The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film)
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| The Hunchback of Notre Dame | |
|---|---|
| Image:Hunchbackposter.jpg | |
| Directed by | Gary Trousdale Kirk Wise |
| Produced by | Roy Conli Don Hahn |
| Written by | Victor Hugo (novel) Irene Mecchi Tab Murphy David Stainton |
| Starring | Tom Hulce Demi Moore Tony Jay Kevin Kline Paul Kandel Jason Alexander Charles Kimbrough Mary Wickes |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Pictures |
| Release date(s) | June 21, 1996 |
| Running time | 87 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | Pocahontas (1995) |
| Followed by | Hercules (1997) |
| IMDb profile | |
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (also known as The Bells of Notre Dame in some countries) is the thirty-fourth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released to theaters on June 21, 1996, and loosely based on Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. While the basic structure remains, the film differs greatly from its source material. The plot centers on the gypsy dancer, Esmeralda; Claude Frollo, a powerful and ruthless judge who lusts after her; Quasimodo, the protagonist, Notre Dame's kind-hearted but deformed bellringer, who adores her; and Phoebus, the chivalrous if irreverent military captain, who holds affections for her.
The film was produced by Don Hahn, and directed by Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale. The songs for the musical film were composed by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz and featured the voices of Tom Hulce, Demi Moore, Tony Jay, Kevin Kline, Paul Kandel, Jason Alexander, Charles Kimbrough, Mary Wickes and David Ogden Stiers. A direct-to-video sequel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, was released in 2002.
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[edit] Plot
The movie opens in Paris with Clopin, a gypsy puppeteer, telling a group of children a story about the bellringer of Notre Dame ("The Bells of Notre Dame"): One night long ago, four gypsies tried to enter Notre Dame but were stopped by Judge Claude Frollo, the Minister of Justice. One gypsy woman, carrying a bundle, attempts to flee, but is caught and killed by Frollo. Frollo then realizes that her bundle is a baby, which he attempts to drown; he is stopped by the Archdeacon, who tells him to care for the child to save his soul from Hell. He reluctantly agrees, naming the baby Quasimodo, "...which means 'half-formed.'".
Twenty years pass, and Quasimodo is now facially deformed and with a crooked back. For the past twenty years, Frollo has locked him in the belltower to "protect" him from the cruel and wicked world below. Quasi is watched over by his three guardian angels, in the form of stone gargyoles: Victor, Hugo and Lavern. On January 6, the day of the "Festival of Fools", Frollo realizes Quasi's desire to join the crowd. Frollo warns about how the world will reject him, but Quasi dreams of joining them nevertheless ("Out There").
Meanwhile, Phoebus, Captain of the Guard, returns to Paris after helping "the war effort" for many years. He helps save a gypsy dancer, Esmeralda, from being arrested before meeting Frollo. Frollo tells of his plans to kill the gypsies in Paris by destroying their sanctuary, known as the Court of Miracles. As the Festival of Fools begins, the two of them head into town to join the crowd. At the same time, Quasi sneaks out of the tower in disguise and watches the Festival, where Clopin is performing ("Tospy Turvy").
Amidst the festivities, Quasi briefly meets the beautiful Esmeralda and is fascinated by her. When she dances on stage, Phoebus is fascinated as well, and Frollo is seduced yet disgusted. When the time comes to crown the ugliest member of the crowd as the King of Fools, Quasi is chosen and then crowned (the humorous behavior of the crowd leads Quasi to think he is being honored). Moments later, the crowd ties him down and throws food at him. Despite Quasi's appeals for help, Frollo does nothing, much to the disgust of Esmeralda, who saves Quasi from the crowd before disappearing into Notre Dame. Frollo orders a city-wide search for Esmeralda, believing she is a witch, while an ashamed Quasi promises never to disobey Frollo again.
Phoebus flirts with Esmeralda in Notre Dame, although her pet goat Djali doesn't approve. Frollo finds her but is unable to act because she has claimed sanctuary and is supported by the Archdeacon. While alone, Esmeralda sings of a better world for the gypsies ("God Help the Outcasts"). She then finds Quasi in the bell tower, and Quasi falls in love with her because she is kind to him. He helps her escape Notre Dame before singing of his love for her ("Heaven's Light").
Meanwhile, Frollo is disturbed by his own lust for Esmeralda and fears eternal damnation as a consequence ("Hellfire"). When informed that Esmeralda has escaped, he goes hunting for her around the suburbs. He and his guards begin burning down houses and assaulting people who they suspect of harboring gypsies. Phoebus intervenes during one of these inquisitions and is shot by Frollo's soldiers. Left by Frollo for dead, Phoebus is saved surreptitiously by Esmeralda. Meanwhile, in the cathedral, the gargoyles reassure Quasi that Esmeralda return his love ("A Guy Like You"). Moments later, Esmeralda arrives and asks Quasi to keep Phoebus safe; he dislikes Phoebus but agrees out of love for Esmeralda. He is then heartbroken at the obvious affection they display toward one another.
That night, Frollo arrives and tells Quasi that he is going to storm the Court of Miracles the next morning with one thousand soldiers. Quasi and Phoebus venture out and find the Court, but are believed to be spies and are captured by Clopin and the gypsy guard ("The Court of Miracles"). Their "trial" and execution is stopped by Esmeralda, but Frollo, having followed Quasi to the Court with soldiers arrives at the same time. Frollo orders Quasi to be locked in the belltower and arrests everyone else, announcing that Esmeralda will be burned at the stake the following day.
The next day, to the seeming disgust of the large crowd, Frollo is preparing to burn Esmeralda in front of the cathedral. Quasi, his determination restored by the encouragement of the gargoyles, breaks free of his chains and snatches her from the pyre, taking her up to the belltower and claiming sanctuary. Phoebus and the arrested gypsies break free, incite the citizenry against Frollo's unjust rule, and together storm Notre Dame against Frollo's men. In the confusion, Frollo manages to break into the cathedral where he finds Quasi weeping over the unconscious Esmeralda. Frollo attempts to kill Quasi, promising to "end his pain," but Quasi fights back.
Quasi and the semi-conscious Esmeralda escape onto the balcony, and Frollo follows. Frollo corners them and is raising his sword to kill them both when the gargoyle he is standing on fractures, and Frollo plummets to the burning city below. Quasi falls from the tower himself, but is caught and saved by Phoebus. Quasi then "gives his blessing" to Esmeralda and Phoebus's relationship. The three of them exit the cathedral triumphantly, but the crowd is still wary of Quasi because of his appearance. When a young girl shows no fear of him, the crowd accepts and honors him with a spontaneous parade, while Clopin sings a reprise of "The Bells of Notre Dame."
[edit] Overview
Hunchback is considerably more adult-oriented than the usual Disney fare and touches on themes of sin, religion, and hate. In addition, some disturbing images appear throughout the movie, such as one scene in which the sounds of a prisoner being whipped are heard in the background. As the company has a reputation as a makers of children's animation, this resulted in criticism. On the other hand, others praised the film for the very same reasons it was criticized, and the film was one of the last products of Disney's 1990s renaissance in the production of animated features, which spawned The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Hercules, Mulan, and Tarzan. The film was still successful, opening at #2 and taking just over $100 million in domestic income and $325 million worldwide.
[edit] Reaction
The Hunchback of Notre Dame opened on June 21, 1996 to very mixed and conflicting reviews. James Berardinelli awarded the film three stars out of four, saying that "those who carefully review the family entertainment competition this summer will rightfully conclude that Hunchback is the surest bet." [1] However, the review still focused on a large number of negative qualities, such as the "lifeless" soundtrack and that the film "struggles to distinguish itself" from the company’s past successes (Berardinelli frequently commented throughout the review that Hunchback was the least-enjoyable Disney film since The Little Mermaid).
Similar views were shared in Christopher Null’s review at filmcritic.com. Null commented that "the story is so boilerplate and the songs so unbearable that Hunchback is hardly a worthwhile film." Indeed, Null was much more negative than Berardinelli, giving the film two stars out of five; he noted that the studio was at its worst in 1996. [2]
On the other hand, Roger Ebert awarded the film four stars out of four and hailed it as, "the best Disney animated feature since Beauty and the Beast - a whirling, uplifting, thrilling story with a heart-touching message that emerges from the comedy and song." Near the end of the review, Ebert stated: "More than Aladdin or The Lion King, certainly more than Pocahontas, it is as good for its story and message as for its animation." [3]
Predictably, a large amount of criticism was provided by fans of Victor Hugo’s novel, who were very unhappy with the changes Disney made to the material. One particularly notable criticism of the movie is that it handles the theme of religion very differently (and much less controversially) from the novel. The most striking illustration of this is that although the movie omits a number of characters from the novel (such as Gringoire and Paquette), it also adds a character in the person of the benevolent but ineffectual archdeacon of Notre Dame; Frollo was the archdeacon in the novel. Still, part of Frollo's hatred for the gypsies stems from his religious beliefs.
The character of Phoebus is also completely reversed from the book. In this film, his love is not sanctioned, nor approved of, but other than the prejudices due to an interracial marriage, there is no problem. In the book, Phoebus is a cruel, manipulative man, who is engaged to a girl named Fleur-de-Lys, but spends a night with Esmeralda out of lust, not even learning her name. He ignores her later cries of love and for help and allows her to die to keep his fiancée.
Some people thought the movie was too dark for the kids that previous Disney movies have been for.
[edit] Trivia
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame received one Oscar nomination for Best Original Score by Alan Menken.
- Soundtrack features the Goofy holler.
- This was Mary Wickes' last film. She died of cancer before she finished all her lines (Jane Withers provided the remaining dialogue).
- The names of the three gargoyles are Victor, Hugo, and Laverne, after Victor Hugo, author of the original novel, and one of the three Andrews Sisters, LaVerne.
- The name of Phoebus' horse in the film is Achilles. During one of the first scenes where we see Phoebus, he beckons his horse to follow by saying, "Achilles, heel." This is an overt reference to the story of the weakness of Achilles, and this same story is briefly told in another Disney animated feature, Hercules.
- Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Carpet from Aladdin, and Pumbaa from The Lion King can all be seen in one of the scenes.
- In Japan, the title of this movie was changed to The Bells of Notre Dame (ノートルダムの鐘) because the word "hunchback" (せむし男, semushi-otoko) is seen as discriminating against the physically disabled, and it is listed on the "taboo words for broadcasting" for Japanese television.
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame is Disney's second animated film to have an interracial couple, Phoebus and Esmeralda, preceded only by Pocahantas and John Smith.
Phoebus means sun-god in Greek text nottobeconfused with Apollo
[edit] Soundtrack Listing
- The Bells Of Notre Dame - Paul Kandel/David Ogden Stiers/Tony Jay/Chor
- Out There - Tony Jay/Tom Hulce
- Topsy Turvy - Paul Kandel/Chor
- Humiliation (Score) - Alan Menken/Chor
- God Help The Outcasts - Heidi Mollenhauer/Chor
- The Bell Tower (Score) - Alan Menken
- Heaven's Light/Hellfire - Tom Hulce/Tony Jay/Chor
- A Guy Like You - Jason Alexander/Charles Kimbrough/Mary Wickes/Mary Stout
- Paris Burning (Score) - Alan Menken
- The Court Of Miracles - Paul Kandel/Chor
- Sanctuary! (Score) - Alan Menken/Chor
- And He Shall Smite The Wicked (Score) - Alan Menken/Chor
- Into The Sunlight (Score) - Alan Menken
- The Bells Of Notre Dame (Reprise) - Paul Kandel/Chor
- Someday - All-4-One
- God Help The Outcasts - Bette Midler
[edit] Adaptations
This was adapted into a darker, more gothic musical production, re-written and directed by James Lapine and produced by the Disney theatrical branch, in Berlin, Germany. Considered to be a great boost for tourists in Germany, the musical Der Glöckner von Notre Dame (translated in English as The Bellringer of Notre Dame) was very successful and played from 1999 to 2002, before closing. A cast recording was also recorded in German. More recently, Bellringer has been scheduled for a live action TV film on ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney, as well as a possible American theatrical production, like Disney's other successful musical adaptations of their films now playing on Broadway.
[edit] Credits
[edit] Voice cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Tom Hulce | Quasimodo |
| Demi Moore | Esmeralda |
| Tony Jay | Judge Claude Frollo |
| Kevin Kline | Captain Phoebus |
| Paul Kandel | Clopin |
| Jason Alexander | Hugo |
| Charles Kimbrough | Victor |
| Mary Wickes | Laverne |
| David Ogden Stiers | The Archdeacon |
| Mary Kay Bergman | Quasimodo's mother |
Singing voices
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Heidi Mollenhauer | Esmeralda |
[edit] Supervising animators
[edit] External links
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Internet Movie Database
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Big Cartoon DataBase
| Stephen Schwartz |
|---|
| Music and Lyrics: Butterflies Are Free • Godspell • Pippin • The Magic Show • The Baker's Wife • Working • Personals • The Trip • Children of Eden • Wicked • Thiruvasagam Lyrics: Mass • Rags Recordings: Reluctant Pilgrim • Uncharted Territory Films: Pocahontas (lyrics) • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (lyrics) • The Prince of Egypt • Enchanted (lyrics) Television: Geppetto |
es:El jorobado de Notre Dame fr:Le Bossu de Notre-Dame it:Il gobbo di Notre Dame (film 1996) he:הגיבן מנוטרדם (סרט) ja:ノートルダムの鐘 pt:The Hunchback of Notre Dame fi:Notre Damen kellonsoittaja (1996) sv:Ringaren i Notre Dame (film, 1996) zh:钟楼怪人
