Hercules is a 1997 American animated musical film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 35th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. The film is based on the legendary Greek mythology hero Heracles (known in the film by his Roman name, Hercules), the son of Zeus, in Greek mythology.

Though Hercules did not match the financial success of Disney's early-1990s releases, the film received positive reviews, and made $99 million in revenue in the United States during its theatrical release and $252,712,101 worldwide.

Hercules was later followed by the direct-to-video prequel Hercules: Zero to Hero, which served as a midquel to Hercules: The Animated Series, a syndicated Disney TV series focusing on Hercules during his time at the Prometheus academy.

After imprisoning the Titans beneath the ocean, the Greek gods Zeus and his wife Hera have a son named Hercules. While the other gods are joyful, Zeus' jealous brother Hades plots to overthrow Zeus and rule Mount Olympus. Turning to the Fates for help, Hades learns that in eighteen years, a planetary alignment will allow Hades to locate and free the Titans to conquer Olympus, but only if Hercules does not interfere. Hades sends his minions Pain and Panic to dispose of Hercules. The two succeed at kidnapping and feeding him a formula that turns him mortal, but fail to remove his superhuman strength before Hercules is found and adopted by the farmers Amphitryon and Alcmene.

Hercules is the Roman name for the Greek demigod Heracles, who was the son of Zeus (Roman equivalent Jupiter) and the mortal Alcmene. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.

The Romans adapted the Greek hero's iconography and myths for their literature and art under the name Hercules. In later Western art and literature and in popular culture, Hercules is more commonly used than Heracles as the name of the hero. This article provides an introduction to representations of Hercules in the later tradition.

Hercules is known for his many adventures, which took him to the far reaches of the Greco-Roman world. One cycle of these adventures became canonical as the "Twelve Labours," but the list has variations. One traditional order of the labours is found in the Bibliotheca as follows:

Hercules had a greater number of "deeds on the side" (parerga) that have been popular subjects for art, including:

Holding up the world for Atlas (based on Heinrich Aldegrever, 1550)

These are the top grossing films that were first released in 1997; because they may have made most of their income in a later year, they may not be the top-grossing films for the calendar year. The top ten films of 1997 as of January 26, 2006 (U.S. and Canada), January 26, 2006 (UK), and January 26, 2006 (Australia) are as follows:

As of November 7, 2008, forty-one films released in 1997 have grossed more than $100 million, reaching blockbuster status. Titanic grossed more than $1,800,000,000, making it the highest grossing film in history. On Sunday, February 22, 1998, Titanic reached a $400 million domestic gross in a record time of 66 days. On Thursday, March 26, 1998 after 98 days in release, Titanic reached $500 million domestically, becoming the first film in history to cross the half-billion-dollar domestic milestone. On Thursday, August 27, 1998 Titanic reached $600 million domestically becoming the most successful box office film in history.

For a complete list of 1997's top-grossing films, follow these links: