Apples and Oranges
Comparing a book to a movie is like comparing apples to oranges; they just are not the same. The differences between the classic Greek myth “Heraclês” and Disney’s version Hercules, are no acception. Hollywood makes many changes to the myth to interest Disney’s target audience of children and American families. The differences between the movie Hercules and the myth “Heraclês” feature the contrasting values of family, comic relief, and true love.
One cultural difference between the movie and the myth is the value of family. Greek Mythology often takes a different approach to family life, as the writings are not made to appeal a specific audience. Disney’s approach to the myth is made to appeal to families and children by
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Comic relief is used to bring a lighthearted mood to an otherwise dark or harrowing subject. In the myth, this technique is not used, therefore, the context has more of a straightforward or blunt tone. The movie, on the other hand, uses comic relief to brighten up certain situations through different characters. An example of this, are the characters Pain and Panic. These characters are the servants to Hades, who is depicted as a villain in the movie. Pain and Panic provide humor in the movie by constantly messing up Hades’ evil plans with clumsy actions. For example, Hades’ plan to take over the world required Pain and Panic to turn young Hercules mortal. When they failed this mission, and Hades was infuriated with them, they shouted out “we are worms” and proceeded to crawl in the ground. This comedic action is humorous and brings a lighthearted mood to Hades’ evil plan that is enjoyable by younger viewers. This change shows how Disney injects humor into the Greek context that would otherwise be bland our dry its viewers. Another example of comic relief is the character Phil. In the movie, Phil is Hercules’ witty and amusing mentor whose goal is to turn Hercules into a true hero. Phil’s appearance of half goat half man, or Satyr, provides comic relief that is not apparent in the myth. Again, both of these examples make the movie more enjoyable to families by providing light humor to somber