With my previous posts about Disney movies focusing on Hercules, Aladdin, and A Goofy Movie, I think it's obvious I have particular tastes in this company's movies. However, this time I'm going to write about a movie that is very, very different than these others, but one that I love all the same. That is the Disney adaptation of Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, from 1996... and it's sequel, I guess.
While I don't remember ever actually watching Hercules or Aladdin as a kid, I'm pretty sure I remember seeing this one as a kid. I just didn't remember the movie itself. When I opened up the tape, it was at the end of the spool and had not been rewound, so obviously it had been played through at least once, and I have a fleeting memory of me either putting it in or taking it out of the VCR we had in the basement. Regardless, when I was in my major Disney phase over the past couple months, I was curious about this movie. While I didn't remember the events of the movie, from what I read and the little I had seen online, it was evident that this was much darker than the other Disney movies that came out in the Renaissance and once I got back into Disney films, I was interested in seeing this one.
This past spring, my parents bought me a couple blu-rays for Easter, including Lilo and Stitch, The Emperor's New Groove, A Bug's Life, and lastly, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. At last, I got the chance to sit down and watch it.
Synopsis (SPOILERS)
Our main character, Quasimodo, is a disfigured, deformed, yet kindhearted young man who is the bell ringer for Notre Dame cathedral in the 1400s. Twenty years before, Claude Frollo, a judge who despises gypsies, killed Quaismodo's mother and almost drowned the boy before he was forced by the archdeacon to raise Quasi to atone for it. In those twenty years, Frollo has forbidden Quasi from leaving the bell tower and tells him the world will not except him for his deformities. As a result, Quasimodo only has the gargoyles in the bell tower to talk to. Taking advice from the gargoyles, Quasimodo sneaks out of the tower in disguise to attend the Festival of Fools, a yearly festival that Frollo must preside over, yet hates.
Meanwhile, we meet our other two main characters, Phoebus and Esmeralda. Phoebus has been called back from war to serve under Frollo as captain of the guard. When they meet, Frollo explains to Phoebus how he believes the gypsies are corrupting the morals of Paris and plans to eradicate them by finding their hideout, the "court of miracles". Esmeralda is a beautiful, good hearted gypsy who dances in the street for money and is going to perform in the Festival.
At the festival, Quasimodo is exposed and is crowned as the "King of Fools" for his hideousness. However the crowd's attitude turns ugly and they begin to humiliate him, tying him down and throwing food at him. Frollo refuses to help as punishment for disobeying him and instead, Esmeralda steps in to stop the cruelty. Frollo demands she leave Quasimodo be, but she refuses, freeing him. Angered Frollo sends Phoebus and the other soldiers to arrest her, but she is able to escape and the festival ends.
Quasimodo retreats into the cathedral, and Esmeralda sneaks in as well. Phoebus notices and follows her in and makes her declare sanctuary so he cannot arrest her. Trapped inside the cathedral, Esmeralda finds Quasimodo and follows him and they get to know each other better. To repay her for helping him at the festival, Quasimodo helps Esmeralda escape. Before they go their separate ways, she gives him a necklace that he can use to find her if he ever needs help and he is smitten.
Meanwhile, Frollo is battling his own feelings towards Esmeralda, with conflicting feelings of lust for her and hatred of her because she is a gypsy. He is informed that she has escaped from Notre Dame and reaches a conclusion: if he can't have her, then he will have her killed.
The following morning, he begins a citywide search for her, raiding and destroying houses and jailing people, angering Phoebus in the process. However, Phoebus finally reaches his breaking point with Frollo when he is instructed to light a house on fire with a family trapped inside. When he refuses, Frollo lights the house himself and Phoebus saves the family. Declared a traitor, he is about to be executed until Esmeralda intervenes. Phoebus is able to escape but is injured in the process, and is presumed dead by Frollo. At the same time, Frollo realizes that it was Quasimodo who helped Esmeralda escape from the cathedral in the first place. Esmeralda saves him and takes him to Quasimodo in the bell tower to hide him. There, Phoebus and Esmeralda kiss, crushing Quasimodo. However, this moment is interrupted when Quasimodo hears Frollo approaching the cathedral and Esmeralda escapes, leaving Phoebus to heal.
Frollo comes up to the bell tower and tells Quasimodo that he has found the court of miracles and plans to invade it the next day. After he leaves, Phoebus leaves to find the court and warn Esmeralda and the other gypsies, and Quasimodo follows suit. Using the necklace Esmeralda gave him, Quasimodo and Phoebus find the court in the old catacombs before they are ambushed by the gypsies. They are then almost executed until Esmeralda once again steps in to save them. However, as the two warn the gypsies, Frollo and his men arrive, as they followed Quasimodo there. The protagonists, as well as all of the gypsies are captured.
We find Frollo has had Phoebus and the gypsies locked up, Quasimodo chained up in the bell tower, and Esmeralda tied to a stake, about to set her aflame. He gives her one last chance to save her self by sleeping with him and she spits in his face. Enraged, Frollo lights the wood pile. Quasimodo is ultimately able to break the chains and use a rope to swing down and save Esmeralda, bringing her back up to the top of the cathedral. However, she is unconscious from the smoke. Frollo gets some of his men to get a battering ram to break down the cathedral's doors. In the chaos, Phoebus is able to break out his cage and free the gypsies and lead an uprising against Frollo's soldiers. The door is ultimately broken down enough for Frollo to get through and confront Quasimodo, with the intent to kill him.
When he tries, however, Quasimodo overpowers him but is distracted when he notices Esmeralda has woken up. Frollo takes advantage of this and tries to attack him with a sword and chases the two out onto the balcony, where he finds them hiding by hanging from a gargoyle. He struggles to hit them with his sword and ends on top of a gargoyle. However, as he is about to swing his sword, the gargoyle starts to crack and he clings onto it for dear life until it finally breaks off and he plummets with it to his death. Meanwhile, Esmeralda is able to climb back onto the balcony and tries to help Quasimodo back up, however he slips from her fingertips and and falls too. Luckily, Phoebus is able to catch him further down. The following morning, Phoebus, Esmeralda and Quasimodo exit the cathedral and Quasi is celebrated, concluding the film.
Meanwhile, we meet our other two main characters, Phoebus and Esmeralda. Phoebus has been called back from war to serve under Frollo as captain of the guard. When they meet, Frollo explains to Phoebus how he believes the gypsies are corrupting the morals of Paris and plans to eradicate them by finding their hideout, the "court of miracles". Esmeralda is a beautiful, good hearted gypsy who dances in the street for money and is going to perform in the Festival.
At the festival, Quasimodo is exposed and is crowned as the "King of Fools" for his hideousness. However the crowd's attitude turns ugly and they begin to humiliate him, tying him down and throwing food at him. Frollo refuses to help as punishment for disobeying him and instead, Esmeralda steps in to stop the cruelty. Frollo demands she leave Quasimodo be, but she refuses, freeing him. Angered Frollo sends Phoebus and the other soldiers to arrest her, but she is able to escape and the festival ends.
Quasimodo retreats into the cathedral, and Esmeralda sneaks in as well. Phoebus notices and follows her in and makes her declare sanctuary so he cannot arrest her. Trapped inside the cathedral, Esmeralda finds Quasimodo and follows him and they get to know each other better. To repay her for helping him at the festival, Quasimodo helps Esmeralda escape. Before they go their separate ways, she gives him a necklace that he can use to find her if he ever needs help and he is smitten.
Meanwhile, Frollo is battling his own feelings towards Esmeralda, with conflicting feelings of lust for her and hatred of her because she is a gypsy. He is informed that she has escaped from Notre Dame and reaches a conclusion: if he can't have her, then he will have her killed.
The following morning, he begins a citywide search for her, raiding and destroying houses and jailing people, angering Phoebus in the process. However, Phoebus finally reaches his breaking point with Frollo when he is instructed to light a house on fire with a family trapped inside. When he refuses, Frollo lights the house himself and Phoebus saves the family. Declared a traitor, he is about to be executed until Esmeralda intervenes. Phoebus is able to escape but is injured in the process, and is presumed dead by Frollo. At the same time, Frollo realizes that it was Quasimodo who helped Esmeralda escape from the cathedral in the first place. Esmeralda saves him and takes him to Quasimodo in the bell tower to hide him. There, Phoebus and Esmeralda kiss, crushing Quasimodo. However, this moment is interrupted when Quasimodo hears Frollo approaching the cathedral and Esmeralda escapes, leaving Phoebus to heal.
Frollo comes up to the bell tower and tells Quasimodo that he has found the court of miracles and plans to invade it the next day. After he leaves, Phoebus leaves to find the court and warn Esmeralda and the other gypsies, and Quasimodo follows suit. Using the necklace Esmeralda gave him, Quasimodo and Phoebus find the court in the old catacombs before they are ambushed by the gypsies. They are then almost executed until Esmeralda once again steps in to save them. However, as the two warn the gypsies, Frollo and his men arrive, as they followed Quasimodo there. The protagonists, as well as all of the gypsies are captured.
We find Frollo has had Phoebus and the gypsies locked up, Quasimodo chained up in the bell tower, and Esmeralda tied to a stake, about to set her aflame. He gives her one last chance to save her self by sleeping with him and she spits in his face. Enraged, Frollo lights the wood pile. Quasimodo is ultimately able to break the chains and use a rope to swing down and save Esmeralda, bringing her back up to the top of the cathedral. However, she is unconscious from the smoke. Frollo gets some of his men to get a battering ram to break down the cathedral's doors. In the chaos, Phoebus is able to break out his cage and free the gypsies and lead an uprising against Frollo's soldiers. The door is ultimately broken down enough for Frollo to get through and confront Quasimodo, with the intent to kill him.
When he tries, however, Quasimodo overpowers him but is distracted when he notices Esmeralda has woken up. Frollo takes advantage of this and tries to attack him with a sword and chases the two out onto the balcony, where he finds them hiding by hanging from a gargoyle. He struggles to hit them with his sword and ends on top of a gargoyle. However, as he is about to swing his sword, the gargoyle starts to crack and he clings onto it for dear life until it finally breaks off and he plummets with it to his death. Meanwhile, Esmeralda is able to climb back onto the balcony and tries to help Quasimodo back up, however he slips from her fingertips and and falls too. Luckily, Phoebus is able to catch him further down. The following morning, Phoebus, Esmeralda and Quasimodo exit the cathedral and Quasi is celebrated, concluding the film.
My Thoughts
The biggest thing I have to say about this movie is that it is by FAR one of the darkest movies Disney has ever put out. It has themes you would probably NEVER see in a Disney movie portrayed so blatantly today, such as religious hypocrisy, racial prejudice, infanticide, and even plain sexual lust. However, I think this is one reason why I love this movie so much. It's not only a black sheep in the realm of renaissance films, but also in the entire Disney animated filmography. It's actually crazy to me that Hercules, easily one of the most comedic and lighthearted renaissance films, came out just a year later, which really juxtaposes the differences between the two. Whether it's the themes, the ominous Gregorian music, the medieval setting or the depiction of some of the characters, this movie has a much darker atmosphere than some of the other Disney movies.
Being Disney, the animation is obviously fantastic. Esmeralda and Frollo probably stand out the most to me, with Esmeralda's dance sequence in particular as well as Frollo's overall creepy presence. While a lot of animation tends to be geared towards comedy, I think this movie shows how effective it can be in creating drama as well. From what I have read, this was the most expensive renaissance film, and it is evident that they were pushing the boundaries of what they could do. If I remember correctly, the making of the opening shot actually crashed the computer because it could not process all the different layers. Other innovations could be seen in the crowd shots, which featured numerous computer generated background characters. While today, these characters look extremely dated and basic when you focus on them, when you look at the shot altogether, they still contribute to the scale of the scene. Another phenomenal shot is the shot of Quasimodo sliding down the flying buttress during the "Out There" musical segment. Aside from that is the shot of him running down the side of Notre Dame , both of which utilize computer technology for the background.
The music is also very good. Like many Disney movies since 1989, the music was composed by Alan Menken, and there are several fantastic musical numbers. Easily one of the best in the movie is Judge Frollo's song, "Hellfire", which is indicative of the film's darkness. Another good number is the song "God Help the Outcasts". None of these songs necessarily have the radio friendliness of previous Disney films, yet they are still very strong.
Much like my other favorite Disney movie, Hercules, one of the strongest features this movie has is its villain. However, unlike Hades, who brought a layer of comedy to Hercules through his fast paced delivery and snarky attitude, Judge Claude Frollo was a very dark character that contributed to the film's family unfriendliness. His depiction as an overtly religious bigot and his warped belief that what he was doing was righteous creates realistic villain which, coupled with Tony Jay's chilling performance, creeps me out as an adult. However, that could be another draw to the film: to see one of Disney's darkest, most sinister villains.
One thing I did not particularly like was the gargoyles. I know they were intended for comic relief, but to me, they tended to seem out of place and just too over the top for the mood the movie was aiming for. As far as characters go, I don't think they were that bad, but I think they created major mood whiplash whenever they were there and their song was one I could have gone without.
Due this film's darkness, it seems like this film has largely fallen by the wayside in Disney's eyes and doesn't really get any recognition nowadays. You almost never seen references to it in Disney's social media platforms and you don't see many references to it in Disney World. Nonetheless, that does not detract from the film and actually makes the film somewhat more special to me. It's basically a hidden gem of a movie that has been forgotten in time. If you have the chance to see it on Netflix or see a copy of the DVD, I'd recommend it. Keep in mind though, when you get the DVD, it's also probably going to include the sequel.
Being Disney, the animation is obviously fantastic. Esmeralda and Frollo probably stand out the most to me, with Esmeralda's dance sequence in particular as well as Frollo's overall creepy presence. While a lot of animation tends to be geared towards comedy, I think this movie shows how effective it can be in creating drama as well. From what I have read, this was the most expensive renaissance film, and it is evident that they were pushing the boundaries of what they could do. If I remember correctly, the making of the opening shot actually crashed the computer because it could not process all the different layers. Other innovations could be seen in the crowd shots, which featured numerous computer generated background characters. While today, these characters look extremely dated and basic when you focus on them, when you look at the shot altogether, they still contribute to the scale of the scene. Another phenomenal shot is the shot of Quasimodo sliding down the flying buttress during the "Out There" musical segment. Aside from that is the shot of him running down the side of Notre Dame , both of which utilize computer technology for the background.
The music is also very good. Like many Disney movies since 1989, the music was composed by Alan Menken, and there are several fantastic musical numbers. Easily one of the best in the movie is Judge Frollo's song, "Hellfire", which is indicative of the film's darkness. Another good number is the song "God Help the Outcasts". None of these songs necessarily have the radio friendliness of previous Disney films, yet they are still very strong.
Much like my other favorite Disney movie, Hercules, one of the strongest features this movie has is its villain. However, unlike Hades, who brought a layer of comedy to Hercules through his fast paced delivery and snarky attitude, Judge Claude Frollo was a very dark character that contributed to the film's family unfriendliness. His depiction as an overtly religious bigot and his warped belief that what he was doing was righteous creates realistic villain which, coupled with Tony Jay's chilling performance, creeps me out as an adult. However, that could be another draw to the film: to see one of Disney's darkest, most sinister villains.
One thing I did not particularly like was the gargoyles. I know they were intended for comic relief, but to me, they tended to seem out of place and just too over the top for the mood the movie was aiming for. As far as characters go, I don't think they were that bad, but I think they created major mood whiplash whenever they were there and their song was one I could have gone without.
Due this film's darkness, it seems like this film has largely fallen by the wayside in Disney's eyes and doesn't really get any recognition nowadays. You almost never seen references to it in Disney's social media platforms and you don't see many references to it in Disney World. Nonetheless, that does not detract from the film and actually makes the film somewhat more special to me. It's basically a hidden gem of a movie that has been forgotten in time. If you have the chance to see it on Netflix or see a copy of the DVD, I'd recommend it. Keep in mind though, when you get the DVD, it's also probably going to include the sequel.
The Sequel
I have only seen the sequel all the way through once. I actually tried watching it a second time and just turned it off midway through. I don't remember much of it and I don't want to discuss it much so the synopsis will be brief.
The story is set several years after the events of the first film. Phoebus and Esmeralda have since married and had a son named Zephyr. Meanwhile, Quasimodo still lives in the bell tower and serves as the bell ringer, but now lives among the other people in Paris. At the beginning of the film, there is about to be a festival devoted to love. However Quasimodo doesn't have anyone to celebrate with.
Meanwhile, a carnival has come to town, however, it is revealed the carnies are actually thieves traveling town to town, and the leader, Sarousch, has his sights set on stealing a bell from Notre Dame and sends his assistant, Madellaine to steal it. When she gets to Notre Dame, she and Quasimodo get along until he reveals his face and she runs away in shock. However, Quasimodo goes back to the circus to see her and Sarousch instructs her to follow Quasimodo. After seeing him with Zephyr, Madellaine is not afraid of him anymore and the two go on a date through Paris, distracting him long enough for Sarousch and his minions to sneak into the cathedral and steal the bell. Phoebus realizes that Sarousch is responsible and Quasimodo accuses Madellaine of deceiving him and Phoebus arrests her for her involvement in the theft.
Sarousch and his men end up taking Zephyr hostage as they escape almost get away. However, Madellaine uses her high wire skills to sneak past them and take Zephyr back, and Sarousch is arrested.
The next scene is at the festival, where Madellaine, who has since been freed for helping the heroes, shows up at the cathedral and she and Quasimodo end up declaring their love for each other, thus concluding the movie.
Sarousch and his men end up taking Zephyr hostage as they escape almost get away. However, Madellaine uses her high wire skills to sneak past them and take Zephyr back, and Sarousch is arrested.
The next scene is at the festival, where Madellaine, who has since been freed for helping the heroes, shows up at the cathedral and she and Quasimodo end up declaring their love for each other, thus concluding the movie.
This is the type of movie that people talk about when they criticize Disney straight to video sequels. The animation is incredibly cheap, the characters are uninteresting, and the story has the quality of a lousy TV show. I actually forgot there were songs in this movie until earlier tonight when I started writing this entry. That's how forgettable they were. There are really only two things I can say I liked about this movie. The first is that the majority of the cast (minus Tony Jay as Frollo) returned, so the returning characters all sound familiar. The other thing was I liked was that Quasimodo got to be in a relationship at the end. But that's about it.
All in all, I think the original movie is an underrated work of art that has unfortunately been lost with time. I don't feel that way about the sequel.
The animation is beautiful and fluid, the music is great, and the stories and characters are crafted very well. Since seeing it back in the Spring this year, it has become one of my favorite Disney movies.
All in all, I think the original movie is an underrated work of art that has unfortunately been lost with time. I don't feel that way about the sequel.
The animation is beautiful and fluid, the music is great, and the stories and characters are crafted very well. Since seeing it back in the Spring this year, it has become one of my favorite Disney movies.
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