Search - Hercules [Widescreen] on DVD

MPAA Rating: G Movie Release: 1997 DVD Release: 08/01/2000 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 33 mins Studio: Walt Disney Video Members Wishing: 98 Genres: Fantasy, Children's/Family, Adventure Comedy, Children's Fantasy, Mythological Fantasy See Also: Hercules [THX]

Disney's animation team dipped into the rich well of ancient mythology for this musical comedy. The son of Greek gods Zeus (voice of Rip Torn) and Hera (Samantha Eggar), Hercules (voice of Josh Keaton) is stolen as a boy by the minions of Hades (voice of James Woods), lord of the underworld. Forced to live among humans, Hercules is turned into a half-god and half-mortal after drinking a forbidden potion brewed by Hades' right hand men, Pain (voice of Bob Goldthwait) and Panic (voice of Matt Frewer). Now Hercules has the remarkable strength of a god, but is trapped in the body of a human, and before he learns how to use his power properly he goes through a typically adolescent awkward period. In order to become a god and return to his home on Mount Olympus, Hercules must prove himself a true hero on Earth. With the assistance of Philotes (voice of Danny De Vito), a plucky satyr known as "Phil," the grown-up Hercules (voice of Tate Donovan) learns to use his strength to his advantage and becomes a famous and benevolent protector of those around him, successfully battling a variety of gods and monsters. However, Hades, wanting to cut Hercules down to size, sends his secret weapon after him -- Megara (voice of Susan Egan), a seductively beautiful woman under Hades' control, who is to win Hercules' heart and render him helpless against the forces of the underworld. Acclaimed British cartoonist Gerald Scarfe served as production designer for this project, while Alan Menken wrote the musical score. Incidentally, for the Spanish language version of the film, Latin pop singer Ricky Martin provided the singing voice of Hercules, two years before he became a chart-topping sensation in America with his hit single "Livin' la Vida Loca." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Tate Donovan - Hercules
Josh Keaton - Young Hercules
Roger Bart - Young Hercules (singing)
Danny DeVito - Phil
James Woods - Hades

This release of Hercules on DVD contains a widescreen transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.66:1. English, Spanish, and French soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1, but only the English track is closed-captioned. There are no subtitles on this release. Supplemental materials on this THX-certified disc include a featurette titled "The Making of Hercules." Fans of the film will greatly enjoy this disc, but there is nothing here to draw in the unconverted. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide