Hercules (1997)
This film is ridiculously underrated, it isn't up to the calibre of a Lion King or Beauty and the Beast, but it's without doubt an excellent release from Disney.
This is a film I've loved from a very young age, though I don't believe it has always been my favourite - that honour went to Aladdin. As I went through my teens, I really came to identify with the themes of the film. Hercules' journey to find the place that he belongs in the world, the continuous theme of "going the distance" and following a dream, felt particularly poignant as I tread untested waters with a career in animation.
Hercules was released at a time when the Disney Renaissance period of successful animated movies was winding down, and box office numbers were lulling. The movies themselves (Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan) were still beautiful works in their own right, but just weren't drawing the numbers of Disney's past masterpieces. Eventually the assumption would be that hand drawn animation is the problem and sadly the companv would switch almost exclusively to computer animation.
Add to this a hilarious sidekick in Philoctetes and an equally brilliant villain called Hades and you have the ingredients for a classic movie.
In regards to Disney merchandise, this is probably one of the films I have the most collectables for - outside of perhaps Aladdin. I’ll share a few of my favourites below including my Hercules tattoo.
Is it Disney's best? No. But it will always have a special place in my heart.
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