I recently watched Disney’s 1997 feature Hercules for the first time. Somehow it had slipped through my grasp as a child in favour of its animated spin-off series. But given the Olympics recently drawing to a close in Rio, I decided to give it a watch.
Aside from the much loved classic, ‘I Won’t Say I’m In Love,’ ‘Zero to Hero’ is one of the film’s more popular songs. It plays just as things start to look up for the protagonist, Hercules. He defeats a monster sent to kill him by Hades and revels in the glory the town bestows on him. They recognise him as the hero he needs to be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRCteeZTrjE
Alan Menken composed this piece and David Zippel wrote the lyrics. It’s performed by the five muses, who often narrate elements of the story throughout the film. The voice actors are Lillias White, LaChanze, Roz Ryan, Cheryl Freeman and Vanéese Y. Thomas. It’s available on five Disney albums and it’s available in 36 languages.
The song itself is upbeat and catchy, perfect for any Friday afternoon jamming. The video is well worth a watch too as ‘Hercules‘ has some of the most eye catching compositions of any Disney film. From silhouette to colour coordination, the design elements behind even this short clip are outstanding. The animation style, such as characters and backgrounds, are also intriguing to watch. So if you’re looking for something both catchy and eye-catchy, try giving ‘Zero to Hero‘ a listen. At the very least, it will lessen your post-Olympics blues!
Writer, artist, perpetual holder of notions.
