My Review of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney)"

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney) is a beautifully animated movie from 1996. This movie may be 25 years old but the visuals are still breathtaking when watched today. For a Disney film I was expecting a simple story but there's a lot of elements to this movie that I didn't expect. There are a lot of pretty heavy subjects that they touch upon but aren't absolutely obvious to everyone.

This movie starts off in 15th century Paris. There's a flashback of when our main protagonist Quasimodo is a newborn. His mother is trying to find refuge for him as he is greatly disfigured. In those times there was a lot of infanticide based on what babies looked like. It's a far cry from the more compassionate times of today. I wonder if people question just how cruel people were back in the days when they watch this movie.

It isn't really show in detail but it kind of makes it out that the main antagonist Frollo kills Quasimodo's mother and takes him in. After 20 years Frollo has trained Quasimodo to be his faithful servant at the roof of the Notre Dame cathedral. 20 years is a long time to be all alone up there ringing bells for the cathedral.

Quasimodo basically keeps himself busy by doing chores and watching the citizens of Paris. They have a big festival every year and this one year he really wants to check out the festivities. Obviously Frollo forbids Quasimodo from even exiting the cathedral so Quasimodo has to sneak out to check it out.

At the big festival we're met with new characters one is the beautiful Esmeralda and the dashing knight Phoebus. It seems as though Quasimodo, Phoebus and Frollo all fall for Esmerelda. That's when the story really begins.

There's a lot to talk about with this movie. There are a ton of social issues in this movie that can even be relatable today. The whole aspect of beauty is a big element in this movie. Obviously since Quasimodo is considered hideous to the rest of the citizens makes me kind of relate to today's climate with social media. Everyone is gawks at the extremes, the beauty of Esmeralda and the ugliness of Quasimodo.

We see how the citizens are flip flopping their opinions based on others around them. They could be cheering on Quasimodo for one moment and instantaneously change their opinion on him with one person that throws a tomato at him. The citizens continue to flip flop on their opinion of Quasimodo so many times throughout this movie. I find that this is very similar to how our social media climate is today. Their moods change immediately for comedic effect however today with social media this speed is pretty much on point.

The movie also touches on racial and socio economic discrepancies. Gypsies are portrayed as an evil racial group. It's something that the older generation teaches their youth. We see this when Quasimodo is confronted by Esmeralda about her race. Quasimodo has been told all his life from his master Frollo that Gypsies are evil. He finds out that we don't really know a person until we talk to them and understand what they're about. Pretty interesting takes on race and social relations and it's a Disney movie from 1996.

We also have a conversation about ego. For some today they would call it toxic masculinity. Frollo has issues with his ego. He's the most powerful man in Paris so when someone makes him look like a fool or does not listen to him he punishes them. Even worse is that when he can't get what he wants he will burn down Paris to get it.

He's a self righteous man and truly believes that he's right all the time. With Esmeralda in the picture he believes that she is evil because she tempts the hearts of men. He's surprised even he has succumbed to her charms. With that said, he knows that there's no way she'll ever be interested in him so if he can't have her nobody will. He then goes on a tirade to rid her from existence.

Frollo is a very interesting character because there's many aspects to his evil. Quasimodo is just as interesting for the same reason but for good. He's the polar opposite of Frollo. He loves Esmeralda as well but he knows what's good from bad. Even though he loves Esmeralda he's willing to help Esmeralda and her love interest Phoebus. They show that he is jealous but he won't act on the rage he has inside of himself. He's a realist and has accepted the fact that he will not have a romantic relationship with Esmeralda. It's tragic but sometimes we all have to understand our own limitations. Life is not fair and it isn't for Quasimodo. Instead his happy ending is if the townsfolk accept him so he can walk among them freely in the city.

Even the Notre Dame cathedral has a role in this movie. It's a safe haven for the downtrodden. Notre Dame is sanctuary for everyone and it's interesting how Disney has added this religious element to the movie as none of their previous movies ever had religious undertones. I thought they did it respectfully but still explain the significance of the cathedral to the people of Paris.

They also had a lot of Parisian elements to the movie. They show you different tourist locations and really make you start wondering if you should visit the city. Maybe after the pandemic I'll go and have a different perspective for the city.

Overall, this was a really well made animated movie by Disney. I didn't think I would like it as much as I did. It's actually surprising how many adult themes they put into this movie without making it too preachy and unwatchable for kids. I think kids and adults can both enjoy this one and that's why I have to give this movie an 8 out of 10. I would definitely recommend this movie to others and have a conversations about the different themes of the movie.