Family Fun Saturday - Geppetto

ABC/Disney, 2000

Starring Drew Carey, Julie Louis-Dreyfus, Brett Spiner, and Seth Adkins

Directed by Tom Moore

Music and Lyrics by Steven Schwartz

We're staying with TV films this weekend, but skipping ahead a decade and a half to the turn of the new millennium. ABC had successfully relaunched its Wonderful World of Disney in 1997 with Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. After it's 1999 version of Annie was also a hit, Disney stuck closer to home for its next big show. Drew Carey's self-titled sitcom was right in the middle of its almost 10-year run on ABC in 2000. Between his sitcom and his stint hosting the improv show Who's Line Is It Anyway, Carey was one of the most popular comedians on TV as the calendar changed to the 2000's. Louis-Dreyfus was almost as popular, coming off the run of the phenomenally beloved Seinfeld. Disney threw them both into their next TV musical, switching Pinocchio to focus on his woodcarver father and the Blue Fairy. Does this work, or should it be swallowed by a whale? Let's begin with the title character (Carey) as all of the children in town rush to his store to buy new toys, and find out...

The Story: Geppetto is tired of seeing children with scolding parents, thinking that he'd be the perfect father. He gets a chance to learn how hard it is to be a parent when the Blue Fairy (Louis-Dreyfus) makes his puppet Pinocchio (Adkins) come to life. Pinocchio is lively and funny, but he's also a bundle of questions when he should be sleeping, wanders off downtown, and isn't interested in woodcarving like his father. Geppetto sends his new son to school, only for him to come home admitting he got into a fight after imitating the other boys. Geppetto is furious with his son and with the Blue Fairy, who points out that no child or parent is perfect. 

By the time he's willing to listen, Pinocchio has run away with Stromboli (Spiner) and his puppet show. When Geppetto goes to see the show, Stromboli tells him his son went to see the world. What Pinocchio really did was board a carriage to Pleasure Island. Geppetto goes after him, encountering an inept magician (Wayne Brady) and a town filled with perfect, obedient children made by Professor Bunoragazzo (Rene Auberjononis). He and Stromboli arrive at Pleasure Island almost at the same time, but they're both thrown out for being adults. When Pinocchio and the other boys at the Island turn into donkeys, Geppetto follows him in a boat. He's swallowed by a whale, only to be reunited with a repentant Pinocchio. It then that they finally realize that being a parent means loving your child even when they're at their worst, and that the best any parent can do is help their child grow.

The Song and Dance: It's the song and dance, along with a relatively lavish production for a TV musical in 2000, that are the stand-outs. Some of the songs in Steven Schwartz's score aren't bad. I especially like "Satisfaction Guaranteed" for Professor Bunoragazzo and the townspeople and Geppetto and the Blue Fairy's counterpoint duet "Just Because It's Magic." Wayne Brady is hilarious in his sequence with Carey as the lousy magician, and Spiner makes for a funny and scary Stromboli. At the very least, this is better than the  live-action remake that focused on Pinocchio in 2022. 

The Numbers: We open with Carey singing "Once Upon a Time" as the traditional Disney Storybook opens. The first big chorus number is "Toys," as the kids in the town beg for Geppetto's wares, and Geppetto wishes he had a child of his own. "Empty Heart" is his lonely lament that he's never been blessed with a son. He's thrilled to be "Geppetto and Son," until Pinocchio constantly wanders off while he introduces him to the townspeople. The Blue Fairy tries to explain that "Just Because It's Magic" doesn't mean it guarantees a happy ending. We hear "I've Got No Strings" from the original film as Pinocchio dances with Stromboli's puppets. Stromboli's more likely to cheer himself in "Bravo Stromboli!" 

Lezamo the magician reprises "Toys" with Geppetto, reminding him that he's beloved by other children. Professor Bunoragazzo, his son (Christopher Marquette), and the townspeople of Idylla insist that they can deliver a perfect child "Satisfaction Guaranteed" in a huge chorus number, but Geppetto finds those so-called "perfect" children more creepy than delightful. Usher Raymond (aka Usher) is the "Pleasure Island" ringleader who encourages the boys there to break away from their parents' rules and do whatever they want. Geppetto reprises "Geppetto and Son" when Pinocchio finds him in the whale. He tells Stromboli he'll give him his business or anything he wants. He doesn't need anything "Since I Gave My Heart Away." This is also heard over the credits, performed by singer Sonya Issacs.

What I Don't Like: First and foremost, Carey and Louis-Dreyfus are too modern and goofy to work as a resident of fairy-tale Italy in the late 1800's and a magical fairy. Carey fully admitted he was miscast and that making this wasn't a happy affair. You don't buy him as a concerned father who just wants his son to listen. And...frankly, Geppetto's story isn't all that interesting. Some of the sequences, like the creepy "Satisfaction Guaranteed" town, have their moments, but it doesn't add up to much of a whole. You really wish they'd just done a live-action remake of Pinocchio 22 years early and focused on the character who actually does the growing up and makes the journey. 

The Big Finale: While it is better than the 2022 Pinocchio remake, considering how bad that was, that's not saying much. Unless you're a huge fan of Carey, Brady, or Louis-Dreyfus, you're better off just watching the original animated film on DVD or Disney Plus again.

Home Media: Disney is all too aware of the negative reception this one got. At press time, this is DVD only.

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Family Fun Saturday - Wicked: For Good

Universal, 2025

Starring Cynthia Ervio, Ariana Grande, Johnathan Bailey, and Jeff Goldblum

Directed by Jon M. Chu

Music and Lyrics by Steven Schwartz

The idea of making Wicked into two separate movies was controversial from the outset. For one thing, the second act of the musical has always been problematic on Broadway. (And to be fair, the second half of the book the show is based on is, too.) Critics have long carped that it's long on plot and melodrama and short on music and characterization. For another, most movies separated into two parts are science fiction multi-verses or big action movies, not musicals. How well does this work with the story of how Elphaba and Glinda embrace their destinies and become the Witches of Oz? Let's begin with the creation of a familiar golden road, helped along by abused animals, and find out...

The Story: Five years after Elphaba (Ervio) left the Wizard's (Goldblum) tower, she's still fighting for animal rights from her own home in the woods. Fiyero (Bailey) is engaged to Glinda (Grande), who is the Wizard's assistant and spokes-witch. She still has no powers of her own, so Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) gives her a flying bubble to transport her around Oz. Elphaba tries to encourage the animals of Oz to join her, but they'd rather flee than go up against the Wizard once the Cowardly Lion (Colman Domingo) wails that he never wanted to be freed from his cage as a cub.

Elphaba's sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) is angry and resentful because Elphaba abandoned her and didn't come to their father's funeral. She's also frustrated with Boq (Ethan Slater), who tries to leave her and return to Glinda. Nessa uses Elphaba's "Grimmerie" spell book to make him love her, but it shrinks his heart instead. Elphaba's attempt to fix the spell just turns him into a Tin Man. 

Elphaba flees to the Emerald City, where the Wizard and Glinda almost persuade her to join them...until she sees animals in cages below his throne room. She releases the animals and lets them stampede over Glinda and Fiyero's wedding. Furious when Fiyero joins Elphaba, Glinda tells Madame Morrible to use a rumor that Nessa is in trouble to bring Elphaba out of hiding. 

Morrible creates a tornado that drops the house belonging to Kansas resident Dorothy Gale (Bethany Weaver) on Nessa instead. Glinda and Elphaba initially come to blows when Glinda gives Dorothy Nessa's shoes, until Fiyero turns up. While Elphaba is determined to save him and get the shoes back, Glinda realizes how important their friendship is when she learns about the tornado and decides that when it comes to friendship, doing the right thing is far more important than any public image.

The Song and Dance: Whew! Some people may have questioned separating the two movies, but I think they did the right thing. There's enough plot for three fantasy movies just in this half! It does correct some of the problems from the first half of the film and the original Broadway show, including giving Boq and Nessa (slightly) more to do, bringing in Dorothy earlier, showing Glinda and Fiyero's wedding, and focusing more on Elphaba's attempts to help the animals. Ervio and especially Grande give powerhouse performances as the two witches, while Goldblum is suitably smarmy as the Wizard who was never able to leave his busker side in Kansas. The production remains stunning, with incredible, glittery costumes and a brilliant Technicolor mix of CGI and practical effects.

The Numbers: We open with "Every Day More Wicked," a reprise of "No One Mourns the Wicked," as the citizens of Oz worry about the havoc wrecked by the Wicked Witch of the West. "Thank Goodness" they have Glinda, who claims "I Couldn't Be Happier" to have everything she wants. Elphaba tries to rally the animals to remain in Oz by reminding them that "There's No Place Like Home," but the Cowardly Lion breaks into her big power ballad. "The Wicked Witch of the East" is the extended sequence where Nessa tries to make Boq love her and both sisters end up causing more damage in the end.

"Wonderful" is the Wizard's song, as he and Glinda remind Elphaba that truth can be bent and is what people want to hear. Glinda laments "I'm Not that Girl" after her ruined wedding and Fiyero runs off with Elphaba. The two lovers declare that "As Long as Your Mine," nothing else matters. Furious when her attempt to keep Fiyero from harm transforms him instead, Elphaba angrily declares "No Good Deed" goes unpunished. Boq, now the Tin Man, leads the charge with "March of the Witch Hunters" chorus. Glinda realizes how badly she's been manipulated in "The Girl In the Bubble," the other new song written for the film. Elphaba and Glinda make their tearful goodbyes at the abandoned castle where Elphaba is keeping Dorothy, realizing that they have changed each other "For Good." Everyone gets their just rewards in "A Wicked Good Finale," including Glinda, Elphaba, and the animals.

What I Don't Like: First of all, it's the same deal here as in the first film. If you're not a fan of fantasy, musicals, or The Wizard of Oz (or darker Oz retellings), you're not going to be into this. This is still a colorful world where people burst into song. Second, it may be too dark for people expecting something funnier and lighter like the first film or the 1939 Wizard of Oz. They tried to dial down the violence and sexuality from the book, but it's still pretty violent, and there is the "As Long as You're Mine" romantic sequence. Frankly, this half moves way too slow at times, especially in the middle of the film with the "March of the Witch Hunters," and I never thought the love triangle was all that interesting even in the original show (or the book). 

The Big Finale: While I don't think this is quite as good as the first movie, I don't think it's nearly as horrible as critics are making it out to be, either. They're either not musical fans or were expecting "more of the same." If you give this one a chance and have time on your hands, you may find a lot to love on the darker side of Oz.

Home Media: The DVD and Blu-Ray are scheduled to debut on January 26th. 

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Musicals On Streaming - Disenchanted

Disney, 2022

Starring Amy Adams, Maya Rudolph, Patrick Dempsey, and Gabriella Baladacchio

Directed by Adam Shankman

Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz

Talk of a sequel to Enchanted began early as 2010...but it got kicked around to various authors until 2020, when the script was finally ready after over a decade. In the interim, Disney and the movie industry had gone through enormous changes. Disney was back on top, thanks to a series of hits that questioned their older fairy tale tropes (Frozen, Tangled) or ignored them all together (Wreck It Ralph, Zootopia)...but the 2020 pandemic hit them hard. With family movies frequently faltering at the box office, Disney released Disnenchanted to its streaming service Disney Plus. Does the mixture of fantasy, reality, music, and animation still work after over a decade, or should it be shoved back into Andalusia? Let's begin with Pip (Griffin Neuman) the chipmunk explaining how Giselle (Adams) ended up moving her family to the suburbs and find out...

The Story: Giselle is thrilled to move her family to the seemingly bucolic suburb Monroeville, but her husband Robert (Dempsey) and stepdaughter Morgan (Baldacchio) aren't as thrilled. Their Victorian home is falling apart, Robert has to commute long hours to work, and Morgan doesn't get along in her new school. Giselle tries to promote Morgan as the queen of the town's upcoming fairy tale ball. In her enthusiasm, she ends up embarrassing Morgan and causing trouble with Malvina Monroe (Maya Randolph), the head of the town council. She wants her son Tyson (Kolton Stewart) to be prince of the ball.

King Edward (James Marsden) and Queen Nancy (Idina Mentzel) brought a wish-making magic wand from Andalusia as a housewarming gift. Giselle uses it to wish she had a perfect fairy tale life, with no missing husbands or pouting teens. It works...too well. Giselle didn't expect the fairy tale she'd end up in would be Cinderella. Now she's turning into a genuine wicked stepmother who mistreats her daughter, Robert is a knight who is too busy slaying dragons to have time for her, and Malvina is the even nastier queen. Giselle has to remember who she is and why she loves her family before the clock chimes midnight...and Andelusia disappears permanently.

The Animation: Not used as much this time around, and maybe it's just as well. I suspect that, while it still looks 2D, it may have been done by a computer. It's not as lush, with less details in the background and on the characters. It looks less like a Disney movie of the 50's and more like one of their recent TV shows.

The Song and Dance: Adams is really the only reason to see this one. She's having a grand time, swirling around with the chorus and trying to make the best of the situation, even when her family has to live in the master bedroom because their new home is still being worked on. She plays off well against the more dour Balacchio. Randolph does almost as well as the stuck-up head of the town council who isn't used to newcomers challenging her and the spoiled queen who wants to hang on to her power in any way possible. The costumes and sets remain gorgeous; the latter were filmed in a real Irish small town made to look like upstate New York. 

Favorite Number: We open with Pip singing about how things are going in "Andelusia," and giving us the origins of Giselle before and after she came to New York. Giselle sings about how Monroeville will be "Even More Enchanted," but with construction workers moving all around her, her stepdaughter doesn't buy it. Edward and Nancy tell them about "The Magic of Andelusia" and how the wishing wand works. Giselle wants desperately to return to "Fairy Tale Life"...and thinks she has when she wakes up and the appliances and chorus of peasants join in. 

Morgan claims everything is "Perfect" as she shops for flowers in town...then wishes that maybe it wasn't quite so much. Marvina and Giselle contrast and compare their evil powers, as they desire to be "Badder"...and better than the other. Nancy finally gets a number, "Love Power," as she reveals to Morgan how she can restore her stepmother to normal.

What I Don't Like: Nothing else works. Most of the other actors, including Dempsey and Stewart, don't have enough to do. We don't really see enough of Morgan or Tyson to understand why she has a crush on him or why she's acting the way she is, other than the move. There's a kernel of a good idea here, but it's lost under a morass of silly references that aren't worked nearly as well into the script and half-baked characterizations. Not to mention, fairy tale satire is really overworked now, especially with Disney having embraced other types of fantasy and other tropes. 

The Big Finale: Truth be told, the reason I put off reviewing this for so long is I suspected the moment they announced a sequel that it wouldn't work. They tried too hard to make the movie magical, only for it to end up being mundane. Only worth checking out for major fans of Adams, the cast, or the first film. 

Home Media: It's a Disney Plus exclusive at the moment. 

Disney Plus

Family Fun Saturday - Enchanted

Disney, 2007

Starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, and Timothy Spall

Directed by Kevin Lima

Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz

Enchanted began in 1997 as a far racier script, inspired by R-rated comedies of the 80's and 90's like Fast Times at Ridgemont High. It was reworked in 2005 into something more family friendly and closer to the Disney fantasies of old. It's also Disney's first live action/animated hybrid since Who Framed Roger Rabbit from 1988 and a satire on the cliches inherent in Disney movies in particular and fairy tales in general, from the prince and the damsel falling in love in an instant after meeting to the princess being the one rescued. Is it worth saving from an ogre, or should it be left in Times Square? Let's begin in animation with typical Disney damsel Giselle (Adams), waiting for her true love with her animal friends, and find out...

The Story: Giselle first encounters handsome Prince Edward (Marsden) when he saves her from an ogre. They fall in love the moment she lands in his arms and agree to wed the next day. Edward's stepmother Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) will lose the throne if her son marries, so right before her wedding, she shoves Giselle down a well.

When Giselle comes up through the well, she finds herself stepping through a man hole cover in Times Square. Now a live-action woman, Giselle wanders lost and alone through the streets of Manhattan until she's found by cynical divorce lawyer Robert Phillip (Dempsey) and his daughter Morgan (Rachel Covey). Morgan loves fairy tales and believes she's a princess. Robert doesn't believe it initially. He stopped believing in fairy tales after his wife abandoned him and their daughter. Optimistic Giselle, who sees beauty and romance in every squalid corner of the city, shows him New York through her eyes...and gradually, they fall in love. 

Edward and his servant Nathaniel (Timothy Squall) have followed her, though, along with her chipmunk Pip (Jeff Bennett). Edward wants to find his true love and continue the wedding, while Robert's harried girlfriend Nancy (Idina Menzel) just questions what he's doing with this woman. Giselle is learning that, messy as the "real world" can be, it also allows a princess to not only save herself, but those she loves as well.

The Animation: The opening and about a minute or so of the closing sequences are done in 2-D animation that's likely meant to ape the 50's Disney films Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. While not as lush as those films, Andelusia is still colorful and lovely to look at. The animated characters flow well and do resemble their live-action counterparts, and the backdrops are pretty and detailed. It's enough to make me wish Disney had continued turning out full 2D animated films.

The Song and Dance: Adams is the perfect Disney princess in this hilarious homage to their earlier animated films. She's sweet without being cloying, kind without being pushy, and is a ball of sunshine. The sequence where she quarrels with Robert and feels anger for the first time is especially adorable. The opening alone is hilarious, with its literal fall into love plot and stunning animation. Marsden and Squall have almost as much fun as the prince charming who will do anything to get his lady fair back and mousy servant who learns that there's more to life than just following a queen's orders. The gorgeous costumes and authentic New York location shooting adds a great deal of intimacy and elegance to the goofy story.

Favorite Number: We open in animation, with Giselle and her animal friends creating a scarecrow representing her perfect prince. She sings "True Love's Kiss," which Edward eventually finishes before and after the arrival of the ogre. "Happy Working Song" is Giselle cleaning up Robert and Morgan's apartment with the help of the wild animals of New York City - pigeons, rats, mice, and cockroaches. Seeing all those vermin scrubbing toilets would be almost gross if it wasn't so darn funny. 

"That's How You Know" is the big chorus number in Central Park. Giselle starts by singing along with a couple of strolling marimba players as she explains to Robert why he has to tell Nancy that he loves her. It gradually spreads through the whole park, taking in everything from a wedding to tourists relaxing on benches. Robert doesn't get it, but Giselle and everyone else around her happily rolls with the cheerful and adorable song. The remaining two numbers are sung over the soundtrack. The ballad "So Close" provides the backdrop for Giselle and Robert's dance at the ball, while the uptempo Carrie Underwood ballad "Ever Ever After" plays under the closing credits.

Trivia: "So Close," "That's How You Know," and "Happy Working Song" were nominated for Oscars, but they ended up canceling each other out. The winner was "Falling Slowly" from Once. 

What I Don't Like: For all the comic trappings, the story in and of itself is nothing new...which, honestly, is kind of the point. Some of the tropes it discusses, like True Love's Kiss and falling in love at first sight, had already vanished from 90's Disney princess movies like Beauty and the Beast and would be further deconstructed in Tangled and Frozen over the next five years or so. The Shrek movies went into similar fairy tale satire territory earlier in the 2000's, including True Love's Kiss and the damsel in distress who isn't that distressed.

The Big Finale: Bright and fun, with some of Menken and Schwartz's best music and a delightful starring turn by Amy Adams, this is highly recommended for musical fans, princess lovers, and those who have ever wanted to see Disney take their high-falutin' fantasy epics down a peg or two.

Home Media: Easily found in all formats, often for under ten dollars. Disney Plus has it with a subscription. (It also has its sequel, Disenchanted, which we'll discuss next Saturday.) 

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Godspell

Columbia, 1973

Starring Victor Garber, David Haskell, Katie Hanley, and Lynne Thigpen

Directed by David Greene

Music and Lyrics by Steven Schwartz

We celebrate Holy Week with this adaptation of the smash hit 1971 off-Broadway musical. The life of Jesus Christ is seen through the eyes of a group of young people in New York City as they frolic, cavort, and spend a day acting out parables of the Gospel of St. Matthew. How well does this very theatrical conceit work on film? Let's start on the streets of New York, as those young people hear the call of Jesus (Garber), and find out...

The Story: John the Baptist (Haskell) pushes a colorful wagon filled with props through the streets of New York City, calling the faithful to be baptized in the waters of Bethesda Fountain. They then dance across Manhattan to a junk yard. cleaning up and repainting the barn and a junked car in rainbow colors. Here and in locations across New York, they retell biblical allegories using nothing but props and silent movie sequences at the off-Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre. Jesus meets his match in the non-believing Pharisee Monster on the ferry docks. His faith shaken after he attacks the odd creature, he and the others return to the junk yard for one last supper together...and to find out who intends to betray Jesus to the police.

The Song and Dance: The glorious shots of a glowing New York in the 1970's - including the almost-completed Twin Towers - some great music, and the sheer joy radiating off every cast member carries the day here. Everyone's having a wonderful time turning New York into their personal playground. Particular kudos to Thigpen, who belts out "Bless the Lord" with considerable energy, sweet Robin Lamont putting over the show's big hit "Day to Day," and Gardner and Haskell as the central trio who start out as friends and end up being broken apart by doubt and mistrust. Love how they used sequences from silent movies to tell the story of the The Prodigal Son at Cherry Lane Theatre, too.

Favorite Number: John the Baptist calls the faithful to take a dip in the fountain as Jesus appears before them to guide the way in the opening number "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord." "Day By Day" takes everyone to the junk yard, where they play with the discarded items and paint their faces, then the barn and junked car. Lynne leads "Bless the Lord" to praise Jesus' gifts in front of a shining silver backdrop. Ballet dancer Joanne vamps it up in her attempts to seduce Jesus amid the decadence of the Andrew Carnegie Mansion in "Turn Back, O Man." Jesus and Judas perform "All for the Best" on the rooftops of of New York and in front of a digital sign on Times Square. "Light of the World" takes them aboard a barge as they all work together to make it across the Hudson and show what their lights can do. The entire cast returns to the junk yard amid the golden landscapes of New York in the late afternoon, cavorting through a truly "Beautiful City."

Trivia: Among the locations seen in this movie, in addition to the ones already mentioned, are the Brooklyn and Hells Gate Bridges, the central fountain at Lincoln Center, the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument at Riverside Drive, and the top of the North Tower at the Twin Towers buildings.

The off-Broadway show did originally debut at Cherry Tree Theatre in 1971. It ran there and at the Promenade Theatre until 1976. It then transferred to Broadway, where it ran another year. It's been revived twice off-Broadway in 1988 and 2000 and once on Broadway in 2011. 

What I Don't Like: Honestly, if you don't know your St. Matthew, you probably won't have any idea of who is who or what they're acting out at times. Like Jesus Christ Superstar, this is controversial for not showing Jesus' resurrection and for the clownish clothing coming off too much like hippies. It comes off more like a revue than a typical film, with the cast dancing from one number to the next, without much structure until Judas and Jesus' relationship starts to unravel towards the end.

The Big Finale: Breathtaking cinematography and a cast of theater pros singing the joyous music of Steven Schwartz and the Bible makes this a must-see during the Easter holidays. 

Home Media: Finally released on Blu-Ray last week, this is also easily available on DVD and streaming.

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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
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