Meanwhile, Ron Clements and John Musker re-developed their idea for Treasure Planet following the critical and commercial success of Aladdin. The film is loosely based on the legendary hero Heracles (known in the film by his Roman name, Hercules), the son of Zeus, in Greek mythology.ĭevelopment of Hercules began in 1992 following a pitch adaptation of the Heracles mythological stories by animator Joe Haidar. The 35th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. Hercules is a 1997 American animated musical fantasy comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures.