Hercules (1997 film)

Hercules
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Musker Ron Clements
Produced by	Alice Dewey John Musker Ron Clements
Screenplay by	Ron Clements John Musker Donald McEnery Bob Shaw Irene Mecchi
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
Starring	Tate Donovan Joshua Keaton Roger Bart Danny DeVito James Woods Susan Egan Rip Torn Samantha Eggar Lillias White Cheryl Freeman LaChanze Roz Ryan Vaneese Thomas Bobcat Goldthwait Matt Frewer Patrick Pinney Hal Holbrook Barbara Barrie Amanda Plummer Carole Shelley Paddi Edwards Paul Shaffer Jim Cummings Charlton Heston
Music by	Alan Menken
Edited by	Tom Finan
Production companies	Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Feature Animation
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date	June 15, 1997 (1997-06-15) (New Amsterdam Theatre) June 27, 1997 (1997-06-27) (United States)
Running time	93 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$85 million
Box office	$252.7 million

Hercules: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Released	May 27, 1997
Genre	Pop, gospel, soul, R&B, musical theatre
Label	Walt Disney
Producer	Alan Menken, David Zippel
Walt Disney Animation Studios chronology
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) Hercules (1997) Mulan (1998)
Singles from Hercules: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack
"Go the Distance" Released: 1997

Hercules is a 1997 American animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 35th Disney animated feature film, the film was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. The film is loosely based on the legendary hero Heracles (known in the film by his Roman name, Hercules), the son of Zeus, in Greek mythology. The film also featured the first positive portrayal of African American women in a Disney animated film.

Development of Hercules began in 1992 following a pitch adaptation of the Heracles mythological stories by animator Joe Haidar. Meanwhile, Ron Clements and John Musker re-developed their idea for Treasure Planet following the critical and commercial success of Aladdin. Their project was removed from development in 1993, and Musker and Clements joined Hercules later that same year. Following an unused treatment by Haidar, Clements and Musker studied multiple interpretations of Greek mythology before abandoning Zeus's adulterous affair with Alcmene. The project underwent multiple story treatments and a first script draft was inspired by the screwball comedy films of the classic Hollywood era and popular culture of the 1990s. Donald McEnery, Bob Shaw, and Irene Mecchi were brought on board to shorten the script. British cartoonist Gerald Scarfe was recruited as production designer and produced over seven hundred visualization designs of the characters. Research trips to Greece and Turkey provided inspiration for the background designs. Animation for the film was done in California and Paris. Computer animation was utilized in several scenes, predominantly in the Hydra battle sequence.