You can rely on Disney animated movies for charming characters, slick animations, and catchy songs. And when a story is original, or is a retelling of a fable, that’s really all you need. But what happens when Disney comes up with a story that also claims to be an ancient myth but gets everything wrong?
Greek and Roman myths are a topic that intrigues many students. Children are drawn to descriptive narratives of romance, power, and pain that took place in the heavens and on Earth. The problem is that students often find ancient texts and classical narratives dry or difficult to understand. When you want to bring the lessons to life, the movie is often a good choice.
Unfortunately, finding a movie that has the mythology correct, or at least correct enough to use in class, is a challenge. Disney’s Hercules is not a movie that someone should use to teach something about the Greek myths. The story is intermingled with other myths, the classical references are wrong; at least one major character comes from Christian religious teachings and not those of the ancients. Finally, the Hercules bears character bears a strong resemblance to a famous comic book character.
However, a unit on Greek and Roman mythology that has thoroughly covered the story of Heracles/Hercules (the Greek and Roman translations of the name into English, respectively), can come to an entertaining but educational conclusion if the Hercules of Disney as a basis for has proof. The Prompts: List and describe the ways in which the film’s plot, characters, and dialogue are inconsistent with Greek myth. The message can also be divided into specific categories, such as the origin of Hercules, the characters, the plot, the 12 labors, after the 12 labors, and the death of Hercules. Ask students to supply at least 3 differences for each category.
Give students the prompt before they watch the movie. Tell them to take brief notes and that after the movie they will have a chance to list and describe the differences. The goal is to list four major differences and ten minor changes. An extra credit question might be to name the comic book hero Disney’s Hercules most closely resembles and give the reasons why.
Below is an example of a material inaccuracy that should be identified in student responses.
Example: The relationship between Heracles and his parents changes completely. In the movie, Zeus and Hera are his beloved parents. In the myths, Heracles was the son of Zeus and Alcmene, the wife of a general and former king of Mycenae named Amphitryon. Zeus took the form of Amphitryon and slept with Alcmene when the general was in battle. Hera is unhappy with Zeus’ infidelity and she comes to hate the child when Zeus tricks her into nursing him for a few weeks.
That’s just one example of the inaccuracies, big and small, that appear throughout the film. By introducing students to this fun and thought-provoking challenge, you can use movies like this to reinforce mythology lessons and test students in an unusual and interesting way.
