Things Only Adults Noticed In Hercules

Greek mythology isn't exactly kid-friendly. There's plenty of death, despair, extramarital affairs, drinking, cannibalism, and an array of terrifying monsters that would give most children nightmares. With this in mind, it makes sense that the film had to take liberties regarding the actual legend of Hercules.

The film shows Zeus and Hera as being in a healthy, loving relationship. However, this couldn't be further from the case. In mythology, Zeus has a reputation for cheating on his wife with an extensive list of women, a fact that Hera is well aware of and resents about her husband. Of course, the Disney version can't exactly portray Zeus this way given their main demographic, but there's an even more significant deviation between the myth and the film. Hercules isn't even Hera's son, according to mythology. Contrary to the film, Hercules wasn't born to two divine parents. Instead, he's the child of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene. 

The main reason this change was made in the film is likely because Hera is the reason behind Hercules' hardships in the original story, as opposed to Hades. Hera resents Hercules, and as a result, she tries to have him killed. Additionally, Megara is most likely a combination of two characters from mythology — Megara and Hercules' second wife, Deianira. In a grim turn of events, Hercules actually kills Megara in the original myth. So much for happily ever after. 

In one particular scene, Hercules is seen wearing a lion skin. For many viewers, this wouldn't raise any eyebrows, especially since the lion is likely a nod to the Nemean Lion, the first of the 12 Labours that Hercules had to face in the original mythology. However, more seasoned Disney fans may notice something a little too familiar about the ferocious feline. From the uniquely brown fur and black mane to the scar under the big cat's eye, the lion looks exactly like Scar from The Lion King.

This callback to The Lion King is likely a reference to a specific line from the film where Zazu tells Mufasa that Scar would "make a very handsome throw rug." Overall, it's a bit uncomfortable to see Hercules and Phil thoughtlessly parading around the lifeless body of another Disney character on-screen. While this is undoubtedly a clever nod to another popular Disney title, the implications are rather dark. In this universe, Scar was killed and then skinned for his fur coat, which is definitely a morbid end for the recognizable villain.

After his date with Meg, Hercules raves about the play the pair just saw, saying, "And then that play, that Oedipus thing? Man, I thought I had problems!" Apparently, the two saw a performance of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, an Athenian tragedy you wouldn't expect to pop up in a Disney title.

In the play, Oedipus unknowingly kills his father, King Laius, and becomes the king of Thebes. Aside from killing his own father, once crowned king, Oedipus unknowingly marries his mother and fathers several children. It's later revealed that Oedipus was prophesied to kill his father from birth, and so King Laius had tried to send Oedipus away when he was only an infant. In the end, the prophecy was ultimately fulfilled when Oedipus returned, proving that you can't escape fate.

Sophocles' story also served as the inspiration behind the naming of the psychoanalytic term known as the Oedipus complex, coined by Sigmund Freud. According to Freud, the Oedipus complex is a stage in a child's development where they experience feelings of jealousy or rivalry towards their same-sex parent regarding the parent of the opposite sex. So when Hercules remarks about not having as many problems as Oedipus, he's basically saying, "At least I didn't kill my dad and marry my mom." Considering the dark themes in Oedipus Rex and the commonly understood psychoanalytic premises associated with the tragedy, it's definitely a strange title to be referenced in a children's animated film.

Not every double entendre has a second, more adult meaning behind it. Sometimes it's just the result of clever wordplay. This is the case with the Muses. In the film, the Muses are the film's narrators that guide viewers through the narrative. Their songs also allow for a natural passage of time between significant events in the film. Making the goddesses the film's narrators is a smart modern adaption of the goddesses from mythology who presided over the arts. But aside from this adaptation of the characters, there's another connection to ancient Greek theater.

Ancient Greek theater would've looked very different from a production of The Phantom of the Opera or Hamilton. One of the most significant differences in the structure was in how the characters were written. In addition to having roles for the main characters, ancient Greek theater also frequently employed a group of actors to serve as the narrators of their theatrical productions. This group was the chorus, and they usually had one member who was the chorus leader. So to have the Gospel-style chorus of singers also occupy the role of the Greek chorus in this film is an interesting blend of mythology and ancient Greek entertainment.

As a part of Hades' grand plan, he figures it would be nice to get more than just a few titans on his side. In the middle of the film, these monster co-conspirators do little more than appear in a montage where Hercules makes short work of all of them, but at the beginning of the film, we see Hades trying to get the river guardian Nessus to join his cause through negotiating with Meg. And this eventually leads to a joke that's, well, a little edgy for a kids' film.

Nessus, the centaur, is a terrifying creature. The half-man, half-horse is first seen holding Meg against her will after her mission from Hades goes south. Hercules immediately springs into action to save her. However, he quickly realizes he's not quite sure how to address the river guardian. Hercules begins, "Excuse me ..." but he trails off, and his confidence seemingly wanes as a slight look of confusion crosses his face. Hercules pauses briefly and looks downward between the centaur's legs. Reassured by what he's seen, Hercules then straightens up and confidently continues, "... sir!" If Hercules wanted to talk Nessus down and diffuse the situation without resorting to violence, this probably wasn't the most socially graceful way to begin negotiating the release of Meg.

The film's most prominent and easily recognizable reference to real-world art is likely the Venus de Milo that Hercules takes the arms off while on his date with Meg. But sharp-eyed viewers will find multiple examples of classical art and architecture scattered throughout.

Before Hercules begins his journey, he has an incident at the agora resulting in its destruction. Though the construction is slightly different, the architecture bears a striking resemblance to St. Peter's Square in Rome. After this socially traumatizing incident, Hercules talks to his adoptive parents, where another bit of ancient art can be found. Looking at the interior design of their home, the wall design looks like Akrotiri's Spring Fresco, or is at least partly inspired by it.

Another example of ancient architecture can be seen in "Go the Distance," as Hercules enters the Temple of Zeus. Sitting tall is a colossal stone likeness of the thunder god which comes to life to tell his son about the necessity of becoming a true hero. The actual temple used to house a reasonably similar statue, though the historical monument was accented with a gold staff not seen in the film. Finally, the last easily recognizable art reference appears during the song "I Won't Say I'm in Love," when Meg walks past the Muses standing as pillars in reference to the Caryatids of the Acropolis. While the real Caryatids are grander in scale, they certainly lack a similar musicality.