By far the best cinematic version of the famed hulking Greek demigod is on Blu-Ray, here to offer entertainment, nostalgia, and a cleansing of that awful Brett Ratner-Dwayne Johnson imagining.

A (maybe) surprising 17-years-old, 1997’s Disney animated featured Hercules departed from fairy tale inspiration and drew on mythology, bringing to the screen a charming and adventurous story that seems to get better with age Danny DeVito, James Woods, Bobcat Goldthwait, and Rip Torn make up a collection of distant supporting voices in this tale of monsters and mayhem, but Hercules still has plenty of heart.

Only a handful of songs seemed to have stood the test of time, but surely Michael Bolton’s uplifting main theme is unforgettable, if not a little too cute. It’s also nice not to have a leading lady who is completely helpless and aloof. I mean, sure she needs rescuing, but then again, they’re massive titans and gods holding her captive, so it’s not like just any man can save her.

Also, there’s the hydra, and it’s wicked cool.

Special Features

Special is indeed the operative word when referring to the additional features here. There are only two, and they are brief, but worthwhile nonetheless.

The Making Of Hercules:
The making of was in fact made during the time of the filming, back when Mark Elliot, the voice of Disney, was still doing voice-overs and sweaters and mustaches were really awkward. So yes, while this ten-minute behind-the-scenes offers up a bit of interesting information, it’s mostly entertaining because of it unintentionally capturing the look and sound of an era. And James Woods and Rip Torn sure do look young.

Music Video:
Remember when Ricky Martin was huge? This Blu-Ray does. Instead of Bolton singing the main, inspiring theme ‘Go the Distance,’, we’ve Martin with ‘No Importa La Distancia’, in a laugh-out-loud, cheese-filled music video. This is not a joke. He sings it in Spanish, and the song is still stirring, but for reasons unknown he is standing on some poorly-made set that looks to be the surface of a volcano while fires blaze around him. If that doesn’t make you want to see through your most important of goals, nothing will.