Hercules

'Hercules' is a 1997 classic animated Disney film, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. The character design is clearly based on ancient Greek sculptures and pottery. I enjoyed that it did not look particularly like every other classic Disney film, but instead they chose to let the animation echo the subject matter. Each character had a separate lead animator, which lent to them all looking very distinct. In my own animation there will only be one main protagonist, so I don't need to worry too much about uniqueness between characters. It is a formal, hegemonic animated film, typical of Disney Studios.
The legend has been tidied up for a younger audience, yet retains the era, setting, characters and protagonist. The mise-en-scene depicts the two former elements well. It is clear that the target audience is both children and adults alike; silliness and wacky animation combines with inside jokes and asides. Disney adds a narrative thrust to the story that did not appear in the original fragmented legend. Gender representation is traditional, with a physically very feminine heroine, and macho, uber masculine hero. Gods are coloured with a glow, with males having darker, earthier colours while godesses have pastels and light shades like pink, with sparkles.
Metamorphosis and fantasy combine in depictions of Hades the god, and his demon minions. An ellipsis of time (example of condensation) occurs while Hercules is training with Phil, as we see him transform from a young, lanky boy into a strong adult.

The song score favours tunes that propel the story rather than focusing on character enhancement. In many instances some of the story is narrated by the vocal artists, giving background information at the start of the film and bringing attention to some of the important plot aspects. I think this leaves something to be desired, which most character-guided scores have. Most of the songs were very lyrics-heavy. As well, I flaw I saw was the combining of genres for the music. It was not distinctively Greek, and was let down by a motown twist to it. The one song which was a redeeming feature was 'Go the Distance,' appearing as the feature song sung by the protagonist.