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Disney’s animation studio may be well-known for its animated fairy tales about pretty, headstrong princesses, but its releases don’t always fit inside that neat little box. In 1996, for instance, the studio released The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a movie based on classic literature—with a far-from-pretty hero.
Based on the novel by Victor Hugo, The Hunchback tells the story of Quasimodo (voiced by Tom Hulce), the deformed child of a gypsy who was taken in by the church and supported by Judge Claude Frollo (Tony Jay), the man who killed his mother.
Quasimodo spends his life in the cathedral’s bell tower, hidden away from the bustling city and watching the action from above. But when his gargoyle friends encourage him to attend the Feast of Fools, he meets Esmeralda (Demi Moore), a beautiful gypsy who needs his protection. So Quasimodo reluctantly teams up with disgraced captain of the guard, Phoebus (Kevin Kline), to save Esmeralda and the rest of the gypsies from Frollo’s wrath.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame isn’t the same old light, fluffy Disney movie. The unconventional story is actually quite dark, with poor, lonely Quasimodo constantly taking the verbal abuse of his master, Frollo (and singing about it, too). Quasimodo’s story is haunting and bittersweet at best, and the film’s villain is especially scary because he’s just so eerily sinister. Even the songs are more dramatic than usual, with darker musical numbers that, understandably, aren’t as memorable as Disney classics like “Be Our Guest” or “Under the Sea.”
Really, the film has only a few light touches. The bright, colorful festival scenes add some life to an otherwise grim story (until it all goes horribly wrong, that is). And Quasimodo’s best friends, the talking gargoyles, give the film some much-needed comic relief with their upbeat musical numbers and their constant war against the bell tower’s other residents, the birds. They help to lighten the film just a bit—but it’s still far from the playful animated adventure that kids will watch over and over again.
The highlight of the film, then, is its gorgeous hand-drawn animation. Disney’s animators perfectly captured the style and spirit of Paris—its city streets, its majestic cathedral. And now that the film has been given the high-definition treatment for its Blu-ray release, it’s all the more stunning. In fact, watching it again might make you long for the good old days, when animated movies were drawn—not programmed.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame doesn’t have the wise-cracking genie of Aladdin or the fun musical numbers of The Little Mermaid—and its dark, literary tale may be a challenge for younger viewers. But if it’s been a while since you’ve traveled back to Quasimodo’s Paris, it’s worth another look.
Blu-ray Review:
The Blu-ray release of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame doesn’t include any new special features. It does, however, include the classic DVD extras—including a commentary track with directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise and producer Don Hahn, an interesting making-of feature hosted by Jason Alexander (who voiced one of the gargoyles), and a multi-language reel that features the song “A Guy Like You” dubbed in everything from English and French to Mandarin and Hebrew. It also includes a bonus film: the straight-to-video sequel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II. While the extras are all somewhat interesting, though, if you already own the DVD, you’ll be disappointed by the lack of new material.
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