Episode 45 - Hercules (Ron Clements & John Musker, 1997) (with Edith Hall)
Hercules (Ron Clements and John Musker, 1997).
The Fantasy/Animation podcast takes listeners on a journey through the intersection between fantasy cinema and the medium of animation. Available via Apple Podcasts, Spotify and many of your favourite podcast hosting platforms!
Bless my soul, we are definitely on a roll with Episode 45 of the Fantasy/Animation podcast, which continues the Disney Renaissance theme in its take on Hercules (Ron Clements & John Musker, 1997). To make sense of the visual culture of antiquity manifest in Disney’s cel-animated musical fantasy and its adaptation of Greek myth, Chris and Alex are joined by Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at King’s College London and a specialist in ancient Greek literature and cultural history. Listen as they discuss the film’s reworking of Hercules, Hades and Philoctetes alongside questions of tragedy, comedy and images of slavery; its combination of celebrity culture with Greek heroism and masculinity; the politics of Disneyfication operating in Hercules as a process situated between authenticity and animated representation; the visual character designs of British political cartoonist Gerard Scarfe; and its exhibitionist use of computer graphics in its portrayal of the multi-headed Hydra.
Suggested Readings
Ayres, Brenda, ed. 2003. The Emperor’s Old Groove. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.
Johnston, Ollie, and Frank Thomas. 1993. The Disney Villain. New York: Hyperion.
Pallant, Chris. 2011. Demystifying Disney: A History of Disney Feature Animation, London: Continuum.
Pierson, Michele. 2002. Special Effects: Still in Search of Wonder. Columbia: Columbia University Press.