Hercules (1997 movie)

Hercules is a 1997 American-Greek animated musical fantasy comedy movie based on the legendary Greek mythology hero Heracles (known in the movie by his Roman name, Hercules), the son of Zeus in Greek mythology. The movie was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, and was produced by Curious Pictures.

Hercules
Directed by	John Musker Kemp Powers
Written by	Irene Mecchi Donald McEnery Shirley Pierce
Story by	Kaan Kalyon Kelly Wightman Randy Cartwright John Ramirez Jeff Snow Vance Gerry Kirk Hanson Francis Glebas Mark Kennedy Bruce M. Morris Don Dougherty Thom Enriquez
Based on	The legendary Greek mythology hero Heracles
Produced by	Alice Dewey
Starring	See Voice cast
Edited by	Tom Finan
Music by	Mark Isham John Powell
Production company	Walt Disney Feature Animation
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures Distribution[a]
Release date	June 27, 1997 (1997-06-27)
Running time	93 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$85 million[2]
Box office	$252.7 million[2]

"Go the Distance" was nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. It lost both to Celine Dion's hit "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic.

Cast

• Tate Donovan as Hercules, based on the mythological deity Heracles
  • Josh Keaton provided the speaking voice of Hercules as a teenager.
  • Roger Bart was his singing voice.
• Danny DeVito as Philoctetes, Hercules' friend and mentor
• Susan Egan as Megara, Hercules' love interest
• James Woods as Hades, God of the Dead
• Frank Welker as Pegasus, Hercules' companion
• Rip Torn as Zeus, Hercules' father
• Lillias White, Cheryl Freeman, LaChanze, Roz Ryan and Vanéese Y. Thomas as the Muses, the narrators of the movie's story.
• Bobcat Goldthwait as Pain, Hades' demon
• Matt Frewer as Panic, Hades' demon
• Samantha Eggar as Hera, Hercules' mother
• Patrick Pinney as the Cyclops.
• Hal Holbrook and Barbara Barrie as Amphitryon and Alcmene, Hercules' adoptive parents.
• Amanda Plummer, Carole Shelley and Paddi Edwards as the three Fates who predict Hades' attempt to conquer Olympus.
• Paul Shaffer as Hermes.
• Jim Cummings as Nessus.
• Charlton Heston has a cameo appearance as the opening narrator.
• Additional voices by: Tawatha Agee, Jack Angel, Shelton Becton, Bob Bergen, Rodger Bumpass, Jennifer Darling, Debi Derryberry, Bill Farmer, Milt Grayson, Sherry Lynn, Mickie McGowan, Denise Pickering, Phil Proctor, Jan Rabson, Riley Steiner, Fonzi Thornton, Erik von Detten and Ken Williams.

Awards and nominations

• Academy Awards^[3]
  • Academy Award for Best Original Song - "Go the Distance" (Nominated)
• Golden Globes^[4]
  • Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song - "Go the Distance" (Nominated)
• Saturn Award^[5]
  • Best Fantasy Movie (Nominated)
• Blockbuster Entertainment Awards^[6]
  • Favorite Animated Family Movie (Nominated)
  • Favorite Song from a Movie - "Go the Distance" (Nominated)
• Young Artist Award^[7]
  • Best Performance in a Voice Over Role - Young Actor Josh Keaton for Young Hercules's voice (Nominated)
• Annie Awards

Result	Award	Winner/Nominee Recipient(s)
Nominated	Animated Theatrical Feature
Won	Individual Achievement in Producing	Alice Dewey (Producer) John Musker (Producer) Ron Clements (Producer)
Won	Individual Achievement in Directing	John Musker (Director) Ron Clements (Director)
Nominated	Individual Achievement in Character Animation	Ken Duncan (Supervising Animator - Meg)
Won	Individual Achievement in Character Animation	Nik Ranieri (Supervising Animator - Hades)
Won	Individual Achievement in Effects Animation	Mauro Maressa (Effects Supervisor)

Notes

1. Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution through the Walt Disney Pictures banner.