HERCULES

(1997) Brilliant and jaw-dropping as modern animation can be, sometimes I find it necessary to get back to what true hand-drawn storytelling was all about - which practically made watching Hercules for the first time a trip down memory lane, to the "old-fashioned" (compared to today's sometimes soulless computerized animation), old-school style of "cartoons" I grew up with. On Mount Olympus, the son of gods Zeus and Hera, Hercules, is nearly stripped of being a god by the evil Hades (a wickedly funny/evil James Woods) as part of a plot to take over Zeus's domain. All that remains is Hercules's unfathomable strength, and now as a mortal he cannot remain with the gods, so Zeus sends his only son to earth to be raised by human parents. Discovering his legacy as a teen, a young and geeky Hercules - who has yet to learn how to control his massive strength - must prove himself a true hero before his status as a god can be restored and he can go home ... while Hades, his long-range plot of domination finally close to happening, has other plans for the young mortal - the only man (or god) alive who can foil his evil plans. Hercules has all the typical Disney animation elements going for it (irascible sidekick, talking animals, evil minions, a faithful animal companion, and good doses of humor), yet there is a little something special there that made me really enjoy the film a bit more than I expected. Doesn't hurt that James Woods makes for a villain both awesomely rotten yet genuinely hilarious at the same time ... but yeah, there's something typical yet atypical of Disney's Hercules, at heart still reminding me of the genuine blood, sweat, tears ... and pure art that went into animation in its hey-day. (rated G)  8/10 stars