Hercules (A Walt Disney Masterpiece) [VHS]

An outrageous odyssey of fun, fantasy and adventure unfolds in the hilarious hit film, Hercules Disney's 35th animated triumph "brimming with comic surprise!" Taken from the gods as a newborn, adopted on earth, Hercules becomes an awkward, teenage pillar of strength. Trying to fit in, he discovers zeus is his dad and home is on mount olympus if he can move from "Zero" to true hero! Hercules teams with babyhood pal pegasus, the flying stallion, and phil a feisty personal trainer for the mission. But it's no walk on the acropolis. He must match wits with grecian beauty meg and a comical hothead named hades, who's having a devil of a time with morphing morons pain and panic for help, and hercules stands in his way! ...Read more

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Not the egregious foul it seemed to be in theaters, Hercules stands up as an entertaining spritzer of an animated feature. The continual peppering of in-jokes and cultural references becomes less irksome on video. That there's no majesty or awe invested in the beloved Greek legends also seems less of an error. Also on the plus side is the bounciest Alan Menken music since Little Shop of Horrors. With Zeus's blood in his veins, young Hercules's amazing strength makes him an outcast (sorry, that still doesn't fly), so he trains with a satyr named Phil to become a hero. Along the way Herc meets Meg, a common mortal who falls hard for him. They're both against the jocular Hades, who has to destroy Hercules to take over Olympus. The hydra is the computer-animated set piece for this little number, a no-chance attempt to beat that wildebeest herd from The Lion King. --Keith Simanton ...Read more

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