In order for the original myths of Hercules to be converted to a movie, especially a Disney movie, many aspects of the myths had to be altered or left out completely. One of the most prominent places where this can be seen in the movie, is in the 12 labors Hercules must perform. Throughout the original myths, the twelve labors are not always consistent. They are sometimes not in the same order and other times some of the labors are not even the same. In all of the myths though, none of them have Hercules' battle with the Hydra being the first labor. The movie, however does this in order to reveal the most possible about the character of Hercules. In many of the labors, Hercules is locked in a battle where he must either succeed by using his brute strength or by his cunning with. During the battle of the Hydra, both of these qualities are represented. Hercules shows off his physical talents by cutting off the heads of the Hydra. When they start growing back, however he must delve into his intelligence in order to find out a way to beat the Hydra by not cutting its heads off. In the end, he buries it under a pile of rubble and the Hydra cannot escape it. Not only does this labor show off many things about Hercules' abilities, but the scene also sets the stage for him becoming a big shot hero. This is his chance to prove himself and with the people of Thebes sitting around the battle like an arena. Once they see what he can do, Hercules is able to reach essentially a celebrity status.
In terms of what was left out of the movie, Hercules had an issue with his anger and did many things that would not have been acceptable to include in a children's movie. There are multiple instances throughout the myths where Hercules lost control and ended up killing people as a result. When he was in a music lesson with a man named Linus, Linus hit Hercules and Hercules then proceeded to loose his temper and kill his teacher. Another time, even more unforgivable, Hercules entered a fit of rage and killed both his wife, Megara and their children. These things are important to understanding who Hercules was in the ancient myths, however there is no place for them in a Disney movie. The image that the movie is attempting to giver Hercules in the movie is that of a pure-hearted, innocent kid. Including these monstrous deeds would conflict that image and contradict the entire movie. As well as leaving these things out, not all of the twelve labors were included and the Hydra was the only labor that was shown in its entirety. Showing all of the labors in the detail that he Hydra battle was, would stall the movie and prevent the story from progressing.
In terms of what was left out of the movie, Hercules had an issue with his anger and did many things that would not have been acceptable to include in a children's movie. There are multiple instances throughout the myths where Hercules lost control and ended up killing people as a result. When he was in a music lesson with a man named Linus, Linus hit Hercules and Hercules then proceeded to loose his temper and kill his teacher. Another time, even more unforgivable, Hercules entered a fit of rage and killed both his wife, Megara and their children. These things are important to understanding who Hercules was in the ancient myths, however there is no place for them in a Disney movie. The image that the movie is attempting to giver Hercules in the movie is that of a pure-hearted, innocent kid. Including these monstrous deeds would conflict that image and contradict the entire movie. As well as leaving these things out, not all of the twelve labors were included and the Hydra was the only labor that was shown in its entirety. Showing all of the labors in the detail that he Hydra battle was, would stall the movie and prevent the story from progressing.