The good news is that The Amazing Feats of Young Hercules is not quite as bad as Young Pocahontas, it doesn't feel quite as dumbed down and none of the characters are as poorly written as the Medicine Man in that.

In The Amazing Feats of Young Hercules, there are some decently rendered backgrounds (like right at the start) that have more detail than most of UAV Entertainment's output, a rousing incidental score that is particularly striking in the Gorgon scene (though generally The Secret of Anastasia and The Secret of Mulan have more memorable soundtracks of UAV Entertainment's work) and the appropriately stern but regal character of Zeus. So it's not without its redeeming merits.

However, The Amazing Feats of Young Hercules has a lot wrong with it, and its problems are worse and far more glaring than bowdlerising Greek mythology and the Herculean legend. Some nice backgrounds are not enough to make up for a lot of flat and over-saturated colours, very roughly drawn character designs and less than smooth (in fact very stiff) movements, so on the whole the animation is not that great or even good. The King of the Gods song is more tolerable than the Medicine Man's song in Young Pocahontas, at least the lyrics didn't make me cringe anywhere near as much, but it is instantly forgettable as soon as the story kicks in and didn't serve that much of a point to the story other than to show how annoyingly irresponsible Hercules was and that could have probably been done better with dialogue.

Despite some well-intentioned parts, the dialogue sounds really corny and dumbed down, especially with Falina and it even happens in places where it detracts from what's happening (the scene with the Hydra) and contains some ham-handed moralising at the end as well. The story, as well as being fairly thinly plotted and with not much point to it, felt too rushed and definitely could have done with being 10-15 minutes longer which could have been dedicated to more of Hercules' challenges or a little more time on the challenges seen. Most of the challenges don't work either, suffering from being rushed through and a lack of fun, tension or suspense, with the one notable exception suspense-wise being the bit with Hercules refusing to look at the Gorgon in her beautiful woman guise. The Stymphalian birds scene had some awkward and quite robotic animation on the birds especially and suffered from the worst of the pacing, the Hydra has some distracting dumbed down dialogue (so did the Gorgon scene too admittedly to start with) and a Hydra that is not fearsome enough and the Golden Apple scene was rushed and heavy-handed with an ending that can be smelt a mile off. The Gorgon scene is the best executed of the four, thanks to the score and that one suspenseful bit but feels a touch out of place as well, considering it is not a Herculean labour and actually part of the legend of Perseus.

Of the characters, only Zeus works and he doesn't feature in the story much. Hercules is a rather bland hero, with him starting irresponsible and then heroic with all these clever skills just like that. Hera's role in the story is completely downplayed and wasted, but the worst character is the incredibly obnoxious Falina, a character meant to be funny and sassy but ending up annoying and not adding an awful lot to the story other than a little team work in the Hydra scene and plot convenience. The voice acting doesn't sound very involved, apart from Zeus who is voiced with great magisterial dignity, with Falina's voice really getting on the nerves well before the end of her first scene.

All in all, not unwatchable but The Amazing Feats of Young Hercules is not so amazing after all. 3/10 Bethany Cox

The adventure genre features exciting journeys, quests, or expeditions undertaken by characters who often face challenges, obstacles, and risks in pursuit of a goal. Adventures can take place in a wide range of settings, from exotic and fantastical locations to historical or even everyday environments.

Animation is a form of visual storytelling that involves creating visual art and motion through the use of various techniques and technologies. In animation, images are manipulated to create the illusion of movement, bringing characters, objects, and environments to life. Animation can encompass a wide range of styles, themes, and intended audiences, making it a diverse and versatile form of storytelling.

Daveigh Chase, Rumi Hiiragi, and Mari Natsuki in Spirited Away (2001)

The family genre features stories specifically created to be suitable for a wide range of age groups within a family. Family-oriented content is designed to be enjoyed by both children and adults, often providing entertainment that is wholesome, relatable, and appropriate for all members of a family to watch or experience together.

Drew Barrymore and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

Zeus send Hercules off to complete various tasks. If he completes them, he will get his freedom.

The Amazing Feats of Young Hercules (1997)

The Biggest Movies and TV Coming in September

See which big screen releases you can watch from the comfort of your couch.

Theatrical Releases Coming to Streaming

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

James Woods, Sandra Bernhard, Tate Donovan, Robert Costanzo, and French Stewart in Hercules (1998)

Marco Barricelli, Jim Gaffigan, Maya Rudolph, Peter Sohn, Emma Berman, Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Saverio Raimondo in Luca (2021)

James Woods, Danny DeVito, Matt Frewer, Bobcat Goldthwait, Amanda Plummer, Rip Torn, Samantha Eggar, Tate Donovan, Josh Keaton, Roger Bart, Jim Cummings, Paddi Edwards, Susan Egan, Cheryl Freeman, LaChanze, Roz Ryan, Paul Shaffer, Carole Shelley, Vanéese Y. Thomas, and Lillias White in Hercules (1997)

The Amazing Feats of Young Hercules

Videos1

Photos3

Top Cast8

User reviews1

More like this

Related interests

Storyline

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed