10 Things You May Not Know About Hercules

1. The Odyssey (No, Not the Restaurant!)

The idea for a film based on Greek mythology first came about in early 1992, when a movie adaptation of “The Odyssey” was proposed. The film was put into production the following summer but was soon abandoned when it was realized that it lacked a central character and was difficult to translate into a lighthearted comedy. A new idea centering on Hercules was quickly developed, with the story set during the Trojan War, where both sides wanted to enlist the services of Hercules as their secret weapon. Hercules makes a choice without considering the consequences but ultimately realizes that strength isn’t always the answer. The idea was given the green light, though the actual story would undergo many changes.

2. A Little Help From France

A team of nearly 700 artists, animators, and technicians in California began working on the film in early 1995. They had some assistance from Walt Disney Animation France, who ended up contributing about ten minutes of animation, including the final descent of the Titans and Hercules into the Underworld.

3. Donny Osmond

Donny Osmond originally auditioned for the speaking voice of Hercules, but he was turned down because his voice was considered too deep. The role went to Tate Donovan, but Osmond would resurface as the singing voice of Captain Lu Shang in 1998’s Mulan.

4. Philoctetes

Danny DeVito initially passed on the role of Philoctetes but was later convinced to take on the part by Alice Dewey, one of the film’s producers. Twenty-seven designs were considered for Philoctetes, with the final look combining elements from Grumpy in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Bacchus in Fantasia. DeVito suggested Jack Nicholson for the role of Hades, but Nicholson’s contract demands were too great.

5. Bringing the Hydra to, er, Life

The Hydra was sculpted into a clay model, then scanned and digitized into a computer as a wire-frame model. It had been decided that the Hydra would have thirty heads. The use of the computer allowed the animators to create one master head, and the computer would then multiply the heads as needed, transforming each to their desired scale. In the end, it took thirteen animators a year and a half to create the four-minute battle sequence.

6. Heads Up!

Why so long? Primarily because it took 6 to 14 hours to render just one frame of the Hydra, depending on how many heads it had at the time!

7. Clouds

The creative team envisioned Olympus as a city made of clouds. To make this happen, painted clouds and backgrounds were blended with hand-drawn effects to create the morphing effect seen in baby Hercules’s cradle and Zeus’s reclining chair.

8. A Sinister Cameo

Scar from The Lion King makes a cameo appearance as the dead Nemean Lion worn by Hercules while his portrait is being painted.

9. Goo-Goo Eyes?

After Hercules defeats Nessus and saves Meg, Phil tells him, “Next time, don’t let your guard down because of a pair of big goo-goo eyes.” Phil’s original line was, “Next time, don’t let your guard down because of a pair of big blue eyes,” which was heard in the teaser trailer on the 1996 VHS of Toy Story. However, Meg’s eyes were purple by the time the scene was completed, so the dialog was changed.

10. That’s Not Mickey and Minnie…

When Megara sees Pain and Panic in disguise, she remarks that they look like “a couple of rodents looking for a theme park.” That’s not exactly the kind of Hidden Mickey we’re used to seeing, but close enough!