The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Isolated bell-ringer Quasimodo wishes to leave Notre Dame tower against the wishes of Judge Claude Frollo, his stern guardian and Paris' strait-laced Minister of Justice. His first venture to the outside world finds him Esmeralda, a kind-hearted and fearless Romani woman who openly stands up to Frollo's tyranny.

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Richard Schertzer

October 11, 2022

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Why ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ is the Best Animated Disney Movie Ever Made

As we look back on a Disney lifetime from yesteryear, it has come to my attention that there is an overlooked film that does not get the credit that it deserves. With such a raw look at the 15th century, it seems that Disney was really trying to step outside of its element with The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It tells the dark tale of a deformed hunchback, Quasimodo, who attempts to find love and meaning in a prejudiced world that refuses to accept him. However, that all changes when a beautiful French Roma girl named Esmeralda shows him caring and compassion. Quasimodo is filled with love and hope due to Esmeralda's kindness. Here is what makes this the best film Disney has ever put into animation. Disney uniquely explores the darker themes and Gothic elements presented in the source material, the Victor Hugo novel of the same name. This is somewhat unusual for a Disney film. While it might be uncomfortable for some viewers of the old Disney legends, this was a great step forward in terms of dark and moody storytelling. It departs from the happy-go-lucky Disney films that always managed to have a cheerful tone for the majority of their runtime. The films normally do not descend too deeply into explorations of lust, infanticide, and bigotry. It's incredibly interesting to see Disney work with such dark material from an even darker source material. Disney has made a lot of classics about able-bodied princes and princesses. But here, Disney truly went hard when they made this film about a young man with a terminal and severe case of kyphosis. Quasi is seen as an object of fear, hate, and derision by the people of Notre Dame. However, his deformities and disabilities do not define him and he proves that consistently.

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Incluvie Writer

January 3, 2022

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Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame: Quarantine with Quasimodo

So, I’m not just writing this article because this is my favorite Disney film and I want to gush about it, but I find it a relevant film to talk about during quarantine. For those few who don’t know the story, Hunchback of Notre Dame is about Quasimodo (Tom Hulce), a deformed bell-ringer who yearns to be free from his sheltered life inside Notre Dame Cathedral, but has to stay away from society because his master, Judge Claude Frollo (Tony Jay), forbids it.

Quasimodo is a character whom we can all relate to right now. He wants to get out there, and his song “Out There” is a powerful number that emphasizes his desire to belong. His desire to be free from the restrictions that has bound him for 20 years.

Now, if Quasimodo is able to handle isolation inside a dark cathedral for that long, we can handle this quarantine. We can do it, everyone.

Anyhow, “Quasi” manages to leave his confinement and goes to a festival called the Feast of Fools. He’s crowned the King of Fools as everyone believes that he’s wearing a hideous mask, but when it’s revealed that it’s not the case, he’s humiliated. Quasi’s tied up, insulted, and has food thrown at him.

Quasimodo is a character that you sympathize for, you want him to be loved as he’s known nothing but cruelty throughout his life. His deformity shuts him away from society, and only made it worse when the crowd tortures him. Fortunately, he’s saved by the gypsy, Esméralda(Demi Moore). Esméralda is the first person to show Quasimodo kindness, and so he falls for her.

Another character who falls for Esméralda, but in a different way, is Frollo. Frollo is a cruel man who, in the first five minutes of the film, kills a woman and almost drowns her baby in a well. Did I mention this is rated G? Yeah, how did that happen? I don’t know, but I find it hilarious that one of Disney’s darkest films has a G rating.

Despite Frollo being such an evil person, he has the best villain song. “Hellfire” is a visually stunning musical number where Frollo is in conflict with himself over his lust for Esméralda. He wants her, but he’ll burn her at the stake if she doesn’t want him. This is definitely not a song that Disney would make today.

Lyrically haunting and intense, “Hellfire” is filled with religious symbolism including hell, of course. Frollo is infatuated over Esméralda, but he swears that he’s a righteous man of God. He’s devoted to his faith, but temptation gets the better of him. Frollo claims that God made the devil stronger than man, attempting to justify for his sins. Again, it’s an intense song that cements Frollo as one of Disney’s greatest villains.

Quasimodo also sings about Esméralda in a song called “Heaven’s Light”. However, Quasimodo sings about love rather than lust, and he sings it with passion rather than twisted temptation. Everyone talks about “Hellfire” (and rightfully so) but rarely about “Heaven’s Light” which serves as a great juxtaposition to the latter.

Quasimodo describes Esméralda as an angel and hopes that she cares about him as he does for her. While he sings, he sculpts a miniature of Esméralda which is sweet. Unfortunately, Frollo destroys the miniature by lighting it on fire — which is exactly what he wants to do with her.

Quasimodo and Frollo both have strong feelings for Esméralda, but neither of them get her in the end. This is one of the few Disney films where the main character doesn’t get together with someone, but that’s not what the movie’s about. It’s about acceptance, seeing the good within someone without judging appearances.

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Wait, Did 'The Green Knight' Need To Be That White?

August 3, 2021

High fantasy, especially that of the medieval persuasions, is a subgenre we don’t see much of, but when we do, we flock to the cinema. There’s just something so inciting about their blend of the ethereal and the rustic. In a sense, it creates a nostalgia for an era of storytelling before any of us.

So, I was more than elated when the announcement of The Green Knight came from A24. Not only because it promised the usual beauty you get with their pictures, but also a gritty and contemporary twist on chivalric romance? I mean yes, 1000 times yes! While rolling in my excitement, I also noticed the choices made with the cast. There seemed to be some purposeful choice to have POC actors. I mean Gawain himself is played by the awesome Dev Patel. But the realms and spaces brown people occupy are… kind of questionable. It isn’t a blink and you’d miss its scenario, but follows points on a checklist I'll dive into later. And personally, it opened a dialect about whether medieval fantasy has space for multi-ethnic portrayals. Would that lean into cultural appropriation? And even if it did, is that a bad thing? Check out the detailed "The Green Knight" review with cultural appropriation.

Medieval fantasy has historically never been a safe space for POCs. Whether it’s for adults, like Hard to Be a God, or for children like Snow White, more often than not, the most luck we have in seeing ourselves is a side character who will surely be dead or evil. Although I’m just as frustrated as other BIPOC fans of the genre, in this particular case I can at least see the cogs that led us here. Medieval stands out from other fantasy subgenres in how based in history it is. Sure, something like Legend may have a nod here and there, but a film like The Hunchback of Notre Dame grounds itself by having real places, people, imagery, and cultural touch stones. They are pulling from European cultures during a very white time. So in theory, giving the role to a brown person would be unfair right?

In having the conversation about cultural appropriation and who plays who on screen, I think it is imperative to acknowledge how easy and almost harmless it can feel. As creatives, we are drawn to vibes more than logic. So, sometimes you’ll experience someone’s audition, and, without thinking about it, just feel they are perfect for the role. For me, the decider of when it’s harmful or harmless is dependent on the audience. Here's an example: If Robin Hood were played by a Pakistani woman, then there would be no risk of his 14th-century English roots being forgotten because most of us took a 6th grade history course. But if the shoes were flipped, and an adaption of the Painted Jackal had white men in the leading role, that could run the risk of people assuming the story has a white heritage. Having brown people on set of your LARP session for the big screen isn’t going to hurt anyone’s understanding of the Middle Ages; We’d all be able to digest it for the historical fiction that it is. As I said earlier, I believe The Green Knight kind of gets that, at least a little.

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