The Hunchback of Notre Dame

...What the hell Disney?

I think I watched The Hunchback of Notre Dame once when I was really young. I remember I was sick and I was at a friend's house being taken care of while my parents were at work. Of course, I felt it was my duty as a kid to see all the Disney animated films of that day, regardless of what they were, Disney would never let me down.

...what the hell Disney?

The Hunchback of Notre Dame the Disney adaptation of Victor Hugo's incredibly depressing story of a Hunchback confined to the bell tower of Notre Dame. And by god, the original story is depressing as hell.

This isn't the first time Disney has taken a story from a mature novel and made a film for kids with it.

In the Little Mermaid, Ariel commits suicide. Pinocchio has a little darker story than the Disney film gives it, and hell, in Cinderella, the Stepmother cuts off the step sisters toes and heels for them to fit in the glass slipper.

But, a Victor Hugo story? Think about if Disney tried to create an animated film of Les Miserables? Its the kind of shit would never ever think would happen... but it did.

The movie follows the story of Quasimodo, the Hunchback bell ringer of Notre Dame. (voiced by Tom Hulce). Born to gypsies, he was adopted by Judge Claude Frollo (voiced by Tony Jay) and confined to the bell tower.

Judge Claude Frollo is one of the most fucked up bad guys ever to be given the title of a Disney bad guy. He's got this crazy religious nazism about him where he's super racist against gypsies and wants them all killed... you know... for kids!

Of course, being lonely, Quasimodo wants to go to the Festival of Fools. Walk amongst the people. With some encouragement from his gargoyle friends... Which I'm kind of confused on whether or not they're real or if they're figments of his imagination... he goes to the festival.

Of course, he's considered the ugliest and at first he's celebrated and accepted... sort of. But then he's tied up and made fun of in a scene that is still really dark to me now, imagine what it was like when I was younger.

Seriously... WTF

Until he is rescued by a gypsy woman named Esmeralda (voiced by Demi Moore). Frollo doesn't like this so he calls for her arrest. But Esmeralda calls sanctuary in the halls of Notre Dame. The rest of the movie is developing a relationship between Quasimodo and Esmeralda that doesn't actually happen, and Frollo's plot to find and kill Esmeralda and all gypsies.

What makes it even more fucked up is Judge Claude Frollo.

Frollo is a pretty good villain regardless, but its just strange to see a villain this twisted and evil in a Disney film. 

The movie gets one part of the original story correct when they create a dilemma for Frollo as he is overcome with lust for Esmeralda. Like he seriously wants her and there is actual conflict there especially since he's all about the church and thinks of himself as more pure than others. So on one hand he wants to kill Esmeralda, the other hand he wants to bang her. Its really dark and really mature for a movie that came out in between pretty tame, very much more Disney-like films in Pocahontas and Hercules. While those movies play out like you would expect a Disney film to play out, this one plays out like a really dark musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's book.

Take this song for example. 

Seriously... WTF...

The funny/ really sad part about this film is the end result. In the short Netflix description of the film it says, "A deformed bell ringer falls for a beautiful gypsy girl and lives happily ever-after? Hey, It could happen." 

But that's the thing, it doesn't. 

They spend a lot of time building up this relationship between Quasimodo and Esmeralda and at the drop of a hat, she falls for tall, dark and blonde over here. 

There have been less developed characters than Phoebus (voiced by Kevin Kline, it was kind of fun watching this and hearing his voice after I just watched The Road to El Dorado) and at a second look, I actually really do like him. But damn did they mess up his character in this film. Phoebus is really suppose to be an asshole in the original story. He tries to rape Esmeralda, and he's just not good. Now he's nice in this film, but he basically sweeps Esmeralda away from Quasimodo right after he sings a song about how he's finally going to get a happy ending with Esmeralda. I've seen reviews that actually commended this turn because it kind of brings an edge that Disney had never done before and it was a risk.

I don't know, I don't think I ever thought Quasimodo was going to get the girl, even as a kid, but it just seems odd.

And that's the entirety of this movie. Just odd.

The truth is, there are worse Disney movies and worse Intellectual properties you could pull from, but that's not to say this wasn't a weird one to pull from.

There are some good things about this movie. The music, with the exception of the gargoyle song, is really good. I mean take a look at this opening! (excuse the shitty editing)

Like I said before, with this music, The Hunchback of Notre Dame could be a dark but still Disney-esc musical. But unlike movies like Atlantis: The Lost Empire, this movie was directed at kids. That's just strange to me. A movie with such a serious and grandiose score and really mature subject matter could make a really good live action film perhaps, but as is, the film is just okay.

Another good thing about this film is the animation. I mean its Disney, the basically wrote the book on animated films so it should come as no surprise. However, again, this could have been Disney's attempt to reach a more mature audience, but again it would come across as confusing just like Atlantis did. Don't get me wrong, its confusing now, but it would have been even more confusing.

Overall, the movie is alright. Its still a WTF film in my opinion but there are some good things about it that must be addressed... and some things that make you question Disney's sanity when they decided to animate a Victor Hugo novel. However, I would pay money to see an animated Les Mis.

But that's what I thought of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. What did you think? Where does it place in the halls of the Disney classics? Comment and Discuss Below! Also follow me on Twitter @cmhaugen24

I'll leave you with this. This is the 1939 movie of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I haven't seen it, I don't really have an interest to. My guess is its closer to the source material. Enjoy!