Disney, retrospectively

Hercules (1997)

This was the last of the 90's Disney we saw and we were already in our teens so there is less nostalgia to be had. That being said, we sort of enjoy it. Once again, particularly the Finnish dub. Objectively speaking this is most likely the worst Disney had to offer in the 90's. But we still like it way more than Pocahontas. 

Characters

Hercules: Just a fucking clueless idiot. Unlike Aladdin though, he's at least honest and sincere. Doesn't have much in the way of a character arc. Much like Aladdin, he's not the the most interesting character in his own title film.

Meg: She has the best attitude. We're especially fond of her sharp tongue. She does have a character arc, but of course it's all about the dude like one would expect from one's basic Disney movie. 

Hades: The last decent Disney villain, even though the role is forced on him (his motives suck). However, he's really fun and entertaining. 

Minor characters: There aren't many, but those that are important to the story (and even those that aren't) work quite well. They definitely provide the best gags. The cat gets us every time. 

Story

Obviously this has nothing to do with Greek mythology or even geography. Mt. Olympos does not look like that. Since one of us has lived in Greece for 18 months it's fair to say that we know more about the region and country than Disney. They clearly didn't consult any experts. Considering the company's track record with sticking to the original version, it's no surprise. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. 

The story is already weak to begin with, but it completely falls apart by the third act. This movie simply cannot decide its genre. It's tonally way more confused than Hunchback. The story works when it's comedy but not when it tries to be epic or serious. To be honest, we don't have much else to comment because this movie is utterly frivolous. Frivolous, but fun. We stand our ground that it's funny. But for god's sake don't mistake it for anything deeper. 

Miscellaneous

We love Menken, but this is definitely not his best work. The gospel theme is weird, we guess it has something to do with praising gods and stuff? We still think it's not the most natural fit. At least Menken has composed a score in addition to the songs, unlike many of the later Disney films. The popular culture references were a little too much for us. So if you thought the Genie was bad, you ain't seen nothing yet.