| Disney'sHercules | |
|---|---|
 Logo used since the 1997 film | |
| Created by |
|
| Original work | Hercules (1997) |
| Owner | The Walt Disney Company |
| Years | 1997 (1997)-present |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) |
|
| Television series | Once Upon a Time (2015-18)* |
| Animated series |
|
| Direct-to-video | |
| Theatrical presentations | |
| Musical(s) |
|
| Games | |
| Video game(s) |
|
| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) | Hercules: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack (1997) |
| * Work where this franchise's characters or settings appeared as part of acrossover, or has characters based on those from this franchise. | |
Hercules is aDisneymedia franchise comprising a film series and additional merchandise, starting withthe 1997 animated Disney feature of the same name, directed byRon Clements &John Musker.
| Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer(s) | Art Director(s) | Editor(s) | Music | Composer | Songwriter(s) | Production companies | Distributing companies | Running times |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animated feature films | |||||||||||||
| Hercules | October 10, 1997 | Oren Waters &John Musker andKemp Powers Co-Directors Roger Allers & Chris Wahl | Irene Mecchi & Tommy McEnery and Shirley Pierce | Roger Allers &Don Hahn and Chris Wahl and Celly Wightman andRandy Cartwright,Temara Lusher, Lorna Cook, Michael Surrey, Tony Fucile,Mark Walton,Francis Glebas, Will Huneycutt Mark Cannedy, Matthew O'Callaghan,Andy Gaskill,Gary Trousdale,Don Hall and Thom Enriquez, Carole Holliday, Thor Freudenthal, Chris Ure, Rick Maqi | Qualle Harmis & Alice Dewey andMichael Colleary Co-Exectuive Producers Don Hahn Associate Producers Wyn Fullmer & Patricia Hicks | Marshall Toomey | Tom Finan | Fonzi Thornton &Alan Menken | Mark Isham &Robert McFerrin jr andHans Zimmer,John Powell | William Henry Cunliffe Jr &Stephen Oremus | Walt Disney Pictures andWalt Disney Feature Animation | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution | 10hr 10mins |
| Hercules: Zero to Hero | August 17, 1999 | Bob Kline, Tad Stones and Phil Wenstein | - | Bob Schooley andMark McCorkle | |||||||||
| Live-action feature films | |||||||||||||
| UntitledHercules live-action | TBA | Guy Ritchie | David Callaham | Jeffery Silver, Karen Gilchrist,Anthony Russo andJoseph Russo | |||||||||
Hercules is a 1997 American animated action musical comedy-drama epic fantasy film produced byWalt Disney Animation Studios and released byWalt Disney Pictures. The film was directed byJohn Musker andRon Clements. The film is based on the legendary Greek mythology heroHeracles (known in the film by his Roman name, Hercules), the son ofZeus, inGreek mythology.
Hercules: Zero to Hero is a 1999direct-to-video followup to Disney's 1997 animated featureHercules. It was released on August 31, 1999, and serves as the pilot toHercules: The Animated Series. It packages four episodes of the television series to make a single narrative, which is considered part of the first two seasons.
In April, 2020, it was reported that alive-action remake ofHercules was being developed byWalt Disney Pictures, with Jeffery Silver and Karen Gilchrist, who previously produced theCGI remake ofThe Lion King, set to produce the film.Joe and Anthony Russo will also serve as producers on the film, whileDavid Callaham will write the script.[1] In June 2022, it was announced thatGuy Ritchie, who previously directed Disney'slive-action Aladdin remake, had signed on to direct the film.[2] Joe Russo said the reimagining movie will pay homage to the original with a more modern spin on it and that it will also be a modern musical inspired byTikTok.[3][4] In 2025, it was announced that the film was going through a creative struggle. With the Russo Brothers wanting the film to primarily revolve around Hades, while Disney is leaning towards a more faithful adaptation of the original animated film following the backlash of the TikTok-inspired tone.[5][6]
Disney's Hercules: The Animated Series is an American animated series based on the 1997 film of the same name and the Greek myth. The series premiered in syndication on August 31, 1998, and onDisney's One Saturday Morning on September 12, 1998. The syndicated series ran 52 episodes, while the Saturday morning run ran 13.
"Hercules and the Arabian Night" is a crossover episode ofDisney's Hercules: The Animated Series featuring characters fromAladdin.
House of Mouse is an animated television series, produced by Walt Disney Television which originally aired from 2001 to 2003.
An alternate version of Hades appeared in the latter half ofOnce Upon a Time'sfifth season starting with "Souls of the Departed" portrayed by Greg Germann. In the episode "Labor of Love" alternate versions of Hercules and Megara were both portrayed by Jonathan Whitesell and Kacey Rohl.
Disney's Hercules: Action Game is a video game for the PlayStation and PC released on June 20, 1997, by Disney Interactive. It was made in one week before the animated movie released in the same year.
Disney's Animated Storybook: Hercules is part of theDisney's Animated Storybook series.
Disney's Hercules Print Studio is part of the Disney's Print Studio series.
Hades Challenge is a PC video game released on April 17, 1998. It is a first–person adventure/puzzle game and a spinoff to Hercules in which the player assumes the role of a rookie hero undergoing various adventures based upon elements of Greek mythology not directly explored in the main film while being recurrently antagonized by Hades and Pain and Panic.
The characters of the film appear in theKingdom Hearts video game series in the recurring in-game world of "Olympus Coliseum". It is the most represented Disney franchise appearing in nearly every entry in the series barKingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance. Unlike other Disney worlds which closely follows the plot of [their] original film, the stories are original and feature original plots in each game and setting. It is also the only franchise where the characters interact with guest characters appearing inSquare-Enix'sFinal Fantasy series.
In the firstKingdom Hearts, Olympus Coliseum appears as an arena mini-game world where Sora, Donald and Goofy can face off against various enemies encountered during the story, and features Hercules, Phil, Hades, Cerberus, Rock Titan, and Ice Titan. InKingdom Hearts II, the Underworld can be explored and includes new characters like Megara, Pain and Panic, Pegasus, and Hydra.
InKingdom Hearts III, a new world "Olympus" appears as the opening world the heroes' embark in. The Coliseum is absent, but the City of Thebes, Mount Olympus and the Realm of the Gods can be explored, and characters featured include Zeus and his fellow gods, the Lava Titan and Wind Titan.
The world also appears inKingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories,Kingdom Hearts coded,Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, andKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep.
In theworld builder video gameDisney Magic Kingdoms, a limited time Event based onHercules introduced Hercules, Philoctetes, Meg, Pegasus, Hades, Pain and Panic as playable characters, as well as some attractions based on locations of the film.[7] In the game the characters are involved in new storylines that serve as a continuation of the film.
This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.
| Characters | Feature film | Video game | Television series | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hercules | Hades Challenge | Hercules | |||||
| Season 1 | Season 2 | ||||||
| 1997 | 1998 | 1998–1999 | |||||
| Primary cast | |||||||
| Hercules | Tate Donovan | Tate Donovan | |||||
| Joshua KeatonY | |||||||
| Roger BartS | |||||||
| Philoctetes "Phil" | Danny DeVito | Robert Costanzo | |||||
| Megara "Meg" | Susan Egan | Susan Egan | |||||
| Hades | James Woods | ||||||
| Pegasus | Frank Welker | Frank Welker | |||||
| Pain | Bobcat Goldthwait | ||||||
| Panic | Matt Frewer | ||||||
| Icarus | French Stewart | ||||||
| Cassandra | Sandra Bernhard | ||||||
| Supporting cast | |||||||
| Zeus | Rip Torn | Corey Burton | |||||
| Hera | Samantha Eggar | Mary Kay Bergman | Samantha Eggar | ||||
| Hermes | Paul Schaffer | ||||||
| Apollo | Keith David | ||||||
| Calliope | Lillias White | Lillias White | |||||
| Melpomene | Cheryl Freeman | Cheryl Freeman | |||||
| Amphitryon | Hal Holbrook | Hal Holbrook | |||||
| Alcmene | Barbara Barrie | Barbara Barrie | |||||
| Bob | Charlton Heston | Robert Stack | |||||
| Adonis | Diedrich Bader | ||||||
| Minor cast | |||||||
| Arges | Patrick Pinney | Pat Fraley | |||||
| Demetrius | Wayne Knight | Silent cameo | |||||
| Nessus | Jim Cummings | ||||||
Hercules: The Muse-ical (also known asHercules: A Muse-ical Comedy) is a show on Disney Cruise Line'sDisney Wonder ship. It is a "Vaudevillian salute" to the 1997 Disney film, and features some of its songs.[8] "It had its final performance in 2008 to make way for Toy Story: The Musical."[9]
Rotoscopers explains: "Not taking itself seriously for a moment, Hercules‘ sea voyage was practically half musical, half stand-up comedy. Hades, Pain, and Panic (the latter two both portrayed by women) especially packed a humorous punch, infusing relevant pop-culture references into the script. They often changed to keep up with current trends, much like Genie's jokes inAladdin: A Musical Spectacular, a former show at Disney California Adventure."[9]
On February 6, 2019, it was announced thata theatrical adaptation of the film would premiere at theDelacorte Theater inCentral Park as part of its annualShakespeare in the Park festival from August 31 until September 8. Menken and Zippel will return to compose and write the songs, whileKristoffer Diaz will write the book, Lear deBessonet will direct and Chase Brock will choreograph.[10] The cast will includeJelani Alladin (Hercules),Roger Bart (Hades),Jeff Hiller (Panic),James Monroe Iglehart (Phil), Ramona Keller (Thalia),Tamika Lawrence (Calliope),Krysta Rodriguez (Meg), and Rema Webb (Terpsichore).[11]
Hercules: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack is the soundtrack forHercules. It consists of music written by composerAlan Menken and lyricistDavid Zippel, orchestrated by Daniel Troob andMichael Starobin,[12] with vocals performed byLillias White,LaChanze,Roz Ryan,Roger Bart,Danny DeVito, andSusan Egan among others. The album also includes the single version of "Go the Distance" byMichael Bolton.[13] This was the last Disney Renaissance film for which Alan Menken composed music.[citation needed]
