I love the Hunchback of Notre Dame. It's not my favorite, but I really like it. I think the animation is beautiful and the songs are great. Frollo is one of my favorite villains. I don't really like the gargoyles, and I agree with the poster that said it would have been better if they didn't talk back. They are the reason that I can't watch the movie straight through anymore. It has a lot of other great scenes though.
I think that I would have to agree with a lot of people around here.
I liked the movie (ie animation, music, character) but the one thing
that really took me out of the picture was the gargoyles!!
They really would have been more at home in "Home on the Range"
than in HOND.
I have read the book and because of the target audience, I can
accept those changes. And, like everyone else around here,
I can't wait for a 2 disc edition of this movie to come out.
After reading some of these responses, I took a look at reviews on Amazon.com, and I just had to post this little gem written by some kid (the subject on the review is "A kid's review"):
This should be rated PG-13 for violence ( the scene when
esmerelda is burning ), cursing ( there Is a song with cursing
in it ), and other very innapropiate scenes. And THAT'S only
half an hour of this dreadful movie. This could also be rated
R, which could very well be possible. It has a very creepy
setting for everyone, young and old, and should be ignored
by every family in the country. This movie has the horrible
music from the same song-writer as the little mermaid. Walt
Disney would be terrified if he viewed this movie. There hasn't
been a good disney movie that wasn't directed by Walt Disney
since Mulan, Mulan II, and the Emperor's New Groove.
Disney should stop using Europe as a setting. It's booooriiing.
At this point, seeing Europe is like seeing a pencil. Been there,
done that.
If you are planning to watch this movie, don't. It really should
be rated PG-13, or even rated R. Thank you.
HOND is a glamorous, epic, drama movie. Only a few movies are so serious and touching. Esmeralda is one of the sexiest heroines, and she also HAS A PERSONALITY- A STRONG ONE!!!! The beginning is a masterpiece, Esmeralda's dance is stunning, the songs are breathtaking, and the Hellfire scene is one of a kind!! Who didn't cry when Esmeralda was praying or Quasi was hurt by the kiss of Phoebus and Esmeralda? Or should I mention the scene When Quasi is on the church's balcony crying "Sanctuary" holding Esmeralda on his hands? HOW CAN YOU PEOPLE CALL IT BORING?????????
Yup, I too love HOND. Easily top 5 all time of the Disney films, puts tripe like Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Best to shame.
Most Disney films are kids films. Hunchback is for adults. No kid is ever going to understand "I am a righteous man, of my virtue I am justly proud." or "I'm so much purer than the common vulgar weak licentious crowd". It's for this very reason that HOND didn't do well at the box office, it didn't have that cloying cuteness factor necessary for raking in the big bucks. Exactly the same as Fantasia, a huge box office boondoggle at first, because everyone was expecting the same old same old.
In general, I've found that if you first saw HOND as an adult, you liked it, but if you were a kid, you didn't.
Gorgeous animation, fantastic songs, humourous yet engaging story, Hunchback has it all.
I picked this up last week for $5. The last time I saw this movie was when it initially came out. I know people here don't really like this movie but I thought it was outstanding! The animation was excellent, the music was out of this world.....I could go on and on.
I know people knock this film for being "too adult" but for some reason I remember there being a backlash rising against Disney for making movies TOO kid friendly and predictable at the time and this being their response to that. I remember them wanting to show they could tackle a serious piece but still maintain the Disney "magic" we've all come to appreciate. I also remember big hoopla over Disney having its first "handicapped" hero and how this would open people's eyes and show that heroes come in all shapes and sizes.
Anyway, I absolutely love this movie. Great characters (Even the gargoyles serve their purpose), music, animation, and story. I just hope one day it gets the proper 2-disc it deserves.
Mr. Toad wrote:Talk about differing tastes. You ask me to rank the 44 animated classics and this one goes at 43(only the Black Cauldron beats it in lameness). The book by Victor Hugo was a masterpiece on the human condition. Disney reduced his work to ashes and took all the meaning out of it. They have trashed great literature in the past to make a feel good movie but this one took the cake.
I don't mean to be rude but these films are primarily made as entertainment for young children or at best family viewing. If you are wanting faithful adaptions of classic literature or something that deep from Disney's animation department then I think you need to re-adjust your expectations.
It's not as if there aren't faithful versions to be found elsewhere.
Personally I thought it was a terrific film. I've never understood the criticisms. It was a different, refreshing animated feature for Disney and I thought it tackled what could have been some really difficult issues for younger viewers really well.
Incidentally for those calling this an adult movie or saying it's not really for kids- my daughter loves it. She is 3 and a half. One of the biggest mistakes society makes these days is to underestimate children. Us 'grown-ups' have seriously short memories.
Edit: Whoops I've just noticed how old this topic is!
Anyone who knows me knows that the Hunchback of Notre Dame is my favourite of the animated classics (and yet it's the only Disney film from what I call "The Big Nine" that I don't own on DVD). Everything about it captivates me, I don't even hate the gargoyles. I think it is visually and musically the best animated classic, and it has the best male villan in Disney's history.
I don't understand alot of the criticism of the movie, espically when people say they don't like it because it's "too mature for children" or "it differs from the book" (it should be noted that the book is one of my favourite novels). When has being mature ever made a movie horrible? And some, if not most, of the greatest movies of all differ greatly from the source material. I think there are a lot of people who expect disney movies to be brainless entertainment, and Hunchback is loaded with imagery and messages, people just don't like that.
The primary complaint I've noticed about "Hunchback" involves the source material. Victor Hugo's book is a dark tragedy and Disney should've never tried to make a feel-good family-friendly movie out of it.
In the original book:
- Esmerelda is hanged and Phoebus does nothing to prevent it
- Quasimodo murders Frollo by pushing him off a balcony
- Quasimodo in turn commits suicide by burying himself alive with Esmerelda
Also, the Gargoyles don't talk or sing about Paris being on fire.
I love and hate Disney's movie simultaneously.
I hate it for it's inaccuracy and gross distortion of Hugo's original novel in attempt to make it a kids movie.
I hate the Gargoyles, although they might have been welcome in some other Disney film.
I hate that it's the religious figure who is portrayed as evil and who uses his claim of "God's work" to justify his own misdeeds, as has become such a predictable stereotype for religious leaders in both film and TV. (Not all religious leaders are evil.)
And I hate how Disney altered Quasimodo's character to make him more sympathetic--for crying out, he's a deaf and disfigured orphan... how much more sympathetic did he need to be? He also didn't need to look "cute", and Disney also ignored the fact that ringing giant cathedral bells for his entire life caused him to be completely deaf as he was in the book.
But most of all, I hate that they made a sequel to the film. (Quasi in love makes me queasy.) It stands in complete defiance to Hugo's original work, and all to make money. How sad.
But there are also some elements I absolutely love about the film:
- the animation is spectacular
- the orchestral score is the finest dramatic piece ever done for an animated Disney film, IMO. And the Gargoyles song excluded, it's one of the most memorable dramatic soundtracks Disney has ever produced as well.
- the performances by Tom Hulce (Quasi) and the late great Tony Jay (Frollo) are outstanding. And even Demi Moore's not so bad as Esmerelda, but she gets no credit for the hauntingly lovely performance of "God Help The Outcasts" by Heidi Mollenhauer. I also believe that Tony Jay's performance as Frollo was the pinnacle of his career as a voice actor. And Paul Kandel's performance as Clopin--both singing and speaking--was exceptional as well.
So I always have mixed emotions watching it. It's a great film and a nigh-disaster at the same time.
I couldn't agree more with the beginning topic. This has been my favorite since the first time I saw when I was 12 and saw it 3 times in the theater. I always appreciated its maturity and bravery. WAAAAY overlooked for more attention and underrated. I also can't say enough good things about the music.
I saw this movie a couple of weeks ago (the movie rental store only had the VHS, no DVD ) and I agree the movie is fantastic. Even if it was severely toned down in order to appeal to a family friendly audience its still a fantastic piece of animated film making.
I love both Esmeralda and Quasi. I see myself in Quasi. No I am not physically deformed, but I am quite shy (and very teased as a kid)! I We also share our love of life as well as meeting new people and discovering new places. I can't help but get a thrill whenever Quasi is singing "Out there".
Speaking of which, the music is fantastic, perhaps some of the best of the post Lion King features. Even the wacky Topsy Turvy proves to be captivating and imaginative.
But what I love the most is the animation. There are some fantastic backdrops in this movie as well as character animation. It reminds me a lot of the old Disney features like Snow White and Cinderella in which cartoony designs meet articulate, beautiful characters yet fit perfectly in the same world.
It angers me that Disney hasn't done anything with this movie in a while. The sequel was really, REALLY bad and the DVD edition was pretty weak. The film deserves more presence. Heck, even Pocahontas gets more screen time!
So overall, Hunchback is one of my all time favorite animated films.
today I saw HOND the first time since I have seen this in the cinema years ago. I enjoyed it very much and was surprised about the strong background- story of the dark facts about christian history.
I´ve got one question:
Quasis three stone-figure friends are very funny and I like them very much, but are they real creatures or just the only friends in quasis imagination.
After twenty years alone in notre dame, maybe there are the results of his lonieness?
What do you think?
Regards
Luki
By the way: I´m new on this board and live in germany, hope my english is not too bad
+Luki+ wrote:I enjoyed it very much and was surprised about the strong background- story of the dark facts about christian history.
It might also surprise you to know that "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is a work of fiction, and neither the book nor the film specifically mention "Christianity" by name. The character Frollo represents religious fanaticism, pure and simple. Victor Hugo, the book's author, was vocally anti-Catholic, and his many writings reflect that.
Quasis three stone-figure friends are very funny and I like them very much, but are they real creatures or just the only friends in quasis imagination.
After twenty years alone in notre dame, maybe there are the results of his lonieness?
Sounds like a plausible theory to me. Childhood abandonment + grotesque disfiguration + ringing giant cathedral bells + long-term isoloation = a recipe for insanity.
Hunchback is one of my all time favorite Disney anitmated movies! The animation in this movie is the most detailed brillaint and beautiful of them all! THATS QUALITY RIGHT THERE. Tarzan comes very close but not quite. The story is great too and has a great message for ALL OF US.
This movie certainly deserves better treatment then what it has been given and im still blown away that ppl dont like this movie! UNREAL!
Oh.... I will admit tho that the song number with all the gargoils " A GUY LIKE YOU" was pretty bad. That part could have gone to the cutting room floor. But other then that the film is PERFECTION!
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a good animated film despite all the criticism it has got over the years. Yes, it does seem to have an odd mix of comedy and tragedy in it, but it isn't really that terrible a mix as far as I'm concerned. As one watches the film over and over again, one begins to realize how both complement each other. The film might've turned out better if Disney had either chosen a more comedic path or a more dramatic one, but nevertheless the version of the film which we saw is still very good.
The animation is breathtaking in many places, and the use of computer-enhanced animation is quite good, helping to make certain scenes more dramatic (e.g. the camera move when Quasimodo saves Esmeralda from the pyre). Some of the shots look absolutely fantastic like the image of the burning Paris - that scene still sends chills down my spine. Many of the musical numbers offer great scenes (particularly "The Bells of Notre Dame" and "Hellfire"), and the opening scene is one of the most dramatic openings ever in a Disney animated film.
The voice actors do a good job in both the English and Finnish versions. They bring their characters to life and bring out great performances. To give an example, Tony Jay and Ossi Ahlapuro's portrayals (in English and Finnish versions, respectively) of Frollo are great as they bring in different nuances of the character in their performances.
The plot itself, albeit deviating from Victor Hugo's novel and bringing in more comic aspects, still works surprisingly well after all the changes it has gone through. The way how tragic and comedic scenes are used in juxtaposition to one another helps to take away some of the depressive mood and yet that approach also helps to emphasize the dark moments when appropriate. After all, in metaphoric terms, you need to have some calm stuff first so that the actual 'storm' feels more dramatic later on. The way how everything is related to one another (which in turn leads to the grand climax) is amazing as various foreshadowing devices are used and character motivations become more complex. I was very pleased by the effort that was put to the story and how it managed to juggle both light and heavy subjects in a good way.
One of the best aspects of the entire production is the music. The score is nothing short of magnificent as it evokes dramatic, almost Gothic feel in its choral compositions and grand orchestrations. There are lots of leitmotifs which all get some sort of resolution in the end in a dramatic fashion. Despite the criticisms I've read and heard, the score does complement the film. Sometimes music needs to be grandiose to carry the film, and as long as it follows the leitmotivic approach in helping telling the story through musical ideas, it will work fine. If it wasn't for the powerful "Sanctuary!" track, the climactic scene of the film wouldn't be as powerful as it is in the finished film.
The songs themselves work fine too. From the dramatic opening number to the memorable personal songs they manage to keep the film moving without making it drag. It's amazing how Menken's compositions manage to stay cohesive while still having various moods. From the heroic outbursts of "Out There" to the beautifully lyrical "God Help the Outcasts" and the magnificent pairing of "Heaven's Light/Hellfire" the songs work extremely well and establish themselves as parts of the film's identity. As for the more comical songs, I think they're alright. "Topsy Turvy" is a grand piece of sillyness unleashed, and "The Court of Miracles" is another silly song but with a rather grim atmosphere.
What about "A Guy Like You", then? Although it seems out of place with its comedic routines as well as all the anachronistic gags, I feel it's nevertheless a crucial part of the film's narrative. It helps establish Quasimodo's hopes for Esmeralda in a very sweet way, and the comic tone is in stark contrast with the following heartbreaking scene in which Quasimodo realizes that Esmeralda and Phoebus love each other. If it weren't for "A Guy Like You", the following scene wouldn't be as heartbreaking as it is, and for that reason the song does exactly what it was expected to do: to bring in a lighter mood after all the dramatic stuff and also to emphasize Quasimodo's character development as one of his dreams gets crushed (which plays a key role in later plot developments as he's forced to ally with Phoebus in order to search for Esmeralda).
All in all The Hunchback of Notre Dame is certainly a better film than many give it credit for. Although the mix of comedy and tragedy don't always work, the film itself is nevertheless an achievement which Disney should be proud of. It has many elements which a good narrative needs, and the contributions by the animators, voice actors and the composer and the lyricist among others make it a film worth watching.
Some things you see with your eyes, others you see with your heart.
WOW the review above is really great! Thanks for writing such a great review of this movie! I agree completely! I forgot to comment on the music in my small review above and it is actually one of my favorite Disney soundtracks. I love the powerfullness of the music in this film and the chanting is just out of this world! I LOVE IT! Thanks again for the great review Kossage!
) and I agree the movie is fantastic. Even if it was severely toned down in order to appeal to a family friendly audience its still a fantastic piece of animated film making.
