Yeah, I had a dream once. I dreamed I was gonna train the greatest hero there ever was. So great, the gods would hang a picture of him in the stars... all across the sky... and people would say, "That's Phil's boy." That's right. Eh, but dreams are for rookies. A guy can only take a lot of disappointment.
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~ Phil describing his lifelong dream, which he has given up on due to numerous disappointments.
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WILL YOU FORGET THE HEAD SLICING THING!
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~ Phil after Hercules decapitating the hydra is making it worse
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GET UP ON THE HYDRA'S BACK!
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~ Phil’s most famous quote.
Philoctetes, better known as Phil, is the triagonist of Disney's 35th full-length animated feature film Hercules, as well as the deuteragonist of its television series Hercules: The Animated Series.
He is an old Satyr (half-man and half-goat) who was known for training legendary heroes who more often than not end up as failures or let downs, but he has trained Hercules to be a true hero.
In the original film, he was voiced by Danny Devito, who also played King Hugo in My Little Pony 'n Friends, Herbert Powell in The Simpsons, The Lorax in the 2012 animated film of the same name, and Max Medici in the 2019 live-action remake of Dumbo. In his other appearances, including the television series, he was instead voiced by Robert Costanzo, who also voices Joe Barbaro.
Before settling into his old age and retirement, Phil was perhaps the greatest trainer in all of Greece, accountable for many legendary heroic figures in mythology, such as Odysseus, Perseus and Achilles and their beginnings. Initially, Phil's greatest dream was to be remembered as the trainer who was accountable for the greatest hero there ever was but the repeated dejection, embarrassment, disappointment and wasted energy over multiple flawed prodigies caused Phil to abandon his dream and force himself to retire, which would cause him to grow pessimistic and crabby in favor. Him giving a chance to train the young Hercules into a hero, however, may suggest some level of hopefulness on Phil's part and a desire to see his dream succeed before his death (although he was somewhat forced into the situation due to Zeus threatening him otherwise).
Although he possesses a good heart and is a genuinely loyal friend, Phil's temper and lack of patience can cause him to act harsh with others. This is shown when, while trying to inform Hercules of Megara's treachery, he becomes more pugnacious and rowdier over Hercules' inability to listen and enthusiasm over his new-founded love.
He has a very flirtatious side as well, repeatedly making suggestions to attractive ladies such as the Nymphs, Megara and Jasmine. But so far, the only lady who has returned his remarks is Aphrodite.
Phil has several unusual traits. For example, he has a habit of announcing certain statements by saying their word count, then following with a sentence that fails to match the aforementioned count i.e. "two words; I am retired" and "two words; am-scray" (am-scray being hyphenated would class as one word). Being half-goat, he also has a condition called Pica by eating things that are not food. For example, Phil devours a wooden bowl and pays no attention to the fresh fruit within.
Role[]
At the command of his father, Hercules travels to Phil's island with Pegasus to begin his training. He stumbles upon Phil watching Nymphs bathing, angering the Satyr when they flee at his arrival. Hercules introduces himself and his purpose, though Phil refuses to hear his plea, insisting he had retired with the many failures he had trained in the past. Even with a tremendous display of strength and the claim that he is the son of Zeus, Phil refuses to believe him or train him. It isn't until Zeus summons lightning bolt comically strikes Phil that he settles on taking the young teenager into his hands.
Years of training pass under Phil's counsel before he declares Hercules ready to begin his work. They begin flying to Thebes, a rough city in Greece, before being sidetracked by the cry of a damsel in distress. After Megara is rescued, Phil flirts with her but is rejected, distrusting her immediately. The trio of Pegasus, Hercules, and Phil then continue their flight to the misfortunate city, where Phil loses his patience with the disrespect shown by the citizens there. It isn't until Hercules defeats Hades' Hydra that Phil receives recognition for his efforts. From there on, Phil keeps Hercules on a strict schedule while enjoying the benefits of wealth and glory.
When Hercules goes off to train and accidentally leaves his mentor behind in a garden, Phil witnesses Meg speaking with Hades, who had Meg seduce Hercules in order to learn of a possible weakness. Phil hurries to the stadium in which Hercules is training and insists that Meg is tricking him. Hercules ignores him the first few times before becoming so overcome with anger that, to his own horror, he slaps Phil. At this, Phil gives up on Hercules and attempts to return home to his island during Hercules' most vulnerable hour. It takes Meg to convince Phil to forgive his student and help as the Titans attacked.
Hercules prevails in the end, and instead of becoming a god as he had often dreamed, he stays on Earth with Phil, Pegasus, and Meg. The gods celebrate Hercules' decision, and throw a party, during which Phil attempts to flirt with Aphrodite, whom kisses him almost immediately. He is pulled away by Hercules as they return to Earth. He is overcome by a sense of unrivaled pride when the stars form a constellation in the shape of Hercules and a man shouts, "That's Phil's boy!", giving him a true sense of fulfillment as a trainer.
Quote[]
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Two words, I AM RETIRED.
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I trained-all those would-be heroes. Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus. A lot of “yeuseus.” And every single one of those bums let me down, flatter than a discus. None of ‘em could go the distance.
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~ Phil stating that every hero he ever trained has failed.
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And then, there was Achilles. Now there was a guy who had it all, the build the foot speed. He could jab. He could take a hit. He could keep on comin’. But that furshlugginer heel of his! He barely gets nicked there one, and KABOOM! He’s history.
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~ Phil talking about how Achilles had potential, but failed do to his heel.
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Next time don't let your guard down 'cause of a pair of big goo goo eyes!
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~ Phil
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I thought you were gonna be the all time champ, not the all time chump.
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Trivia[]
Danny DeVito declined to audition for Phil, so the late Edward Asner (who'd eventually voice Carl Fredricksen in Disney/Pixar's Up), the late Ernest Borgnine, the late Bob Hoskins, Joe Pesci, Martin Scorsese, John Rhys Davies, Ray Winstone, Robert De Niro, the late Peter O'Toole, the late Jerry Stiller, John Cusack, Mel Brooks, Bill Murray, Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Jason Alexander, Al Pacino, and the late Dick Latessa were brought in to read for the part. After the late Red Buttons had auditioned, he left stating "I know what you're gonna do. You're gonna give this part to Danny Devito!" Shortly after, the directors and producer Alice Dewey Goldstone approached DeVito at a pasta lunch during the filming of Matilda (1996), where DeVito signed on to the role.
Phil bears a striking resemblance to his voice actor Danny DeVito.
Heroes
