One of the next animated Disney movies up for a live-action remake is Hercules. In recent years there has been a slew of live-action remakes of classic Disney films, such as Beauty and the Beast, Pinocchio, The Jungle Book, Aladdin, and most recently, The Little Mermaid. Hercules is based on the Greek myth of the demi-god who has super strength, goes on great adventures, and is a champion of the weak. Throughout the years there have been many representations of Hercules in film, television, books, and video games. He is one of the most popular characters from mythology to be portrayed in popular culture.
Therefore, it is no surprise that in 1997, Disney brought the myth to life with their beautiful animation. The film was directed and produced by John Musker and Ron Clements who had previously worked together on The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. The film’s epic story is set to a soundtrack in the gospel, Broadway, and R&B styles. The music was written by the legendary composer, Alan Menken. Menken previously teamed up with the late Howard Ashman on other Disney classics, such as Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. Even without his original writing partner, Menken did a Hades of a job on the soundtrack working with new lyricist David Zippel. This was the last of the Disney Renaissance films that Menken composed the score for.
The animated Hercules featured the voices of Tate Donovan, Susan Egan, Danny DeVito, James Woods, and Rip Torn; and is known for its humor. The producers of the live-action iteration have promised that the remake will keep the light-heartedness of the original. It will be interesting to see how the live-action version portrays the magical and mystical elements of the story, such as Hercules’s strength, the Titans, and the Underworld. For more details about the upcoming Hercules, listen to us, the Muses, because we are here to tell you the gospel truth about the upcoming movie.
