This garden that Meg walks through while singing about LOVE, of all things, is a ‘Garden of RAPE’!!!!! Each of these statues are different versions of rape in Greek mythology. Disney, how dare you!
*Deep breath* Sorry, but ever since I did the trivia for this movie and noticed this it’s been bothering the hell out of me. :/
Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Phil admonishes Hercules, “Don’t let your guard down because of a pair of big goo-goo eyes,” he’s clearly mouthing the word “blue” instead of “goo-goo.” Originally, Meg’s eyes were originally going to be blue, but later on they were changed to purple to match her dress.
The “Air Herc” sandals brand is a reference to the Nike Air footwear line. Moreover, the Hercules mosaic showing Hercules running resembles an actual Nike print ad. Nike was the Greek goddess who personified triumph.
In the music video for “Zero to Hero” it shows Hercules riding Pegasus through the nighttime sky with constellations looking at him, and it shows a woman in a dress that flies up and she holds it down. This is a reference to a famous scene from ‘The Seven Year Itch’ starring Marilyn Monroe.
At one point during Meg’s musical scene “I Won’t Say I’m In Love,” the Muses sing while appearing as marble busts. The busts are in the same arrangement as the singing busts in the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
The movie makes many references to the epic poem of the 12 Labors of Hercules including the mid-movie battle with the Lernaean Hydra (2nd Labor). The Nemean Lion (1st Labor), Erymanthian Boar (4th Labor), Stymphalian Bird (6th Labor) are featured in the ‘Zero to Hero’ scene, and the capturing of Cerberus (12th Labor) at the end of the film. Phil also mentions the task of cleaning Augean’s stables (5th Labor) and retrieving a Girdle from ‘some Amazons’ (9th Labor) while Hercules was posing for the painter.
Jack Nicholson, Willem Dafoe, David Bowie and John Lithgow were all considered for the voice of Hades.
The role of Hades is one of James Woods’ all-time favorite characters. So much so, any time Disney needs him to reprise the character for any cartoon show (including “Hercules: The Series”) and video game (The “Kingdom Hearts” series), he has agreed to do so.
John Goodman, James Belushi, Gregory Peck and Patrick Stewart were all considered for the role of Zeus.
The animators spent 6 to 14 hours to render a frame of the Hydra, depending on how many heads it had.
In Greek mythology, there were nine Muses. The five shown here are: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Melpomene (tragedy), Terpsichore (dance), and Thalia (comedy).
On his way to Thebes, Hercules meets Megara after he saves her from the River Guardian, Nessos. While this is not the story of how Hercules came to know Megara in Greek legend, it IS (almost exactly) how he came to know his second wife - Deianira.
When Phil and Hercules first enter Phil’s hut, Hercules bangs his head on what Phil tells him is the mast of the Argo. In Greek mythology, Jason, the captain of the Argo, was killed when the mast hit his head.
Pain and Panic are named for two of the four minions of Ares, “Phobos” and “Deimos”, which roughly translate to “Pain” and “Panic”. Interestingly enough, “Phobos” and “Deimos” are also the names of the planet Mars’ two moons (‘Mars’ is the Roman name for ‘Ares’).
