Il gobbo di Notre Dame

Going into the theater to see this movie, my friend and I (who are "cynical" teenage movie critics) honestly expected to be disappointed, especially after the relatively blah Pocahontas. When the movie was over 90 min. later, we both ran frantically to go buy the CD and read the book (which, actually, was rather different than the movie, but hey.).

I am 17 years old; I grew up watching The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. When Disney released this movie, which dealt with extremely heavy subject matter in an extremely tasteful manner, I jumped for joy. During the entire movie, I was amazed and spellbound. The music was also fantastic, by the way, as was the cinematography (although those crowd scenes begin to look really fake after a while). That scene where Quasimodo holds Esmerelda up in front of the rose window and yells, "Sanctuary!" still gives me chills.

This is not a movie for children in any way, shape or form. I think the only problem with Hunchback is the fact that Disney refused to accept that this is a serious, relatively adult motion picture and would not make any animated movie, no matter how serious, without obnoxiously cute little critters (i.e., the gargoyles) bouncing around to entertain the kiddies, or huge marketing campaigns at McDonald's, etc. As some others have written on here, it's pretty obvious this movie isn't for kiddies from its subject matter.

But anyone over 13 who's willing to think as well as be entertained when watching a Disney movie would probably love Hunchback.

It's not Hugo, but the Disney version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) is a wonderful film in its own right. Save for some awkward 1990s CG in the background every now and then, the animation is glorious and the colors are deep and rich like a medieval tapestry. The musical score and numbers are among Disney's most underrated. The characters are all memorable, from the soulful Quasimodo to the kind but tough Esmeralda to the evil Frollo, one of the greatest and most unsung of all Disney villains.

Were it not for one factor, this film would be a masterpiece and that is the juvenile humor which creeps into this overall somber and dark movie. The gargoyles are the most obnoxious comic relief possible, and their anachronistic, cartoony nature does not gel with this story of oppression and sin. It's obvious the executives were frightened by the film's darkness, fearful that there wasn't enough kiddie appeal, so they forced this creative mistake upon the filmmakers.

It's a shame, but overall, this is still a fine picture.

Well... No. Not quite. It's not the 'conventional classic' that everyone loves and adores (see: Aladdin, The Lion King) and will show their children and their children's children. But that's just it. How anybody can deny that this is a fantastic film is beyond me.

Okay, it's in no way true to the story. But who cares? This is a Disney FILM. It's hardly setting out to be a serious piece of literature-to-film.

It's just... breathtaking. Not just the animation (which is some of the most accomplished from Disney to date, whilst we're on the subject), but the characterisation and pace of story. Frollo is, arguably, the most evil Disney villain ever committed to celluloid. Here, Disney touches on dark themes never before explored in their animated feature lengths; the main one being lust. The scene with 'Hellfire' is truly chilling.

Quasimodo is a brilliant Disney hero. His alienation is easy to relate to, and yet he's still alien enough for one to feel so sorry for him. He's just so tragic. His unrequited love for Esmerelda as she runs off with someone cooler and better looking is something we can all relate to. I quite like how the ending is part conventional for Disney and part not. Yes, the pretty heroine gets the knight in shining armour, but at the same time the real leading man doesn't have to be paired off with a beautiful leading girl in order to end up happy.

The voices are really talented- the notable standout for me being Kevin Kleine as Phebus, and Esmerelda is arguably one of the best things Demi Moore has ever done. I also adore, against most people's opinions, the gargoyles. Yes, they're a bit OTT, but that's what Disney sidekicks are all about, and they provide essential comedy balance for the darkness of the film.

The Hunchback Of The Notre Dame may not be the most authentic film storyline-wise, but it is dark, touching, scary, poignant, funny, chilling, moving (it never fails to leave me in floods of tears) and is one of the few Disney films that can stand alone from Disney as a wonderful piece of cinematography in it's own right.

I have been reading all of the negative comments on this movie, and it just baffles me how people can't really see the big picture here (no pun intended) Though Disney has enchanted us in the past with sickly sweet renditions of timeless fairytales in the past, I think that it's a good thing that Disney embark on creating a more dark and looming satire.

Now although I am a huge advocate of Disney it's no mystery that they have turned storylines around on mostly all of their movies. I dont think I have seen one of their animated features, that was derived from a story that they didn't change the plot around on. And though most of us know that Sleeping Beauty's original story didn't include 3 good fairies, nor did Beauty and the Beast feature singing Dishware or Gueston (sp), but we still loved those movies regardless, and that it because they were well done. So in saying all of that, why should this one be any different. It didn't follow the Hunchback's novel completely but it doesn't mean that it was horrible. On the contrary, I admire Disney for trying to reninvent themselves by attempting this challenge.

Of course there are alot of things in the book that MUST be taken out of the movie in order for the movie to remain children-friendly. Let's face it the story of the Hunchback is definately one of the darkest, and the combination of religion,lust,and racism which is major concept in the book, needs to be toned down. It is even painful to me, a young adult to stomach alot of what is portrayed in the original Hunchback. I know that children couldn't possibly understand what the real lessons of the book were trying to portray.

However, I believe that Disney reformed this story as to not really narrate the book as I think it was made to prove a point, and to educate children on the cruelty of society in general.

The second time i saw this film, i had rented it and watched it with a three year old girl that I was nannying at the time. Her mother wanted her to see it but I was reluctent to subject the little girl to the darkness of the message. Regardless of everything, I do think this film is more of a FAMILY film, than a CHILDREN'S film. If children are going to see this, then they need a parent to watch it with them. Through out the entire movie the little girl reacted the exact same way that I am sure Disney wanted her to. She would constantly ask me questions like. "Why do people make fun of Quazi, he is a nice guy", and "That Frollo man is so mean to people". Regardless of the inacuracies to the book, the little girl was learning a lesson. Don't judge a book by it's cover, and be kind to your fellow man.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I thought it to be very well done, and the music was outstanding. "The Bells of Notre Dame" give me a chill everytime I hear it sung, and there was a good blend of humor, and drama. Disney, once again hits the nail on the head, and it's one that I am going to be adding to my Christmas list in the future.

Enough said!

This isn't as good as Beauty and the Beast, but it is miles better than the Black Cauldron and Home on the Range, which are probably the weakest Disney movies I've seen. Stop criticising it, because it is unfaithful to the book. There are some parts of the book, that just wouldn't work, like the character of Clopin, if he was the same as he was in the book he would be too frightening for kids. Don't get me wrong, it is an amazing book, but a very complex one as well. Of course, it is more adult than most Disney movies, but it means it is mature, and I found it a dark, powerful, poignant and really chilling film, if in comparison to other Disney movies is slightly disappointing. The IMDb rating for this movie is far too low, it deserves a 7.0 to be honest. The animation is fantastic, so crisp and smooth. Notre Dame has never looked so magnificent, even in real life. The highlight was Quasimodo saving Esmeralda from getting burnt at the stake, accompanied by a hauntingly-beautiful Dies Irae. The characters are also well done, and so is the theme-driven story, and the themes are very mature and complex. Speaking of the characters, I know all of them had changed, but they were so well-developed, unlike Black Cauldron. Quasimodo was poignantly voiced by Tom Hulce, and his character is possibly the most sensitive character in Disney history. Esmeralda was brilliantly voiced by Demi Moore, who brought a little bit of herself into the role. She is feisty and beautiful. When you look into her eyes, you instantly know how wrong Frollo is about her. I have always loved her hair, but her chief beauty are her eyes, a beautiful colour and filled with such sadness. Frollo is a very complex villain, and the sinister timbre of Tony Jay's voice flawlessly matched that. The sequence in front of the fireplace was a definite highlight and gave me goosebumps, as well as his death scene. He looked evil! Then there is Clopin, a very underrated and relevant character. Paul Kandel voiced him marvellously and his singing was out of this world. Pheobus was the most changed character, but Kevin Kline was really funny here. I liked the gargoyles, they were very funny. However, my only criticism about this movie, is to do with them. I liked their song "Guy Like You" but it was misplaced. It should have been put there 20 minutes earlier, not when Paris is burning down. The songs are on the whole just brilliant, and the score so powerful and emphatic! The magnificent opening is the best beginning to a Disney movie. "Out there" is very heartfelt, and "Topsy Turvey" is great fun. "God help the Outcasts" is hauntingly beautiful. The only song I had a problem with was the song in the Court of Miracles, because I couldn't hear a word they were singing, and I loved "Someday" and "Heaven's Light". Some bits made me laugh, but there were plenty of scenes that made me cry, especially when Quasimodo thinks Esmeralda is dead, and he is seen comforting her body. Really poignant! In conclusion, a brilliant movie, with one of the most poignant endings in an animated film. 9/10, though it was so close to a 10. Bethany Cox