My Movie Review on The Hunchback of Notre Dame · 4:49pm Jan 3rd, 2020
Greetings, my good friends.
This is your jolly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
And today, for my 97th film analysis and first to be posted on the year 2020, and as requested by my friends on FiMFiction.net, BradyBunch and Jade Dawn, I'm going to give you guys my take on Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".
Here's the summary of this tale:
Quasimodo is the disfigured bell-ringer of the Notre Dame Cathedral who has been shut away from the world by Judge Claude Frollo, who has been reluctantly caring for him since he was a baby. With only three talking gargoyles for company, Quasimodo longs to leave the cathedral and be part of the world below him, even for just a day.
What Quasimodo isn't aware of, though, is that Frollo has been leading a conquest to capture and exterminate gypsies, and he has called on Captain Phoebus to help advance the cause.
During an event called the Festival of Fools, Quasimodo secretly goes out to join the fun, until he is suddenly caught, exposed, and humiliated in front of everyone. However, a kind and beautiful gypsy named Esmeralda comes to his aid and defends him from the harsh injustice.
Angered by her interference and rebelliousness, Frollo becomes obsessed with finding Esmeralda and destroying her, even if it means endangering the lives of others and obliterating Paris. This does not bode well at all with Quasimodo and Phoebus.
Will Quasimodo and Phoebus be able to do something about this and make a difference? Or will Frollo have his ways?
What's more, will Frollo ever be accepted by society? Or will he forever be considered an outcast?
In all honesty, I've never read the actual story by Victor Hugo. Frankly, I don't think I want to either, because there were some things I read about it that sort of...discouraged me from doing so.
However, I really must say that this film is undoubtedly another one of Disney's finest animated films! Everything about this movie carried a sense that the people behind it were very passionate about it and went all-out in making it a masterpiece, and that's something I admire.
The direction by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, the story by Tab Murphy, and the screenplay by Murphy, Irene Meechi, Jonathan Roberts, Bob Tzudiker, and Noni White, were all fantastically done. In many ways, they created perhaps one of the darkest Disney films ever made, but yet...the team was able to balance the tone by incorporating outstanding humor and wit to lighten things up. The amount of heart and emotion that the film had was strong enough to tug at the soul, might I add.
The themes of the film were likewise nicely worked. I'm not sure how many think the same as I do on the film's incorporation of Christianity and Catholicism, but to me...I didn't think it was incorporated in a way that was meant to insult or demonize the religions. In fact, despite the religions playing a minor part, I thought they were incorporated in a way that was honorable.
To me, the film was more about the darkness that we are cursed with as sinners, and that if we're not careful...the evil consumes us, particularly if we don't let Jesus into our hearts and trust in him instead of ourselves. It's also about equality, in that no matter how different someone is compared to others, we are all made in God's image.
The animation of this movie, as with nearly every Disney film, was excellent too. The team captured a terrific storybook look and feel that was perfect for an adaption of the novel the film was based on, and there was a great sense saying that Disney doesn't seem to know when to stop growing or experimenting animation-wise.
The music by Alan Menken, and the songs done by both him and Stephen Schwartz, were melodiously magnificent. I love that the two of them were clearly having a great time working on this feature, especially to the point of taking it on an emotional level larger than ever before in a Disney film. It's hard for me to pick what my favorite song from the film is, but the one I can't help but take particular note of is "God Help the Outcasts". It was admirable how the song was worked in a way that was reminiscent of a prayer to God, and the singing voice of Esmeralda was strong enough to melt the heart.
Finally, the voice acting, characters, and character development were incredibly remarkable. Each and every performer on board fit their parts like a glove, and they gave them astounding personality and life. My favorites were that of Tom Hulce as Quasimodo, Demi Moore as Esmeralda, Kevin Kline as Phoebus, and Tony Jay as Judge Claude Frollo, and their characters developed marvelously throughout the film. Jason Alexander, Charles Kimbrough, and Mary Wickes, of course, were quite the scene-stealers as Hugo, Victor, and Laverne, and Jane Withers did a perfect job filling in for Wickes after her death.
The special thing about Quasimodo is that he's a perfect representation of people who have disabilities, like autism and aspergers. A great many treat people with disabilities poorly because of how different they are, and I know that from experience. Quasimodo, among other things, also desired to have human friends, and to be cared for and accepted by others, which incredibly enough reflects the desires people with disabilities often have.
I'd like to add that I was happy with Disney's decision to make Frollo a court judge and Minister of Justice rather than an archdeacon, as it made his role feel less insulting and offensive. Frollo very much represents people who are self-righteous, in that they believe they can do no wrong and that they are above all others, even Jesus. I'm not even sure why Tony Jay shouldn't be posthumously given a Disney Legend award, because I believe he definitely deserves to be inducted as such by Disney.
Before I conclude this post, though, I'd like to note that the film is something I wouldn't recommend to children under eleven, largely because of the film's mature themes and dark tone, despite the latter being relatively balanced. I can't help but even think that the film should've been rated PG instead of G, just like Don Bluth's "Anastasia".
In conclusion, though, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is another one of Disney's best animated features, and it has every right to be so thanks to outstanding vocal performances and characters that come with a side dish of creative dialogue, spectacular storytelling and animation, etc.
So, I rate "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" a solid five out of five stars. I highly recommend this film as something for pre-teens and older to see, that's for sure.
Dang, this one is one of my favorites.
Hellfire is probably the best villain song ever in any media.
I adore this film, flawed though it may be. A point I'd like to make is that the play version of Frollo is much more sympathetic; it helps him ease into the role of a villain more smoothly and in a way we follow from the very beginning. And it doesn't mean the church he belongs to is evil; all we see as evil is the character. I love both portrayals of him, is what I'm trying to say.
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And very few can match it too.
Despite its darkness and intensity, yes, it is a truly underrated gem!
Frollo is best Disney villain. Eat your heart out, Scar (or have the hyenas do it for you).
There's only one little thing that'd make him better...
Another of my childhood favorites.
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I agree. Frollo’s an excellent villain. However, when it comes to being the best Disney villain...that position is undisputedly out of grasp, because just about every villain from Disney is amazingly compelling.
I'm not a fan of this movie. I mean, objectively it's awesome, but I first saw it when I was maybe 8 and watched it again at 15 or 16. It scared me more at 16 than it did at 8.