Magical Musical Extravaganza

I could have taken any Disney movie and reviewed it, there are so many wonderfully animated films that Disney have produced. By using their special Disney magic they have provided us with some beautiful films, with voices from some very special actors, along with some of the most haunting and beautiful songs, time, money and total dedication is what makes Disney films what they are and they never fail to deliver exactly what we, the people want.

Disney's The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (Film Only Review)

I chose The Hunch Back Of Notre Dame because personally, I think it is the best they have produced to date. This is my favorite of all the Disney films, everything about this film in my opinion is superb. I know it's an old one now and you probably know everything there is to know about this film already, but if for some strange reason you don't know about this movie, apart from asking you where you have been, and how could you possibly have missed it, then this review is for you.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of the many Disney classics, produced for our entertainment in 1996, directed by Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale, the same directors as "Beauty and the Beast".
This film is Disney's 34th animated feature film and is said to be the biggest hit since "Beauty and the Beast". The inspiration for this film came from Victor Hugo's classic novel of the same name. On researching this film I found that the animators for the film spent a lot of time at the actual Notre Dame Cathedral, taking photographs and making hundreds of sketches, so they could get every little bit of the architecture just right. I believe they did a fantastic job inside and out, of creating their very own "Notre Dame Cathedral" Disney style.

The Story

The story centers around Quasimodo, (so called because the word Quasimodo means, half-formed) a deformed bell ringer who has spent his entire life locked up in the bell tower of Notre Dame cathedral. As he is deformed and ugly he knows he would not be accepted into society easily, this being the case, he has spent his life locked away, keeping to himself, where he spends his days dreaming of the day, if and when he will be accepted into society and be just like everyone else.

The film is fabulously narrated by Paul Kandel who provides the voice of Clopin, the mischievous court jester also leader of the gypsies, he tells the heartfelt story of poor Quasimodo as it unfolds, the film begins with a group of gypsies, among them a couple carry a small bundle. The small bundle is no other than Quasimodo, a baby so hideously ugly. The gypsies are seen to be sneaking into the country and when the woman carrying the small bundle is spotted, she is believed to be carrying stolen goods and so the bundle is snatched from her and she is killed. Once it is realized that the bundle is that of an infant child, then begins Quasimodo's life in the bell tower. Time passes and Quasimodo grows up, entering into the film then is the beautiful gypsy girl Esmeralda, who meets and befriends Quasimodo when she seeks sanctuary in the Cathedral. Although she herself is beautiful to the core she realizes that most beauty is only skin deep, seeing beyond Quasimodo's deformity.

Esmeralda wants rights for her people and she will fight for what she believes in. Quasimodo just wants to be free to roam the streets of Notre Dame, the same as everyone else. He is so hideously ugly and deformed that his keeper Frollo has nicknamed him "The Monster" and with years of constantly being reminded of this, Quasimodo knows he'll never be allowed out, for fear of being seen by the people of Notre Dame. But then he sees his chance to get a taste of what it is like, when the festival of fools comes around.

So the village are gathered for the festival of fools, the biggest party of the year. Although Quasimodo is forbidden to leave the bell tower, he decides he is going to venture out, into the festival of fools where everywhere you turn people are dressed in costumes, disguising themselves, so Quasimodo sees this as his chance to spend his one day out there. So begins his adventure bursting with action and suspense with some extraordinary surprises along the way.

There is a darker side to the film, Frollo wants to see Esmeralda burned at the stake, although he is secretly in love with her, he knows he will never have her for his own and so decides no one else will have her either. Although some little children could find parts of this film a little upsetting, I feel Disney have done a good job in catering for this and it is made clear that the evil ones always lose in the end. Always a happy ending ensuring total appreciation from adults and children alike.

Then the story reaches it's tremendous, glorious finale. This film lets you experience the power, the magic and all the fun you'd expect from a Disney classic. In my opinion, you haven't seen the best of Disney until you've seen "The Hunchback Of Notre Dame".

Doing It Disney Style

Disney have taken the original novel, that was far to dark and deep for any child to appreciate and turned it into a magical, musical extravaganza. This included adding the films comical characters, the stone gargoyles situated high up outside the bell tower, so placed so that Quasimodo has companions to talk to. This certainly adds to the magic of the film which keeps children alert and interested, it certainly kept my girls happy all those years ago when we sat and watched this movie together. We watched this film over and over again, to the point of knowing the script by heart, my girls could recite the entire film, songs included from start to finish and we never tired of watching it. This Disney film was a huge success in our household and still remains a favorite of mine. For me It's just Disney doing what they do best, Disney style.

For me this film just gets better and better as it goes along. I love the songs they have included in the film, they are sung in such a heartfelt way it's so easy to get swept away with the beauty of it all. My favorite songs in the film are "Out There" the song Quasimodo sings close to the beginning of the film, the song tells how he just wants one day to be normal and live among everyone else, the song is beautifully sung and sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it. My other favorite is Esmeralda's song "God help the outcasts" this song is sung by Heidi Mollenhauer, she has such a beautiful voice, however Esmeralda's speaking voice is done by Demi Moore. I love this song because it totally focus' on how much she wants God to help the needy, while she asks for nothing for herself.

Other songs in the film include:

"The Bells of Notre Dame"
"Topsy Turvy"
"Heaven's Light"
"Hellfire"
"A Guy Like You"
"The Court of Miracles"

No Disney film would be complete without the fabulous singing and dancing that they all contain and "The Hunchback Of Notre Dame" is no exception and in my opinion, each and every one of the songs included in this film are sung brilliantly and fit just perfectly.

The Darker Side

Although the typical Disney film is all about family entertainment, I felt for a Disney movie this one had something of a dark, somewhat evil nature. I do realize and understand that every Disney film has it's evil baddie as it were, but this film in particular seems to go a lot deeper into the evil side, this attracting my attention even more and making me believe that this film was not only aimed at a young audience but also concentrated on keeping the older audience interested. This worked in my case as I was totally enthralled with this film. Although I found out that this film received 72% of positive reviews, it is said that it was still placed on their list of "Kids films inappropriate for children" and I also read that the film also received some criticism from fans of the original novel, claiming the film had been rearranged too much.

London's The Daily Mail called The Hunchback of Notre Dame "Disney's darkest picture, with a pervading atmosphere of racial tension, religious bigotry and mob hysteria".

It is said that it was down to the majority that were all in favor of this timeless classic that Disney had so cleverly made into a masterpiece, that it resulted in making 21 million dollars in its opening weekend, the film opened in second place at the box office.

The Cast

Quasimodo (voiced by Tom Hulce) ---The Hunchback
Esmeralda (voiced by Demi Moore, singing voice by Heidi Mollenhauer) --- The Gypsy Girl
Judge Claude Frollo (voiced by Tony Jay) --- Quasimodo's Keeper
Captain Phoebus (voiced by Kevin Kline) --- Esmeralda's Love Interest
Clopin (voiced by Paul Kandel) --- The Narrator and leader of the Gypsies
Victor, Hugo, and Laverne (voiced by Charles Kimbrough, Jason Alexander, and Mary Wickes*, respectively) --- The Three Stone Gargoyles
The Archdeacon (voiced by David Ogden Stiers) --- A Good Guy, who helps many characters out throughout the film.

The Hunchback Of Notre Dame is certificate U, and the approximate running time is 87 minuets.

Awards the film has won

BMI Film Music Award
Satellite Awards Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature
Golden Screen, Germany
Artios Award, Best Casting for Animated Voiceover

Where To Buy And The Price

I have reviewed the film only as I only have this film on VHS so therefore do not know of any extras the DVD may have, however Amazon are currently selling the DVD for £14.97 but I have seen it for much less on various different sites.

Thank you for reading my review which is also posted on other sites.