Taking a break from my usual programming to talk about Megara from Disney's Hercules being an awesome, flawed, complex, female character who has a very compelling arc.
The backstory, given by Hades, is that Meg sold her soul to him so her lover could live, but he left her for someone else. This makes her one of the very few Disney women who actually has romantic relationship baggage and experience. She is also older than Hercules (I think unique in Disney) though I think she's still mortal and within a normal lifespan. But the point is, she thought had the "Disney princess" perfect sacrificial romance, but then was betrayed.
She does fall in love and begins to believe that Hercules is a really good person, which inspires her to be better as well. Then Hercules finds out that Meg has been working for Hades the whole time and is heartbroken and betrayed. Meg sacrifices herself to save him, JUST LIKE BEFORE, but this time, she did pick a better guy and her sacrifice was honoured. Hercules probably has a far better reason to abandon Meg than previous boyfriend, but he doesn't: he goes to the underworld, retrieves her soul, and then, in another huge personal sacrifice, opts to stay with her instead of joining the gods on Mount Olympus.
She is shown as cynical, amoral, and sarcastic; not seeming to mind that she's helping Hades attempt to overthrow the other gods. Even though she likes Hercules, she agrees to attempt to find his weakness when Hades offers her personal freedom (that seems to be lifted from the story of Delilah and Samson, by the way). While she is a slave to Hades, that doesn't fully excuse her actions because we learn that she can refuse to serve him. Her motivation seems to primarily come from her not really thinking humanity is worth saving after her betrayal.
I loved this movie so much as a kid and I think I imprinted on Meg like some sort of baby duck. I love her song, I Won’t Say (I’m in Love) and how she struggles to get over her cynical views of relationships and men. But now, I'm amazed that she exists at all. She's a femme fatal who tried to take down the hero of the story and she both survives and gets a happy ending! She commited the Ultimate Narrative Woman Sin: she used her sexuality against a hero! She does make a huge sacrifice, dying to save both Hercules and the world, but in most stories she would have saved him and died (permanently). Instead, she's completely forgiven and Hercules risks his life to bring her back.
I love her. I love her story. She's the best. Can we have more of her please?
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I Won’t Say I’m In Love (Wally Darling x Reader)
Title: I Won’t Say I’m In Love
Pairing: Wally Darling x gender neutral!reader
Word count: 593
Featured character(s): Julie Joyful, Sally Starlet, and Poppy Partridge
Warning(s): Denial, persuasion, and fluff :3
Summary: You try to convince yourself that falling in love with Wally is a bad idea. However, your neighbors think the opposite. 😉
Author's Note: Another Wally Darling fanfic! 🎉
I based this fanfic off of the aforementioned scene from Disney’s Hercules, so I hope you enjoy musical fanfics 🥰
***
You were out on a date with Wally Darling. During the event, Wally picked out your favorite flower and handed it to you. Before the date was over, he kissed your cheek and wished you goodnight.
As the night went on, you sat alone in the garden, admiring the flower that Wally gave you. Moments of you and him together crossed your mind, causing your heart to slightly flutter, and your cheeks to glow pink.
"Oh, Y/N," you said to yourself. "To think you have feelings for him."
After looking around to make sure that no one was around, you began to sing out loud.
(Y/N)
If there's a prize for rotten judgement,
I guess I've already won that
No puppet's worth the aggravation
That's ancient history, been there, done that
To your surprise, your friends, Julie Joyful, Sally Starlet, and Poppy Partridge tagged along. You tossed the flower away, only for Julie to catch it.
(Julie, Sally, and Poppy)
Who d'you think you're kidding?
He's the earth and heaven to you
Try to keep it hidden,
Honey we can see right through you
Girl/boy/hon, you can't conceal it
We know how you're feeling
Who you're thinking of
Julie walked over to return the flower to you, but you rejected it to her dismay.
(Y/N)
No chance, no way, I won't say it, no no
(Julie, Sally, and Poppy)
You swoon, you sigh, why deny it? Oh oh
(Y/N)
It's too... cliche
I won't say I'm in love
You walked away from the trio to give yourself a break. As you continued touring around the garden, you couldn't help but mentally visualize romantic scenarios.
(Y/N)
I thought my heart had learned its lesson
It feels so good when you start out
My head is screaming "Get a grip girl/boy/hon"
Unless you're dying to cry your heart out
Julie, Sally, and Poppy followed along.
(Julie, Sally, and Poppy)
You keep on denying
Who you are and how you're feeling
Baby we're not buying
Hon, we saw you hit the ceiling
Face it like a grown-up
When you gonna own up that you got, got, got it bad?
Eventually, you walked around an area of the garden where there were statues of the residents of the Neighborhood.
(Y/N)
No chance no way I won't say it, no no
You accidentally bumped into a statue of Wally, causing you to grin and blush.
(Julie, Sally, and Poppy)
Give up, give in, check the grin you're in love
Embarrassed, you recoiled from the statue.
(Y/N)
This scene won't play, I won't say I'm in love
(Julie, Sally, and Poppy)
You're doing flips, read our lips: you're in love!
(Y/N)
You're way off base, I won't say it
(Julie, Sally, and Poppy)
She/he/they won't say it, no
You eventually returned to the spot where Wally kissed your cheek.
(Y/N)
Get off my case, I won't say it
Altogether, Julie, Sally, and Poppy place the flower next to you.
(Julie, Sally, and Poppy)
Girl/boy/hon, don't be proud, it's okay you're in love
Recognizing the flower, you brought it close to your face. You finally realized that your love for Wally was valid.
(Y/N)
Ooh, at least out loud, I won't say I'm in love
While singing the last word, you leaned back towards a large, gnarled tree and fell asleep shortly after.
(Julie, Sally, and Poppy)
Shoo-loo, shoo-loo, shoo-loo
sha-la-la-la-la-la, ahh 💖
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“Disney’s Hercules”
Theatre: Paper Mill Playhouse
Run: Feb. 16th - March 19th, 2023
It’s a terrific twist of fates! The inspired Disney animated film is now a mythical new musical adventure. Hercules is the divinely funny story of an honest-to-Zeus hero on a quest to discover who he is and where he belongs. Is love a possibility too? Oh, Hades, yes! The roof-raising score by Alan Menken and David Zippel features all the hits you love from the film, including the Oscar®-nominated song “Go The Distance,” as well as “Zero to Hero” and “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love),” along with new songs written for the stage. The show features a new book by Tony Award® winner Robert Horn (Tootsie) and Kwame Kwei-Armah (artistic director of London’s Young Vic), and direction by Obie Award-winning Lear deBessonet.
Photographed by Evan Zimmerman
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I think something that makes the Aladdin Sequels and Spinoffs better than other Disney Movie tie-ins is that there's a much stronger continuity than other "secondary" Disney media. This is even present in the Hercules Crossover Episode, which surprisingly makes more references to the sequels and the TV show than the actual movie:
Jafar is dead and complains about his "treacherous parrot", which is a reference to Return of Jafar, music from the TV show is reused and Aladdin's clothes and the fact he and Jasmine are now married is a reference to the King of Thieves.
Sadly, Disney only tends to reference the "main films" nowadays, if Princess Jasmine were to have a cameo in a TV show, then you can expect her to only reference events from the first movie, if at all.
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