Review: "Disney Hercules" Aboard the Disney Destiny is Closer to Hero than Zero, But Doesn't Go the Distance

For the first decade of Disney Cruise Line’s existence, Hercules: The Muse-ical ruled the Walt Disney Theatre stage. That lively, self-aware production embraced a comedic retelling of the then-new animated film and, in many ways, paved the way for Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular with its rapid-fire jokes, improv-style delivery, and contemporary pop-culture riffs. It eventually stepped aside for Twice Charmed on the Disney Magic and Toy Story: The Musical on the Disney Wonder — but Disney Cruise Line clearly wasn’t done flexing its Olympian muscles with Hercules.

Aboard the Disney Destiny, the simply titled Disney Hercules revisits the classic story with a sleek, modern sensibility. This is not an adaptation that tries to reinvent the story so much as restyle it. Many of the film’s iconic lines remain intact, and the creative team clearly made the decision to honor the movie’s voice rather than rewrite it. That approach gives the production a familiar warmth — but it also leads to the show’s biggest weakness. Because most of the humor is directly imported from the film, the laugh-out-loud moments feel sparse compared to the wildly self-referential hijinks of The Muse-ical, which delighted in tweaking the culture of the day. Disney Hercules isn’t humorless by any means; it just isn’t trying to be the comedy machine its predecessor was.

Like Disney’s Moana on the Wish class, Hercules expands the story with a piece of musical archaeology. “Shooting Star,” the original song written for the film before being replaced by “Go the Distance,” is reborn here as a duet between Hercules and Meg. Reimagined as the moment Meg’s emotional armor begins to crack, the number adds a welcome layer of intimacy and gives Meg a musical arc that feels fully earned.

And no — fans of “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love)” can relax. It’s still here, still a showstopper, and paired with stagecraft so inventive it might make the Muses themselves faint. The arrangement, while buoyant, leans slightly overproduced, but the visual storytelling more than compensates.

The technical achievements of Disney Hercules are nothing short of staggering. This is one of the most ambitious stage shows Disney has ever attempted — and the fact that it’s performed at sea makes the accomplishment even more impressive. Projection mapping, puppetry, and physical effects merge into a fluid, cinematic tapestry. The Titans are jaw-dropping. The Hydra is a moment that will get audible reactions every night. Even Nessus — a character who could easily feel throwaway — is realized in a way that makes the audience sit up and take notice.

It’s not just spectacle for spectacle’s sake. The tech pays off emotionally, visually, and narratively, elevating the show into something that often feels like a next-generation successor to Disney Cruise Line’s most celebrated theatrical innovations.

If we’re ranking the three big Wish-class productions, Disney Hercules comfortably sits between The Little Mermaid and Moana. It’s very good — but not quite great. At times, it feels like the creative team was intent on differentiating the show from past Disney Cruise Line productions, even when sticking closer to the source might have served it better.

Still, Disney Cruise Line has proven that it can refine and elevate even after a show’s debut. The recent enhancements to the Frozen musical are a masterclass in how Disney can take a solid foundation and build the definitive stage version of a beloved story — one that surpasses both the Broadway and Disney California Adventure productions. If Hercules receives that same level of iterative polish, it could absolutely ascend from “good” to “Olympian.”

I give Disney Hercules 3.5 out of 5 stars (are born).