Animation Celebration Saturday - The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Disney, 1996
Voices of Tom Hulce, Tony Jay, Demi Moore, and Kevin Kline
Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Stephan Schwartz

The Story: Quasimodo (Hulce) is the title character, a young hunchback who has lived his entire life in the bell tower of Notre Dame Church in medieval Paris, under the stern and unforgiving eye of Judge Claude Frollo (Jay). Quasimodo just wants to see the Festival of Fools, the big city-wide holiday where the ugliest man in Paris is crowned, and be out among the people. Frollo tells him he's too hideous to leave the tower, but his imaginary gargoyle friends Laverne (Mary Wickes, and after her death, Jane Withers), Victor (Charles Kimbrough), and Hugo (Jason Alexander) encourage him to join the fun.

Quasi's not the only one who is being persecuted by Frollo. Frollo especially hates gypsies, who represent all things sinful to him. He especially agonizes over his lust for a beautiful gypsy dancer named Esmeralda (Demi Moore). Not only does she stand up for Quasi when the public turns on him at the Festival, but she denounces Frollo as well. Quasi and a kindly Archdecon (David Ogden Stiers) give her sanctuary at Notre Dame and help her escape. An enraged Frollo won't stop until he's destroyed all of Paris, including his captain of the guard Phoebus (Kline) when he falls for Esmeralda and refuses to take part in Frollo's dirty work.

The Animation: Disney really outdid themselves here. This is some of the most gorgeous work they did during the 90's. (And given all the great work they did during the 90's, that's saying a lot.)  The sweeping shots of Paris when Quasi sings "Out There" alone are breathtaking. Paris bursts with rich golds and forest greens, and later with a riot of rainbow colors during the Festival of Fools. Notre Dame shows off its contradictions with shadowy corners and sunlight streaming in through stained glass windows.

The Song and Dance: Hulce, Jay, and Moore get top honors as the abused hunchback, conflicted judge, and defiant gypsy. Esmeralda is one of my favorite non-princess female Disney characters, strong-willed and mature. Hulce's Quasi is absolutely heartbreaking, especially in the beginning, when it becomes apparent what years of accepting verbal harangues from Frollo has done to his psyche. Speaking of Frollo, he's one of Disney's most chilling and underrated villains. Even Maleficent never obsessed over her sexual desires. The lengths that Frollo will go to eliminate the object of this desire is downright terrifying for Disney.

Favorite Number: Schwartz and Menken both specialize in downtrodden or misfit characters in search of their place in life, and their shared interests allowed them to craft one of the richest scores of the Disney Renaissance. "Out There," Quasi's "I want" song, soars as much as his enviable views of Paris. The touching "God Help the Outcasts" is Esmeralda's "I want" song, revealing that she only wants the gypsys to be free of persecution while pilgrims pray for glory and happiness in a chorus behind her. Frollo's "Hellfire" revels in his lust for the feisty gypsy woman and his fear of damnation because of it, with some downright intense and frightening images. Which brings us to...

What I Don't Like: I'm not really sure who Disney thought the audience for this was going to be. Even toned down from the book, this is still pretty dark for an animated children's film in the 90's. I  saw it in the theater when it came out in 1996, mostly with an audience of young children. I remember that a lot of kids got really freaked out during that "Hellfire" number. It even unnerved me a bit, and I was 17 at the time...but there's also the odd talking gargoyles and Esmeralda's cute goat. Literary critics and Hugo scholars complain to this day about the book being watered down.

The Big Finale: This is Disney's most underrated film of it's 90's Renaissance. If you aren't a literary purist and have older kids on up who can handle some of the darker elements, I highly recommend giving this one another look.

End Credits:  DVD
Blu-Ray