Movie Review: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Amazing animation; powerful story

Cons: Though it tries, this isn't a kid's movie.

The Bottom Line:

Movie for adults

With much they can think about

If they will watch it

Note: While the picture above is the currently in print two movie Blu-Ray set, I am only reviewing the original Disney animated movie at this time.

A Powerful Filmed Aimed More at Adults than Kids

I would have really liked to be in on the meetings that gave us Disney version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  While I have never read Victor Hugo's original novel, it never screamed out to me "Disney classic material."  They attempted to make the dark material lighter in tone.  I do really like the film.  But at times it feels like it is trying to appeal to too broad an audience.

In the Middle Ages, the city of Paris is ruled with an iron first by Frollo (Tony Jay), the chief magistrate.  Frollo has made it his mission to destroy the gypsies.  While he is doing that one night, he winds up with the baby Quasimodo who even as a baby is misshapen.  Guilted into raising the child as his own, he places Quasimodo (Tom Hulce) in the bell towers of Notre Dame and attempts to keep him hidden from the rest of the world.

Quasi gets tired of staying in the tower, however, and ventures forth during the annual Festival of Fools.  It is there that he meets Esmeralda (Demi Moore), a beautiful gypsy who is actually nice to him.  But the crowd quickly turns on him when they see how deformed he is.  That's nothing compared to how Frollo acts toward Esmeralda, however.  He attempts to get his new captain of the guard Phoebus (Kevin Kline) to arrest her.  But Phoebus has other plans.  When the city of Paris suddenly lies in the balance, what can Quasi do to help?

I know enough about the original novel to know about several changes made to the story.  For one thing, this one doesn't have the dark ending of the novel.  Also interesting, they split the character of Frollo in two.  In the book, he was the Archdeacon of the cathedral.  Here, he is a purely political figure with an over abundance of spiritual fervor while the new Archdeacon (voiced by David Ogden Stiers) has a much more open heart, I'd dare say even tolerance, for those around him.

Now while they made some significant changes to the story, the end result works well.  I hadn't seen the movie for years, so when I sat down to rewatch it recently, I was surprised anew at just how powerful it is.  Everything works together to bring us a captivating and emotionally rewarding story.  The theme of tolerance and the danger of hypocrisy come through without preaching.

I was also amazed at the detail in the animation.  They went so far as to include grain in the wood and texture in the stone.  Some of these shots are art.

There are a total of eight songs in the film, and they are all Broadway caliber.  Of course, what else would you expect from the team of Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz?  They range from the fun "Topsy Turvy Day" and "A Guy Like You" to the ballad "Out There."  My favorite is "God Help the Outcasts."  This song, sung by Esmeralda, is so serious and absolutely perfect.  It's one of my all time favorite Disney songs.

Equally good is the voice cast.  At first, some of the voices seem okay, but as the story advances and the situations grow in intensity, they really pull out all the stops to make these characters real to us.

The only problem the movie has is its schizophrenic nature.  As you would expect from Disney, they are trying to appeal to kids.  To that end, they've given Quasimodo three gargoyle friends named Victor, Hugo, and Laverne (played by Charles Kimbrough, Jason Alexander, and Mary Wickes respectively).  They act as Quasi's conscience and comic relief.  I enjoy their scenes and the humor they provide, but many adults will find them a turn off.

The subject matter and themes are really more adult in nature.  Honestly, outside of the gargoyle scenes, I'm not sure that kids would even follow what is truly happening.  And they certainly wouldn't find it as moving as an adult.

And that's not even counting the song "Hellfire."  Frollo sings it late in the movie and it expresses the inner battle he is having with his "fleshly" desires for Esmeralda.  Couple the words with some of the images, and I still shake my head over how the film missed getting the PG rating is deserved.  I'm not sure the images are worse than the "Night on Bald Mountain" sequence from Fantasia, but couple them with the words and it's not exactly kid friendly.

I do recommend The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  But I suggest that parents watch it before they turn their young kids loose with it.  Teens and adults will find the complexity of the story and characters a surprising change from many animated films and definitely shouldn't miss it.

As a bit of trivia, watch the "Out There" sequence for a cameo by a previous Disney heroine from another movie directed by this movie's duo of Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise.