Clopin Trouillefou

Clopin is a supporting character and the narrator of Disney's 1996 animated feature film The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
== Background ==
Clopin is the leader of the Romani people residing in Paris and is exceedingly protective of their headquarters, the Court of Miracles. He works as a jester and puppeteer, and acts as the master of ceremonies for the Festival of Fools. He also provides the opening and closing narration of the film.
=== Personality ===
Clopin is unusual for a prominent Disney character because of his neutrality toward both good and evil. One moment he is performing street theater for children, then he dances throughout town as the Feast of Fools celebration is underway, and the next, he is about to hang the film's heroes. He maintains a rather macabre sense of humor, such as when arranging the hanging of Quasimodo and Phoebus, frequently using head puns and other jokes.
He uses puppets and street theater to tell stories, sometimes using one of himself which he will argue within jest, and ultimately always overrules.
As the movie's narrator, Clopin has a great deal of knowledge about Quasimodo's past, seemingly more than Quasimodo himself, suggesting that to know the whole story, throughout Paris, he must have plenty of contacts.
Clopin is also very caring towards his people and loves children. Most fans speculate that he is related to Esmeralda, and this portrayal is popular in a lot of HoND fanfic (mostly as either cousins or adoptive siblings).
=== Physical appearance ===
Clopin, as a Rom, is a tan-skinned man with shoulder-length black hair, black eyes, a long nose, and a black beard.
Clopin has two main outfits in the film. The first is his jester-like costume, which includes a fuchsia mask with yellow trimming. The color scheme of this outfit is violet, fuchsia, and yellow. He also has a cowl with gold bells on the ends. On his leggings, one leg is purple, while the other is bright purple with vertical gold stripes.
His outfit while in The Court of Miracles is darker in tone, with the cowl being purple and ragged, the mask notably absent, and the leggings solidly purple. There is very little gold trimming.
For both outfits, Clopin wears curled-toed shoes, black gloves, an earring on his left ear, and a large-brimmed purple hat, which is slightly torn and has a large yellow feather fixed to the top.
=== Abilities ===
Clopin is a talented performer and storyteller, never failing to keep his audience's attention. He is gifted in ventriloquism. He is able to perform many acrobatic feats, as well as magic tricks and split-second costume changes. He is also gifted in singing. In "The Bells of Notre Dame", he ends the song with a powerful high D note.
He is also a skilled leader whose people look up to him and follow his lead without question. As the emcee of the Feast of Fools, he is able to command and direct crowds of non-Roma who, under most circumstances, would otherwise be hostile toward him. He is very good with the children he entertains with his puppet shows, and he is able to put them at ease despite their parents' misgivings about the Roma.
== Appearances ==
=== The Hunchback of Notre Dame ===
Clopin appears at the beginning of the movie, narrating to Parisian children through street theater and the song "The Bells of Notre Dame" the story of Quasimodo, explaining how Frollo all but murdered Quasimodo's mother, and then intended to drown her child before the eyes of the Virgin Mother, Notre Dame herself. He explains how the Archdeacon stops Frollo from killing Quasimodo, and the cruel meaning of his name. He concludes the song by asking the children "who is the monster and who is the man?," referring to both Quasimodo and Frollo.
Clopin is next seen singing the song "Topsy Turvy", leading the Feast of Fools as master of ceremonies and dragging Quasimodo into the song despite his attempts to hide. When Quasimodo is pulled up on stage and it is revealed that he is not wearing a mask but it is his true face, Clopin hurries to calm the shocked crowd, pointing out that "We asked for the ugliest face in Paris, and here he is, Quasimodo, the Hunchback of Notre Dame!" He then leads the crowd in crowning Quasimodo. He plays no part whatsoever in Quasimodo's humiliation.
Clopin next appears in far less gaudy attire to sing "The Court of Miracles" when Phoebus and Quasimodo discover the Court of Miracles, arranging for the rapid hanging of them both as he suspects them to both be spies for Frollo. Esmerelda stops him from opening the trap, and he claims ignorance of their innocence (albeit in a manner that suggests he simply wasn't listening). Unfortunately, when Quasimodo is tracked to the Court, Clopin is shown captured as well as the other Gypsies, Esmerelda, and Phoebus.
His fourth appearance is briefly during the climax of the film where Esmeralda is at the pyre before Notre Dame. When Quasimodo rescues Esmeralda, Phoebus breaks free and rouses the civilians into action, and Clopin is seen jumping out of one of the many cages that hold the Gypsies freed by the civilians. Along with the civilians, they attack Frollo's soldiers.
Finally, Clopin lifts one of the small children seen at the beginning, after openly applauding Quasimodo as the latter leaves the cathedral. He sings the reprise of "The Bells of Notre Dame" as Quasimodo is led as a hero through the streets of Paris.
=== The Hunchback of Notre Dame II ===
In The Hunchback of Note Dame II, Clopin is no longer the narrator as in the first one and plays a much smaller role. He's seen at the beginning of the movie singing about the Festival of Love with Quasimodo and the rest of the civilians. He's later seen again announcing a circus led by Sarousch. Then he later appears in front of a crowd playing with his puppets that are based on the Festival of Love. Then, just as in the first one, he is seen introducing Esmeralda as she dances for the festival. Later when the Archdeacon of Notre Dame announces that the cathedral's famous bell La Fidèle has been stolen, Clopin appears for the fifth time warning the people of Paris that they must find the bell or the festival will be ruined. The last time he appears is during the Festival of Love, in which he smiles and looks above at Quasimodo and Madellaine on top of the cathedral before they proclaim their love for each other.
=== Other appearances ===
A figurine of Clopin appears in The Wonderful Spring of Mickey Mouse, among the memories in Mickey's house.
== Musical ==
Clopin is the storyteller, leader of the Court of Miracles, and the Festival of Fools. Clopin does very little for the plot but he seems to enjoy regaling the tale to the audience and providing exposition. In his storyteller role, he dresses like an old beggar which further separates his character into two distinct characters, unlike the movie where he dresses as the same person.
== Disney Parks ==
Clopin appears as a very rare walkaround character in many Disney parks. He also has a restaurant in Hong Kong Disneyland called Clopin's Festival of Foods.
At Disneyland, Clopin is incorporated into the Fantasy Faire as a dancing figure inside of a large music box in the village square.
== Trivia ==
* In the novel, Clopin uses a scythe during the battle of Notre Dame. In the film, he's not even shown actually fighting, and the only weapon he's ever seen with is a dagger strapped to his waist.
* In the novel, Clopin is shown to have very little patience with children. In the film, he enjoys being around children and doing puppet shows for them.
* The name Clopin Trouillefou translates roughly to "stumbling, scary fool," and refers to Clopin's crippled beggar persona in the novel. This suggests that his name is actually a stage name, and his real name remains unknown.
* Originally, Clopin was supposed to rally the Parisians to oppose Frollo and defend Notre Dame. But these lines were given to Phoebus to close out his character arc.
* Though he is often referred to by fans as the King of Gypsies, this title is never given to Clopin in the novel or in the Disney film. In the novel, he is known as the King of Truands (outcasts, thieves). The title "King of Gypsies" is not used formally by the Roma, and when it is used, it's given to a (usually) low ranking member of the community whose job is to act as a decoy or scapegoat, protecting the community from persecution by redirecting the attention of authorities.
* Clopin is one of three characters to absorb the traits of Pierre Gringoire, a major character in the original novel. Clopin inherited Gringoire's penchant for writing and performing plays, storytelling, and poetry.
Category:Adults
Category:Characters
Category:Human
Category:Male