Hercules: Myth vs. Disney The story of Hercules is an ancient greek myth about heroism and strength. It revolves around Hercules, a demigod with incredible power, and less than incredible intelligence. His extraordinary feats of strength inspired many stories and legends. Today, one the most popular takes on Hercules is Disney’s animated movie. However, Hercules’ myth has many ideas that would be considered inappropriate for children by today’s standards. For that reason, Disney made some significant changes to the plot. Disney altered many aspects of the story of Hercules to make it more entertaining and acceptable for a younger audience. One of the most significant changes Disney made is the antagonist. In the myth Hera is an angry and vengeful goddess. Because Hercules is a result of one of Zeus’s affairs, Hera takes her anger out on him. She frequently tries to …show more content…
The conflict in the myth is Hercules trying to redeem himself. After Hera tricks Hercules into killing his wife and children, he desperately wants to avenge them. So, he is sent on a quest by his cousin to complete twelve tasks. Completing these nearly impossible tasks would redeem him and allow him to live in peace. This is what motivates Hercules to become a hero. For a child, Hercules killing his family would be both confusing and upsetting. In order to avoid this, Disney completely changed the conflict. Unlike the myth, the movie has Hercules has Hercules born to Zeus and Hera and adopted by his earthly parents. As a result of this, he doesn’t fit into society and becomes an outcast. He then discovers that he was born a god and will be able to return to Olympus if he becomes a hero. So he sets out to train and defeat monsters in order to become a god and live with his real family. This is more relatable to younger people because many of them feel like they don’t fit in. Making it more relatable allows the audience the connect with