I’ve been busy at work preparing for a couple of showcases with a local theater group that my girlfriend is associated with. Given that one of them has an aim of being more “family friendly,” I’ve been diving into the Disney archive for some inspiration and songs that I could do. Perhaps surprisingly, I can do a pretty good Danny DeVito, so One Last Hope from Disney’s Hercules is a karaoke go to for me and one I thought I could polish up. Needless to say, my brain took me to a stat block almost unbidden.
Philoctetes, or Phil for short, is the noted “trainer of heroes” in the 1997 Disney animated classic Hercules, and serves as the mentor figure for the title character as he learns about becoming a hero. He has a somewhat… forceful personality and can be gruff with those who annoy him (and that’s pretty much everyone). But those that make it past his prickly exterior find a big heart and a loyalty that can’t be matched.
Ben Erickson
