to think of a witty Herculean remark, but I’m drawing a blank). Vocals are strong and crisp, surrounds expansive and immersive and the front stage handles the rest of the mix with the greatest of ease. I’d forgotten how good some of these Disney musicals can sound and this is certainly no exception. This has certainly benefitted from the leap to Blu-ray and viewers will have nary a thing to complain about.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Admittedly it’s been a while since I checked out the original DVD, but there doesn’t seem to be anything new included on this Blu-ray. Here’s what’s included:
- The Making of Hercules – The same EPK that was featured on the DVD and not much is really revealed here. It’s essentially like a glorified trailer for the film. That and it’s old and old-looking.
- Music Video“No Importa la Distancia” performed by Ricky Martin (back when he was relevant).
- Sing Along – “Zero to Hero.”
- DVD/Digital HD Copy
