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Do you know who put the “glad” in “gladiator?” If you’re awaiting updates on the new Disney Hercules live-action remake, you probably do!
For many of us born in the last half of the 20th century, the word “Disney” was synonymous with stunning, hand-drawn animation and catchy musical scores. The Walt Disney Animation Studios gained notoriety for piling up classic hit after classic hit, especially after the introduction of the musical and lyricist duo, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman in the late 1980s. Many claim their intervention in The Little Mermaid (1989) saved Disney from destitution, and not just revitalized, but reinvented, the way we think about Disney films.
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RELATED: What Fans Can Expect From Disney’s Live-Action Hercules Film
So much so, that the films spanning the period of 1989 to the early 2000s (known now as the Disney Renaissance) have grown to become beloved household names. Disney first began to capitalize on the success and nostalgia for many of their older animated films through live-action remakes which breathed new life into the stories, utilizing both the talent of newer actors as well as groundbreaking modern technology.
From Maleficent (2014) to the most recent, Pinocchio (2022), fans have viewed the live-action remakes with mixed reviews. Some enjoy the feeling of returning to their childhood, and the opportunity the reboots present for Disney to make right on outdated or problematic depictions, and diversify their casts and storylines, as was the case with the LGBT characters of LeFou and Stanley in Beauty and the Beast (2017) and Halle Bailey in the highly anticipated The Little Mermaid debuting in 2023.
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RELATED: Could Hercules Finally be Making an Appearance at Disney Parks?
Despite hesitancy on the part of fans who worship the original versions or those who disliked the more recent live-action offerings, Disney keeps moving forward with plans to reimagine a few more of our old-time favorites in the coming years. One film, in particular, remains the stuff of debate: the live-action adaptation of Hercules (1997).
The original film altered the classical Greek myth to tell the rags-to-riches story of a humble demigod who becomes an overnight sensation for his heroic deeds, but it has remained unclear what trajectory the live-action team plans to take. While ’90s aesthetics and pop-culture allusions heavily feature in the original, the live-action will likely go somewhere entirely different within the new medium. And this diversion may not be constricted to visual stylizations: A tweet released by @DiscussingFilm gives new insight into this potentially more “modern” take:
The Russos confirm Disney’s live-action ‘HERCULES’ will be a modern musical inspired by TikTok.
“Audiences today have been trained by TikTok, right? What is their expectation of what that musical looks like & feels like?”
(Source: https://t.co/pR4fODK5Yg) pic.twitter.com/QWNELgMeQN
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) November 2, 2022
Yes, the Russo Brothers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe fame are set to produce the film, which will be directed by Aladdin (2019)’s Guy Ritchie. Ritchie will also write the screenplay with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)’s David Callaham. And, apparently, in addition to reinventing some of the animated feature’s original storyline, Disney plans to reimagine the lyrical elements in a way more palatable to… Gen Z audiences? Does this mean Herc will quote trendy audios or do simple choreographed dances before a ring light?
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For those of us who still can’t get the TikTok-generated “Ode to Remy” out of our heads, this might just be a pleasant surprise… For die-hard purists of Menken musicals and the original “Muses” devotees, it might not exactly go the distance.
Fans can watch Hercules (1997) anytime with an active Disney+ subscription.
