SparkNotes: Hunchback of Notre Dame: Characters Hunchback of Notre Dame Summary Book 1 Quasimodo - The hunchback of Notre Dame. Quasimodo is an abandoned child left at Notre Dame and adopted by Archdeacon Claude Frollo. Hideously deformed, he has a giant humpback, a protrusion coming out of his chest, and a giant wart that covers one of his eyes. He is also deaf. His heart is pure, and this purity is linked to the cathedral itself. Indeed, his love for Notre Dame's bells and for the beautiful sound of their ringing represents his only form of communication. The whole of Paris ironically enjoys Quasimodo's singing while at the same time detesting him for his ugliness. His name literally means "half-made." Archdeacon Claude Frollo - A priest at Notre Dame, Frollo is also the novel's antagonist. However, he is not a typical evil character bent on causing pain and suffering; instead, he is very bright and compassionate. He dearly loves his brother, Jehan and does everything in his power to make Jehan happy after their parents die.

He extends the same compassion to Quasimodo, who he tries to mold into a scholar just like his brother by teaching him how to read and write. Hugo explains Frollo's descent into black magic and madness through his failure to bring up both Jehan and Quasimodo. Jehan drinks and gambles all his money away, completely neglecting his studies, while Quasimodo's deafness makes it virtually impossible to teach him anything. The hunchback thus becomes both a symbol of failure for Frollo as well as a powerful tool of vengeance to wreak his frustrations out on the world. His obsessive lust for La Esmerelda causes her to be executed and Quasimodo to be tortured. No matter how hard he tries to make her love him, he only ends up causing her pain. La Esmerelda - The lost daughter of Sister Gudule, La Esmerelda is a beautiful gypsy street dancer. Along with her goat, Djali, she charms everyone she meets with her stunning looks and magic tricks. She keeps an amulet and other trinkets around her neck to help her find her parents. Pierre Gringoire - A struggling playwright and philosopher.

La Esmerelda saves him from being hanged by a group of vagabonds and agrees to "marry" him for four years. He later joins the vagabonds and unwittingly helps Frollo hand La Esmerelda over to the authorities. Phoebus de Chateaupers - The captain of the King's Archers, he saves La Esmerelda from Quasimodo. He does not love her, but tries to seduce her and a number of other women as well. Frollo stabs him and everyone leaves him for dead. He recovers but fails to speak up when La Esmerelda is sentenced to death for his murder. He ends up marrying Fleur-de-Lys de Gondelaurier. His first name is Greek for "the sun." Sister Gudule - La Esmerelda's long lost mother. She is a miserable recluse living in the Tour Roland, who hates to hear the sound of children playing. She is convinced that gypsies ate her adoptive daughter, Agnes, fifteen years earlier.

She hates La Esmerelda and is convinced that she is a child thief, but when she learns that she is actually her daughter, Gudule gives her life to save her. Jehan Frollo - Claude Frollo's brother. Jehan is a horrible student who gambles and drinks all his money away. He decides to join the vagabonds and Quasimodo kills him as he attacks Notre Dame. Clopin Trouillefou - Clopin disrupts Gringoire's play and later turns out to be not just a simple beggar, but "King" of the vagabonds. He tries to save La Esmerelda from being hanged but Quasimodo thinks that Clopin is trying to kill her. Louis XI - The King of France in 1482. Louis XI is a heartless monarch who lives in the Bastille instead of the Louvre. He pardons Gringoire for attacking Notre Dame but orders La Esmerelda's execution. Djali - La Esmerelda's goat. Djali can perform magic tricks and spell the name Phoebus out of a group of letters. At La Esmerelda's trial Djali is accused of being possessed by the devil.

Fleur-de-Lys de Gondelaurier - One of Phoebus's admirers, she later becomes his wife. She also humiliates La Esmerelda by mocking her clothes. Master Florian Barbedienne - The deaf judge who condemns Quasimodo to torture. Master Jacques Charmolue - One of Claude Frollo's associates. Jacques prosecutes and then tortures La Esmerelda to get her to confess to killing Phoebus. He later has her executed. More Help The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error The Hunchback of Notre Dame ( 1996 ) G | A deformed bell-ringer must assert his independence from a vicious government minister in order to help his friend, a gypsy dancer.

Directors: Gary Trousdale , Kirk Wise Writers: Tab Murphy (animation story by), Victor Hugo (from the novel "Notre Dame de Paris" by) | 23 more credits » Stars: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC Lon Chaney Hunchback Of Notre Dame January 19th at Schlafly Bottleworks 16 January 2017 7:11 PM, -08:00 | WeAreMovieGeeks.com a list of 49 titles created 24 Dec 2010 a list of 42 titles created 15 Aug 2011 a list of 36 titles created 23 Dec 2013 a list of 33 titles created 24 Nov 2014 a list of 36 titles created 01 Dec 2015 Title: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) 6.9/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Another 8 wins & 21 nominations. See more awards » Videos An English soldier and the daughter of an Algonquin chief share a romance when English colonists invade seventeenth-century Virginia. Directors: Mike Gabriel, Eric Goldberg Stars: Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt, Christian Bale A man raised by gorillas must decide where he really belongs when he discovers he is a human. Directors: Chris Buck, Kevin Lima Stars: Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, Brian Blessed The son of the Greek Gods Zeus and Hera is stripped of his immortality as an infant and must become a true hero in order to reclaim it. Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker Stars: Tate Donovan, Susan Egan, James Woods A mermaid princess makes a Faustian bargain with an unscrupulous sea-witch in order to meet a human prince on land.

Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker Stars: Jodi Benson, Rene Auberjonois, Christopher Daniel Barnes Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and 2 more credits » Stars: Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, Hans Conried To save her father from death in the army, a young maiden secretly goes in his place and becomes one of China's greatest heroines in the process. Directors: Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook Stars: Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, BD Wong Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and 1 more credit » Stars: Ilene Woods, James MacDonald, Eleanor Audley After being snubbed by the royal family, a malevolent fairy places a curse on a princess which only a prince can break, along with the help of three good fairies. Director: Clyde Geronimi Directors: William Cottrell, David Hand, and 4 more credits » Stars: Adriana Caselotti, Harry Stockwell, Lucille La Verne Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, and 1 more credit » Stars: Rod Taylor, Betty Lou Gerson, J.

Pat O'Malley When a street urchin vies for the love of a beautiful princess, he uses a genie's magic power to make himself off as a prince in order to marry her. Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker Stars: Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin Directors: Norman Ferguson, T. Hee, and 5 more credits » Stars: Dickie Jones, Christian Rub, Mel Blanc Edit Storyline In 15th century Paris, Clopin the puppeteer tells the story of Quasimodo, the misshapen but gentle-souled bell ringer of Notre Dame, who was nearly killed as a baby by Claude Frollo, the Minister of Justice. But Frollo was forced by the Archdeacon of Notre Dame to raise Quasimodo as his own. Now a young man, Quasimodo is hidden from the world by Frollo in the belltower of the cathedral. But during the Festival of Fools, Quasimodo, cheered on by his gargoyle friends Victor, Hugo, and Laverne, decides to take part in the festivities, where he meets the lovely gypsy girl Esmeralda and the handsome soldier Phoebus.

The three of them find themselves ranged against Frollo's cruelty and his attempts to destroy the home of the gypsies, the Court of Miracles. And Quasimodo must desperately defend both Esmeralda and the very cathedral of Notre Dame. Written by Kathy Li 21 June 1996 (USA) See more » Also Known As: El jorobado de Notre Dame See more » Box Office £1,143,349 (UK) (19 July 1996) Gross: Laverne's name was at first considered to Marie, after Victor Hugo's middle name. See more » Goofs When Quasimodo is seen singing "Out There" on the cathedral's roof we can see a set of copper green statues - the 12 apostles - around the central needle. These statues were not added until the 19th century during a general restoration directed by Viollet-le-Duc, a French architect who had read Victor Hugo's novel and was concerned about the possibility of Notre Dame being demolished, as some authorities of the time had considered. Consequently, it would have been impossible to see those statues at the time the movie is set.

See more » Quotes Frollo : This is an unholy demon. I'm sending it back to hell, where it belongs. The Archdeacon : [singing] See, there, the innocent blood you have spilt on the steps of Notre Dame. Frollo : I am guiltless. She ran, I pursued. The Archdeacon : [singing] Now you would add this child's blood to your guilt on the steps of Notre Dame! Frollo : My conscience is clear. The Archdeacon : [singing] You can lie to yourself and your minions, you can claim that you haven't a qualm, but you never can run from nor hide what you've done from the eyes! [pointing to statues of saints] After the final credits, the gargoyle Hugo says, "Good night, everybody!" See more » Connections Disney's Miracle of a Movie 4 October 2004 | by gpadillo (Portland, Maine) – See all my reviews A risky wedding of wholesome classic animation, to adult and often dark-themed material. The risk paid off and the result is one of the greatest achievements of Disney Studios.

The animation here is first rate and the entire thing is shot like a live-action film with some incredible long shots, great theatrical panning and even at one point, during Quasimodo's song "Out There" a realistic camera flare (I did a double take the first time I saw it!) Hunchback is filled with all sorts of great "tricks" like this. Lighting effects here are nothing short of magnificent  often subtle they sometimes change in an instant dramatically altering the mood of the piece. Frodo's demonic song "Hellfire" is perhaps one the most sinister and frightening moments to emerge from Disney and the animators let loose. The prologue to the movie alone is a minor masterpiece and, like Beauty and the Beast, marvelously prepares us for the whirlwind of a story to take place. The complaints about the singing and dancing gargoyles Victor, Hugo and Laverne, are simply wrongheaded. I read the Hugo classic too, and know they're not in there. What the complainants fail to realize is these gargoyles live only in Quasimodo's imagination. He invented these companions to ease an otherwise tortured, lonely, friendless life.

The culmination of all of this becomes obvious in the spectacular song "A guy like you" which finishes with pigeons flying and hearts and banners and ribbons and Quasimodo being celebrated and then BAM immediately upon the conclusion of the final notes, the room becomes the same dark, dank, splintering tower filled with relics, junk and heartbreak. It's one of the movie's most shattering effects. While deserved praise goes to the animators and crew, the voice talent here is, in my opinion, Disney's very best. Tom Hulce goes to the very soul of Quasimodo and gives a performance that is as poignant and shattering as anything he has done (Hulce also happened to be the best Hamlet I've ever seen.) Certain lines ("I am a monster, you know") will ring in my ear forever. Hulce has a beautiful voice and renders "Out there" with such abandon and vigor it makes my hair stand on end.

In the quiet "Heaven's light" (which sequences into a stunning shot of the bells frantically ringing the opening theme), Hulce brings a fragility to such lines as "no face as hideous as my face, was ever meant for Heaven's light" that only a heart of stone would not be moved. Switching from pathos to rage, Hulce lets us feel the hidden rage and danger that this character also possesses. It is a truly remarkable performance. Demi Moore, Kevin Kline, Tony Jay, Paul Kandel  and the rest of the cast all sound at the top of their game creating wonderful and vivid characters. Alan Menkin and Stephen Schwartz get to the heart of the matter with score and songs  a sound  that are as integral a part of the telling of this story as the animation and voices. Hunchback is a miracle of a movie! 57 of 62 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later.

X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error The Hunchback of Notre Dame ( 1939 ) Not Rated | In 15th century France, a gypsy girl is framed for murder by the infatuated Chief Justice, and only the deformed bellringer of Notre Dame Cathedral can save her. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 35 titles created 02 Mar 2011 a list of 41 titles created 14 Mar 2011 a list of 22 titles created 27 Jan 2013 a list of 44 titles created 30 Jan 2013 a list of 44 titles created 5 months ago Title: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) 7.9/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 2 Oscars.

See more awards » Videos The timeless tale of the seductive gypsy Esmeralda and the tortured hunchback Quasimodo. Director: Jean Delannoy In fifteenth century Paris, the brother of the archdeacon plots with the gypsy king to foment a peasant revolt. Meanwhile, a freakish hunchback falls in love with the gypsy queen. Director: Wallace Worsley In 19th century India, three British soldiers and a native waterbearer must stop a secret mass revival of the murderous Thuggee cult before it can rampage across the land. Director: George Stevens A disfigured man is feared and tormented by the townspeople of Notre Dame, but he has a sensitive nature of which few are aware. Director: Michael Tuchner An aged teacher and former headmaster of a boarding school recalls his career and his personal life over the decades. Directors: Sam Wood, Sidney Franklin Stars: Robert Donat, Greer Garson, Terry Kilburn The Hunchback (TV Movie 1997) Drama | Horror | Romance Based on the novel, a young gypsy becomes a Minister's obsession in 1483.

Only the bell ringer and her husband and the court of miracles can save her. Director: Peter Medak Edit Storyline King Louis XI is a wise and old king and Frollo is the Chief Justice. Frollo gazes on the gypsy girl, Esmeralda, in the church during Fool's Day and sends Quasimodo to catch her. Quasimodo, with the girl, is captured by Phoebus, Captain of the Guards, who frees the girl. The courts sentence Quasimodo to be flogged, and the only one who will give him water while he is tied in the square is Esmeralda. Later, at a party of nobles, Esmeralda again meets both Frollo, who is bewitched by her, and Phoebus. When Phoebus is stabbed to death, Esmeralda is accused of the murder, convicted by the court and sentenced to hang. Clopin, King of the Beggars; Gringoire, Esmeralda's husband; and Quasimodo, the bellringer, all try different ways to save her from the gallows.

Written by Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com> BIG beyond words!...Wondrous beyond belief!...Magnificent beyond compare! (Title lobby card). See more » Genres: 29 December 1939 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Victor Hugo's Immortal Classic The Hunchback of Notre Dame See more » Filming Locations: (Turner library print) (copyright length) Sound Mix: Did You Know? Trivia RKO's original trailer shows Charles Laughton almost entirely from the back, except for a rapid, blurred shot of his face when he is revealed to the crowd at the Feast of Fools. The scene where Quasimodo talks to Esmeralda ("I'm not a man and I'm not a beast . . . ") is re-edited so the viewer can only see Maureen O'Hara 's face and the back of Laughton's head. Captions at the end read: "See the Storming of Notre Dame . . . See the Face of the Hunchback". See more » Goofs Quasimodo's misplaced eye never moves or blinks, belying the fact that it is a prosthetic.

See more » Quotes Quasimodo, the bell-ringer : Ohh, you asked me why I saved you. I tried to carry you off, and the next day, you gave me a drink of water, and a little pity. Notre Dame's Celebrated Bell Ringer 30 August 2006 | by bkoganbing (Buffalo, New York) – See all my reviews Though the French have done many versions of Victor Hugo's celebrated classic, this version starring Charles Laughton has certainly stood the test of time and is the best known and loved in the English speaking world. Lon Chaney, Sr. did an acclaimed silent version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Laughton was following a great tradition. And he did it in the manner of Chaney, almost without dialog. Not that Hugo wrote too much dialog for Quasimodo in his story, but except for his time with Esmerelda in the tower after he rescues her, Laughton is almost speechless in the film. Of course his character in addition to being deformed is also deaf from the ringing of those cathedral bells.

Quasimodo born deformed as he was, was left as an orphan on the steps of the Notre Dame cathedral in medieval Paris. Raised in the sheltered atmosphere of the church, he derives some joy in his duties as the bell ringer in the tower. His mentor is the brother of the archbishop played by Cedric Hardwicke and the archbishop is Walter Hampden. Quasimodo's life is useful, but without love. But Laughton is crushing out on Esmerelda the gypsy girl played by Maureen O'Hara in her American screen debut. Problem is that Hardwicke is also getting hot and bothered by her. Hardwicke's role is the second best acted in the film next to Laughton's. He's a man with shall we say some issues. He's purportedly committed to the church and it's celibacy requirements. But Dr. Freud wasn't around back in the day of Louis XI to tell us about sex drives. Hardwicke's desires mean only one thing, Esmerelda has to have bewitched him.

When he kills Alan Marshal who is also interested in Maureen and looks like he's about to round third so to speak, the blame goes on Maureen. What I like about the story is how the lives of two very ordinary people, Quasimodo and Esmerelda, become the focal point for a whole lot of religious and political issues of the day. The church, the peasants, the just developing middle class, and the nobility all have an agenda as far as the Esmerelda murder case is going. The only agenda poor Quasimodo has is he's in love with her. Maureen O'Hara who was a discovery of Charles Laughton back in the United Kingdom was pushed by Laughton for the role of Esmerelda and traveled with him to America to play the part. She was grateful to him ever afterwards for any career she had and can't praise him enough for getting RKO to sign her. Harry Davenport probably plays the most benign Louis XI ever put on film. It sure is a far cry from Basil Rathbone in If I Were King or Robert Morley in Quentin Durward. He plays him like the kindly grandfather he usually plays on screen.

Thomas Mitchell as Clopin the king of beggars and Edmond O'Brien as Gringoire the poet are two other significant roles. O'Brien gets his first substantial role on screen in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and this was a banner year for Thomas Mitchell. In 1939 he was also in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Gone With the Wind and Stagecoach for which he won Best Supporting Actor. He could have though for any one of these films. When all is said and done though the film belongs to Charles Laughton who was the screen's best portrayer of tortured humanity. Even beneath all of Bud Westmore's grotesque make-up we can feel his anguish. He's not a stupid man Quasimodo, he knows how repulsive he is to most of the human race. He's childlike though, something like Peter Sellers in Being There, another character raised in a secluded atmosphere. To see Charles Laughton at the top of his game in my humble opinion one has to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame. 34 of 38 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes Amazon.com: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Signet Classics) (9780451531513): Victor Hugo, Walter J. Cobb, Bradley Stephens, Graham Robb: Books By Steven Kerry on July 19, 2016 Format: Mass Market Paperback|Verified Purchase I loved this classic. It took a few pages to grab me in the very beginning but once it did I was hooked. If you are as dismayed by the dismaying state of the "real world" this book can be your escape into an entirely different world. That is it's appeal and why it is a much deserved classic. This is story-telling at its finest. it is sometimes easy to be intimidated by "classics", but don't hesitate to dive into this tale as it is not a difficult book. You won't regret it. This is the same writer who wrote Les Miserables, which I also intend to read one day as soon as I can recover from the epic, but rather ham-fisted movie version of a few years ago. By Alexander G.

on April 27, 2014 Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase The plot begins by following a somewhat minor character (who keeps popping up at crucial points and becomes something more major to the plot and theme), a poet who writes a morality play, fails utterly to perform it and get paid for it, and falls in with a crowd to thieves and vagabonds. On his descent, he encounters the innocent and beautiful Esmeralda (with her pet goat, who is even more enchanting), the pitiful and powerful Quasimodo, the shining knight Phoebus, and the conflicted archdeacon Claude Frollo: all the major characters. His story entwines with theirs as we learn their histories, their desires, and their deepening involvement with each other that can only end in tragedy. I loved how slowly the book built up the plot, revolving through each character and the occasional tangent into say, the history of medieval Paris, or a description of Notre Dame, before really taking off. The pacing is incredible: the first 300 pages are sort of set-up, and then the plot moves as the characters really encounter and react to each other, which is another 300 pages.

The characters are completely indivduated, whether it's one of the main ones we see every other chapter, or a minor one, like the poet, or King Louis XI, or Frollo's younger brother, a gambler who steals church money to pay for his free-wheeling ways. The setting of medieval Paris (Hugo delayed writing the novel several times to continue his research) is so well described you might want a map to follow along when he describes a certain area of town that no longer exists (and didn't exist in 1830 when Hugo was writing). In short, a great book, highly recommended for people who like long books and have a certain kind of patience for the way novels were once written. By rana verde on September 8, 2015 Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase Although not called a trilogy by Victor Hugo, Notre Dame de Paris, Les Miserables and The Toilers of the Sea are about Civilization, Religion and Nature respectively. I reread them but in reverse order and I do not recommend this because the quality of his writing increases ten fold with each book. The Toilers of the Sea is like the later Beethoven piano sonatas.

A spiritual ability to transmit what is beyond the physical into black and white - letters or musical notation. What I dislike about Notre Dame is the "starry eyed love"Esmeralda has for the unknowing Phoebus throughout out the second half of the book and it is too transparent. Maybe this was something new in writing in France at its writing. But not to my liking. By Absnyd on December 17, 2016 Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase Having read and loved Les Miserables lace many years ago I had wanted to read another victor Hugo work. I had forgotten how diverted Hugo becomes going on and on for pages about the description of architecture in Paris, etc., etc. So I found myself skimming over many of the many pages long, diverted descriptions to find the storyline. I'm happy that I read it, however, because it's a classic and I personally enjoy being more culturally aware. I just want to warn the reader of his lengthy diversions. By val lacy on June 15, 2016 Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase I bought this book for my dad who absolutely loved it. It was in great shape for how old it was.

A little sun faded on the spine but no torn pages, no tears, no broken spine. The seller even wrapped the book in bubble wrap to ensure it made its travel to me safely. It was in excellent collectors condition and I was extremely happy with this purchase. Thank you so very much. My dad like bed his gift and I loved that the seller took the time to wrap it and send it off safely. SparkNotes: Hunchback of Notre Dame Home → SparkNotes → Literature Study Guides → Hunchback of Notre Dame Hunchback of Notre Dame Quasimodo's Name by PRBleisch , July 05, 2014 The name Quasimodo has a deeper resonance; it sets up a touchstone for judging the actions of all of Hugo’s characters, especially Quasimodo and Frollo. Frollo chose the name because he found the child on Quasimodo Sunday, the Sunday after Easter. The introit (processional chant) appointed for that Sunday begins with the words "Quasi modo." The Introit is taken from I Peter 2:2: Quasi modo geniti infantes rationale sine dolo lac concupiscite ut in eo crescatis in salutem.

"As newborn infants, desire the rational, guileless milk [of... Read more→ The Hunchback of Notre Dame | Disney Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia The Hunchback of Notre Dame 40,857pages on The Hunchback of Notre Dame Directed by [Source] The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1996 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released to theaters on June 21 , 1996 by Walt Disney Pictures . The thirty-fourth animated feature in the Disney Animated Canon , the film is loosely based on Victor Hugo 's novel of the same name, but changed most of its substance to make it more family-friendly.

The plot centers on Esmeralda , the Gypsy dancer, Claude Frollo , a powerful and ruthless Minister of Justice who lusts after her and plans to commit genocide by killing all of the gypies that live in Paris, France , Quasimodo , the protagonist, Notre Dame 's kindhearted and deformed bell-ringer, who adores her (and struggles to gain acceptance into society as well as save the Gypsies who live in Paris from Frollo who plans to kill them all), and Phoebus , the chivalrous but irreverent military captain, who holds affections for her. The film was directed by Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale , directors of Beauty and the Beast , and produced by Don Hahn , producer of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King . The animation screenplay was written by Irene Mecchi and Jonathan Roberts , who had previously worked on The Lion King , and Tab Murphy , Bob Tzudiker and Noni White , who would go on to write the screenplay for Tarzan .

for The songs for the musical film were composed by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz and the film featured the voices of Tom Hulce, Demi Moore , Kevin Kline, Paul Kandel, Jason Alexander , Charles Kimbrough, David Ogden Stiers , Tony Jay , and Mary Wickes (in her final film role). It belongs to the era known as Disney Renaissance . A direct-to-video sequel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II , was released in 2002. A darker, Gothic stage adaption of the film was re-written and directed by James Lapine and produced by Walt Disney Theatrical in Berlin, Germany as Der Glöckner von Notre Dame that ran from 1999 to 2002. Contents [ show ] Plot The movie opens in 1482 Paris with Clopin , a Gypsy puppeteer, telling a group of children the story of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. The story begins as three gypsies sneak illegally into Paris but are ambushed by a squadron of soldier-like thugs working for Judge Claude Frollo , the Minister of Justice and de facto ruler of Paris.

A gypsy woman attempts to flee with her baby, but Frollo, thinking the woman is carrying stolen goods, catches and kills her just outside Notre Dame, intending to kill her deformed baby (Frollo says to the Archdeacon that the baby is "an unholy demon" and that he is "sending it back to hell where it belongs"), but the Archdeacon appears and accuses him of murdering an innocent woman. Frollo denies that he is in the wrong saying his conscience is clear, but the Archdeacon declares he can lie to himself all he wants, but he cannot hide his crime from heaven ('the eyes of Notre Dame', the statues of the saints outside the cathedral). Fearing for his soul and to atone for his sin, Frollo reluctantly agrees to raise the deformed child in the Cathedral's bell tower as his son, naming him Quasimodo . Twenty years later, Quasimodo has developed into a kind yet isolated young man with three gargoyles as his only company, constantly told by Frollo that he is a monster who would be rejected by the uncaring outside world.

Despite these warnings, Quasimodo sneaks out of the Cathedral to attend the Feast of Fools, where he is crowned King of Fools but immediately humiliated by the crowd when Frollo's thugs start a riot. Frollo, in the audience, refuses to help Quasimodo, and the crowd only stops when a kind and beautiful gypsy Esmeralda frees Quasimodo from his restraints and openly defies Frollo. She then throws the crown at Frollo, deeming him to be the biggest fool. The judge immediately orders her arrested, but she escapes by means of illusions, which Frollo refers to as "witchcraft." Frollo confronts Quasimodo and sends him back inside the Cathedral. Esmeralda follows Quasimodo to find him, but she herself is followed by Phoebus , Frollo's Captain of the Guard. Phoebus, who himself does not approve of Frollo's methods, refuses to arrest her inside the Cathedral, saying that she has claimed 'Sanctuary' and thus cannot be arrested as long as she remains in Notre Dame.

Frollo finally leaves when the Archdeacon intervenes, but not before warning Esmeralda that his men will capture her the moment she attempts to escape the Cathedral. Esmeralda finds Quasimodo in the bell tower and befriends him. As gratitude for helping him in the crowd, Quasimodo helps Esmeralda escape Notre Dame. In return, she leaves him with a map to the gypsy hideout, the Court of Miracles, should he ever choose to leave Notre Dame again. Frollo himself begins to realize his lustful feelings for Esmeralda and wishes to be free of them to escape eternal damnation. He soon learns of Esmeralda's escape and instigates a city-wide manhunt for her, which involves burning down countless houses in his path. Realizing that Frollo has lost his mind, Phoebus defies the judge, who orders him executed for treason, but is assisted in escape by Esmeralda. After being hit by an arrow, Phoebus falls into the Seine River but is rescued by Esmeralda, who takes him to Quasimodo for refuge.

Frollo soon returns to the Cathedral, forcing Quasimodo to hide Phoebus. Discovering that Quasimodo helped Esmeralda escape, the judge bluffs that he knows where the Court of Miracles is and that he intends to attack it at dawn with a battalion. After he leaves, Phoebus requests Quasimodo's help in finding the Court before Frollo. Using the map Esmeralda left, they find it and are almost hung by Clopin for being spies, but are saved when Esmeralda intervenes and clears up the misunderstanding. However, Frollo's army appears and captures them all, with the judge revealing that he followed Phoebus and Quasimodo. Frollo then orders Esmeralda burned at the stake after she refuses his proposal of her becoming his mistress.

Quasimodo, chained up in the bell tower, initially refuses to help under depression, but when he sees Esmeralda in pain, he gives in to his anger and rescues her, bringing her to the cathedral and yelling "Sanctuary." As Frollo grabs a sword and orders his men to attack the cathedral, Phoebus ignites a mutiny among the people of Paris who have had enough of Frollo's tyranny and a battle ensues in the street between the citizenry and Frollo's thug army. Quasimodo places Esmeralda's unconscious body on a bed and pours a cauldron of molten copper onto the streets to ensure nobody gets inside. Frollo, however, manages to break in and force his way past the Archdeacon. Quasimodo, believing Esmeralda to be dead, breaks down in tears beside her body as Frollo comes into the room to kill him with a dagger. Quasimodo, in his fury, disarms his former guardian and finally rejects all that Frollo had taught him. Esmeralda wakes up, alive, and Quasimodo grabs her and flees.

The deranged judge chases them onto the balcony, where he attacks Quasimodo and Esmeralda with his sword. The battle ends with Frollo maniacally quoting the Bible and him and Quasimodo both falling from the balcony. After Frollo falls to his death, Quasimodo also falls but is caught by Phoebus on a lower floor, and the three friends reunite. As the citizens celebrate their victory over Frollo , Quasimodo reluctantly emerges from the Cathedral to face the populace again, only this time, he is hailed as a hero and is finally accepted into society. Differences from the original In the book, Quasimodo was deaf and had unintelligible speech; in the film, he was not deaf and quite capable of fluent speech. In the book, Frollo willingly adopts Quasimodo; in the film, Frollo is made Quasimodo's guardian by the Archdeacon as atonement for murdering Quasimodo's mother. In the book, Quasimodo is around four years old when Frollo takes him in; in the film, he is an infant. In the film, Esmeralda was confirmed a gypsy.

In the book, she was not born a gypsy and was born to a recluse. In the film, Esmeralda saves Quasimodo and Phoebus from being hanged in the Court of Miracles. In the book, she saves a man named Pierre Gringoire. In the book, Phoebus was an untrustworthy womanizer. He was much kinder and friendlier to Quasimodo and Esmeralda in the film. In the book, Esmeralda was 16 years old. In the film she appears to be much older, perhaps in her late twenties or early thirties. In the book, Frollo successfully killed Esmeralda. In the film, Quasimodo rescues her from being burned at the stake. In the novel, Quasimodo committed suicide after Esmeralda and Frollo died. He found Esmeralda's dead body and clutched it until he starved to death. In the film, Frollo was a judge, was archenemies with the archdeacon, was racist, and named Quasimodo after his disfigurement.

In the book, Frollo was the archdeacon had more sympathy and compassion and named Quasimodo after Quasimodo Sunday. In the book, Esmeralda was sentenced to be hanged. In the film, she was nearly burned at the stake. The talking gargoyles do not appear in the book. Gringoire, Fleur-de-Lys, Paquette and Jehan Frollo do not appear in the movie. In the book, Frollo was thrown off the cathedral by Quasimodo after Esmeralda's death. In the film, the gargoyle on which he was standing broke, and he fell into the pit of molten lead (that Quasi and the gargoyles poured earlier) while trying to murder both Quasimodo and Esmeralda. In the book, Phoebus tried to seduce Esmeralda, was stabbed by Frollo (who framed Esmeralda for it), but survived, and instead of claiming Esmeralda's innocence, he married a woman named Fleur-de-Lys. In the film, he truly loved Esmeralda, and later marries her in the sequel , having a son with her.

In the book, Esmeralda does not like Quasimodo instantly. In the book, Frollo tried to rape Esmeralda when she hides in the bell tower, but Quasimodo picks Frollo, and slammed him against the wall. While in the movie this isn't stated outright (being a family film), there are several noticeable hints that Frollo lusts for Esmeralda and that the only thing that keeps him from acting on that lust is his nature as a religious fundamentalist. In the book, Quasimodo gave Esmeralda a high pitched whistle, the few things that Quasimodo can hear; this does not appear in the film. In the book, Clopin leads his Gypsies in an attack below Notre Dame, using a scythe to fight and singing gleefully, until he is shot and killed with an arquebus (an early gun); in the film, Clopin is mostly absent from the final battle, only seen leaping out of his cage with Djali and the other Gypsies when the townspeople free them; he survives the battle and provides the closing narration/reprise.

Production Development The idea to adapt The Hunchback of Notre Dame came from development executive David Stainton in 1993, who was inspired to turn Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame into an animated feature film after reading the Classics Illustrated comic book adaptation. Stainton then proposed the idea to then-studio chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg . Following Beauty and the Beast , Gary Trousdale had taken the opportunity to take a break from directing, instead spending several months developing storyboards for The Lion King . [2] Following this, Trousdale and Kirk Wise subsequently attempted developing an animated feature based on the Greek myth of Orpheus titled A Song of the Sea, adapting it to make the central character a humpback whale and setting it in the open ocean. [3] [4] The concept obstinately refused to pull together, but while they were working on the project they were summoned to meet with Katzenberg. "During that time," explained Trousdale, "while we working on it, we got a call from Jeffrey.

He said, 'Guys, drop everything – you're working on Hunchback now.'" [5] According to Wise, they believed that it had "a great deal of potential...great memorable characters, a really terrific setting, the potential for fantastic visuals, and a lot of emotion." [6] Production on The Hunchback of Notre Dame went underway in the summer of 1993. [7] In October 1993, directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, art director David Goetz, Roy Conli, Ed Ghertner, Will Finn, Alan Menken, and Stephen Schwartz took a trip to Paris, France for ten days; three days were devoted to exploring Notre Dame including a private tour of rarely glimpsed sites as actual passageways, stairwells, towers, and hidden room within which Hugo set his actions. Also included were visits to the Palace of Justice and an original location of the Court of Miracles . Writing "We knew it would be a challenge to stay true to the material while still giving it the requisite amount of fantasy and fun most people would expect from a Disney animated feature.

We were not going to end it the way the book ended, with everybody dead." —Kirk Wise [8] Writer Tab Murphy was brought on board to write the screenplay, and it was decided early on that Quasimodo would be the center of the story, as he was in past live-action film adaptations. [9] A love story between Quasimodo and Esmeralda was originally conceived, according to Murphy, but "we decided to make Phoebus more heroic and central to the story. Out of that decision grew the idea of some sort of a triangle between Quasimodo, Esmeralda, and Phoebus." [10] Some of the novel's key characters were jettisoned entirely while the gargoyles of Notre Dame were added to the story by Trousdale and Wise, and portrayed as comedic friends and confidantes of Quasimodo as suggested in the novel, which reads "The other statues, the ones of monsters and demons, felt no hatred for Quasimodo…The saints were his friends and blessed him the monsters were his friends and protected him.

Thus he would pour out his heart at length to them." [11] One of the first changes made to accommodate Disney's request was to turn the villainous Claude Frollo into a judge rather than an archdeacon, thus avoiding religious sensibilities in the finished film. [12] "As we were exploring the characters, especially Frollo, we certainly found a lot of historical parallels to the type of mania he had: the Confederate South, Nazi Germany, take your pick," explained Wise. "Those things influenced our thinking." [10] Producer Don Hahn evaluated that one inspiration for Frollo was found in Ralph Fiennes 's performance as Amon Goeth in Schindler's List , who murders Jews yet desires his Jewish maid. [8] For the opening sequence, Disney story veteran Burny Mattinson constructed an effective sequence that covered much exposition, although studio chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg felt something was missing. Following Stephen Schwartz's suggestion to musicalize the sequence, French animators Paul and Gaëtan Brizzi storyboarded the sequence to Menken and Schwartz's music resulting in "The Bells of Notre Dame".

[13] Lyricist Stephen Schwartz also worked closely with the writing team even suggesting that the audience should be left wondering what the outcome of what Phoebus would do before he douses the torch in water in defiance of Frollo. Another was, unsurprisingly, the film's conclusion. While Frollo's death was retained – and, indeed, made even more horrific – both Quasimodo and Esmerelda were spared their fates and given a happy ending. This revised ending was based in part on Victor Hugo's own libretto to a Hunchback opera, in which he had allowed Captain Phoebus to save Esmerelda from her execution. Casting In late 1993, pop singer Cyndi Lauper was the first actor attached to the film during its initial stages. Thinking she was cast as Esmeralda, Lauper was startled to learn she was to voice a gargoyle named Quinn, and was hired one week after one reading with the directors. [14] The development team would later come up with the names of Chaney, Laughton and Quinn – named after the actors who portrayed Quasimodo in previous Hunchback film adaptations.

However, Disney's legal department objected to the proposed names of the gargoyles, fearing that the estates of Lon Chaney , Charles Laughton , or Anthony Quinn (who was alive at the time) might file a lawsuit over the use of their names so the names was dropped. [15] Trousdale and Wise then suggested naming the characters Lon, Charles, and Anthony – which resulted in the same legal concern – before instead naming the first two gargoyles after Victor Hugo, and the third as Laverne, which was selected by Kirk Wise as a tribute to Andrews Sisters singer Laverne Andrews . [15] Nowcast as Laverne, Lauper was deemed too youthful for a friend who was to provide Quasimodo wise counsel while at the same time Sam McMurray – best known for his work on The Tracey Ullman Show – was hired for Hugo. Meanwhile, Charles Kimbrough was cast as Victor who at first was unimpressed at an animated adaptation of Hunchback, but later became rather impressed at the level of research that went into the film and how the story ideas transitioned from the novel to the screen.

[16] After several recording sessions and test screenings, Lauper and McMurray were called by the directors who regrettably released them from their roles. [17] Jason Alexander , having voiced Abis Mal in The Return of Jafar , was cast as Hugo fulfilling a lifelong desire to be in a Disney film. Laverne was then revisioned into a wiser, mature character with Mary Wickes cast in the role. [17] Following Wickes' death in October 1995, [18] Jane Withers was hired to voice her six remaining lines. [8] [19] Mandy Patinkin was approached for the title role, but his style of portraying Quasimodo collided with the producers' demands, and Patinkin stated "'I [was] just there at the audition [and I] said, 'I can't do this.'" [20] Tom Hulce was cast as Quasimodo following his first audition for the role, and according to the actor, he noticed during the audition that the Disney executives, producers, and directors were "were staring at the floor.

It looked like everyone was at a memorial service" until he noticed the floor was lined with storyboard sketches. According to Wise, the filmmakers "like to audition the voices with our eyes closed, so we see the character's face." [21] Quasimodo was originally portrayed to be more monstrous, older and with more of a speech impediment during the early rehearsals, but Hulce commented that "we experimented, endlessly. At one point I was ready to call in and say 'Things just aren't happening.'". [22] Ultimately, the directors desired to portray Quasimodo with a younger voice different from the previous portrayals since "[Victor] Hugo described Quasimodo as 20". [5] Additionally, Hulce was allowed to do his own singing after being asked to perform a demo recording of " Out There ". [23] Desiring a huskier voice different from the leading Disney heroines, [24] Demi Moore was cast as Esmeralda, and met with Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz on singing. After several singing demos, the actress said "You'd better get someone else,'" according to Schwartz.

New York City cabaret singer Heidi Mollenhauer was selected to provide the singing voice. [25] For the role of Phoebus, co-director Kirk Wise explained that "As we're designing the characters, we form a short list of names...to help us find the personality of the character." Subsequently, the filmmakers modeled his portrayal on the personalities of Errol Flynn and John Wayne , and "One of the names on the top of the list all the time was Kevin Kline ." [5] British actor Tony Jay , who declared his role as Frollo as his "bid for immortality", [26] was cast after the directors worked with him in Beauty and the Beast. After watching his portrayal as Uncle Ernie in the musical The Who's Tommy , Broadway actor Paul Kandel was selected to voice Clopin. [24] Animation Alongside Pocahontas, storyboard work on The Hunchback of the Notre Dame was among the first to be produced for an animated film on the new Disney Feature Animation building adjacent to the main Disney lot in Burbank, which was dedicated in 1995.

[6] [27] However, as the Feature Animation building was occupied with The Lion King and Pocahontas at the time, more animators were hired from Canada and United Kingdom to join the production team for Hunchback, [28] and as the development phase furthered along, most of the entire animation team was moved out into a large warehouse facility on Airway in Glendale, California . As the Disney story artists, layout crew, and animators moved in their new quarters, they decided to name the building "Sanctuary." [29] Since Who Framed Roger Rabbit , other animators hired by Disney Feature Animation were from Germany , France , Ireland , and additional ones from Canada were involved in providing animation duties at the recently opened satellite studio, Walt Disney Animation Paris , [13] of which about 20 percent of the film was done. [30] Meanwhile, while Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida was prepping their first in-house production then titled The Legend of Mulan , at least seven animators penned about four minutes of screentime, mostly involving Frollo and Quasimodo. Layout, cleanup, and special-effects artists provided additional support.

[31] To achieve large-scale crowd scenes, particularly for the Feast of Fools sequence and the film's climax, computer animation was used to create six types of characters - males and females either average in weight, fat, or thin - which were programmed and assigned 72 specific movements ranging from jumping and clapping. [32] Digital technology also provided a visual sweep that freed Quasimodo to scamper around the cathedral and soar around the plaza to rescue Esmeralda. [10] Cast and characters Quasimodo (voiced by Tom Hulce ) – The protagonist of the film. He is courageous, kindly, and enthusiastic. He is the bell-ringer of the Notre Dame Cathedral. He is physically deformed with a hunched back and is constantly told by his guardian Judge Claude Frollo that he is an ugly monster who will never be accepted by the world outside. However, the opening song asks listeners to judge for themselves "who is the monster, and who is the man" of the two. Esmeralda (voiced by Demi Moore , singing voice by Heidi Mollenhauer ) – The deuteragonist of the film.

A beautiful, sexy, streetwise, talented, and always-barefoot gypsy girl who befriends Quasimodo and shows him that his soul is truly beautiful, even if his exterior isn't. She is incredibly independent and greatly dislikes the horrible ways in which gypsies are treated. Throughout the movie, Esmeralda attempts to seek justice for her people. She falls in love with Captain Phoebus and helps Quasimodo understand that gypsies are good people. 'Esmeralda' is the Spanish and Portuguese word for 'Emerald', which may be why the animators chose to give her emerald green eyes. Claude Frollo (voiced by Tony Jay ) – The main antagonist of the film. A ruthless and powerful judge who is Quasimodo's reluctant guardian. He also lusts after Esmeralda for which he feels shame but is willing to kill her if she rejects him. Frollo generally does not see any evil in his deeds as he does them in honor of God, even though the Archdeacon often disapproves of his actions, which would make him more of an anti-hero than a villain.

However, at one point during the song "Hellfire", the priests singing the Confiteor manifest as his conscience, chanting the Latin words "mea culpa" ("my fault"), to reveal that Frollo ultimately knows the truth of his actions. Captain Phoebus (voiced by Kevin Kline ) – A soldier who is Frollo's Captain of the Guard and the tritagonist of the film. He falls in love with (and later marries) Esmeralda. He is a heroic idealist with integrity and does not approve of what Frollo thinks or does. This distinguishes him severely from his character in the original story. Clopin (voiced by Paul Kandel) – The mischievous leader of the gypsies who will defend his people at all costs. He introduces the audience to the story, explaining how Quasimodo, the bell ringer from Notre Dame, got to be there. Victor, Hugo, and Laverne (voiced by Jason Alexander , Charles Kimbrough, and Mary Wickes , respectively) – Three gargoyle statues who become Quasimodo's close friends and guardians.

In the DVD audio commentary for Hunchback, Wise, Trousdale, and Hahn note that the gargoyles might exist only in Quasimodo's imagination and thus may well be split-off pieces of his own identity. This was Mary Wickes ' (Laverne) last film. She died of cancer on 10th October 1995, before the film was released. Jane Withers provided the remaining dialogue, and provided the voice for Laverne in The Hunchback of Notre Dame II . The Archdeacon (voiced by David Ogden Stiers ) – A kind man who helps many characters throughout the course of the movie, including Esmeralda. He is the opposite of Frollo: kind, accepting, gentle, and wise. He is the only figure in the film with authority over Frollo while he is inside Notre Dame. He appears at the beginning of the movie when he orders Frollo to adopt Quasimodo for killing his mother. He disapproves of most of Frollo's actions, and at the film's climax, Frollo, in his rage, openly defies him and knocks him down a flight of stairs.

Animation supervisors: Production manager: Patricia Hicks Music The film's soundtrack includes a musical score written by Alan Menken and songs written by Menken and Stephen Schwartz. Songs include " The Bells of Notre Dame " for Clopin, " Out There " for Quasimodo and Frollo, " Topsy Turvy " also for Clopin, " God Help the Outcasts " for Esmeralda, " Heaven's Light " for Quasimodo, " Hellfire " for Frollo, " A Guy Like You " for the gargoyles and " The Court of Miracles " for Clopin and the gypsies. Three songs written for the film were discarded during the storyboarding process and not used: "In a Place of Miracles", "As Long As There's a Moon", and " Someday ", a candidate to replace "God Help the Outcasts". Though not included in the body of the film, "Someday" is heard over the end credits, performed by R&B group All-4-One in the North American English release, and Eternal in the British English version. Luis Miguel recorded the version for the Latin American Spanish version, which became a major hit in Mexico.

Release In 1994, the film was scheduled for a Christmas 1995 release, though the film was reportedly delayed following the departure of Jeffrey Katzenberg from the Walt Disney Company. By January 1995, it was later pushed back to a summer 1996 release. The film premiered on June 19, 1996, at the New Orleans Superdome, where it was played on six enormous screens. The premiere was preceded by a parade through the French Quarter, beginning at Jackson Square and utilizing floats and cast members from Walt Disney World. The film was widely released two days later. Marketing As part of the promotion of the film, Walt Disney Records shipped two million products, including sing-along home videos, soundtrack CD's, and the "My First Read Along" novelized version of the film, aimed at a toddler demographic. Upon release, The Hunchback of Notre Dame was accompanied by a marketing campaign at more than $40 million with commercial tie-ins with Burger King, Payless Shoes, Nestle, and Mattel. By 1997, Disney earned approximately $500 million in profit with the spin-off products based from the film.

Box office In its opening weekend, the film opened in second place at the box office behind Eraser, grossing $21.3 million. In a new box office strategy, Disney also included ticket sales which were sold from Disney stores nationwide, which added about $1 million to the box-office numbers. However, in comparison to Pocahontas, which had grossed $29 million the year previous, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution president Dick Cook defended the results claiming it was comparable to Beauty and the Beast, which opened in half as many theaters and grossed about $9 million. In foreign markets, by December 1996, the film became the fifteenth film that year to gross over $100 million surpassing the domestic box office gross and went on to accumulate $200 million. The film would ultimately gross just over $100 million domestically and over $325 million worldwide, making it the fifth highest grossing film of 1996.

Critical response Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 73% positive rating based on 51 reviews with its consensus stating, "Disney's take on the Victor Hugo classic is dramatically uneven, but its strong visuals, dark themes, and message of tolerance make for a more-sophisticated-than-average children's film." Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert rewarded the film 4 stars, calling it "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". In his written review for the Chicago Tribune, Gene Siskel awarded the film 3½ (out of a possible 4) stars describing the film as "a surprisingly emotional, simplified version of the Victor Hugo novel" with "effective songs and, yes, tasteful bits of humor". Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly graded the film an A in his review and labeled it: "the best of Disney's 'serious' animated features in the multiplex era, (...) an emotionally rounded fairy tale that balances darkness and sentimentality, pathos and triumph, with uncanny grace".

Richard Corliss of Time praised the film, giving a positive review and stating that "the result is a grand cartoon cathedral, teeming with gargoyles and treachery, hopeless love and tortured lust" and also said, "Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz have written the largest, most imposing score yet for an animated film". Charles Spencer of The Daily Telegraph gave it a positive review, saying "it is thrillingly dramatic, and for long stretches, you forget you are watching a cartoon at all... A dazzling treat". Variety also gave the film a positive review, stating that "there is much to admire in Hunchback, not least the risk of doing such a downer of a story at all" and also saying: "the new film should further secure Disney's dominance in animation, and connoisseurs of the genre, old and young, will have plenty to savor". Also addressing the film's darker themes, 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" and "the best version yet of Hugo's novel, a cartoon masterpiece, and one of the great movie musicals".

Janet Maslin wrote in her The New York Times review, "In a film that bears conspicuous, eager resemblances to other recent Disney hits, the filmmakers' Herculean work is overshadowed by a Sisyphean problem. There's just no way to delight children with a feel-good version of this story." Upon opening in France in March 1997, reception from French critics towards Hunchback was reported to be "glowing, largely positive". French critics and audience even found resonance in the film when it mirrored a real-life incident from August 1995 where French police stormed a Parisian church and took away more than 200 illegal immigrants who were seeking sanctuary from deportation. "It is difficult not to think of the undocumented immigrants of St. Bernard when Frollo tries to sweep out the rabble," wrote one reviewer. Awards Young Artist Award [3] Best Family Feature Film - Animation (Nominated, lost against James and the Giant Peach) The film currently stands with a 73% "fresh" rating at Rottentomatoes.com, with a 60% "fresh" rating by established critics (the "Cream of the Crop").

Allusions Belle , Magic Carpet , and Pumbaa appear during the song "Out There". When Esmeralda is looking at Quasimodo's model of Paris, she notices a sculpture of the town baker - the same baker who appears in Beauty and the Beast . Home video Main article: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (video) The Hunchback of Notre Dame was first issued on VHS, standard CLV Laserdisc, and special edition CAV Laserdisc on March 4, 1997, under the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection label. It was then re-issued on March 19, 2002, on DVD and VHS, along with its direct-to-video sequel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II . A Blu-ray version of the film was released on March 12, 2013, along with Mulan , and Brother Bear . Other media Adaptations Disney Comic Hits #11, published by Marvel Comics, features two stories based upon the film. Disney-MGM Studios had a stage show based on the film from 1996 to 2002.

It was located in The Backlot Theatre in the New York Street section of the theme park (now called Streets of America). After the show's closing, and part of the re-theming of the area, a mural of a San Francisco street went up to block off the view of the theater's vacant interior. Recently, The Backlot Theatre underwent a major renovation to enclose it. No new attraction for the location has been announced, although it is often used during special events. The film 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. 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. There has been a discussion of an American revival of the musical. Years later, from 2013-2015, a North American production that kept the story closer to the book was opened to very positive reviews in the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego and the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey before closing.

A cast recording released on January 22, 2016 sparked a renewed interest in the show, and fans on Change.org called for a Broadway transfer. However, Schwartz commented on the matter in an interview with Playbill.com, saying that the show was designed specifically for amateur theaters and will not move to Broadway. (Interestingly enough, in that same interview, Schwartz, who is also the creator of such Broadway hits as Wicked, Pippin, and Godspell, comically added that his two favorite shows that he's ever done, Hunchback and Children of Eden, have not been put on Broadway.) Rather, it will be available for licensing with Music Theatre International, the company that currently licenses all Disney theatrical productions aside from Newsies , which is still on its national tour. Currently, the North American version of the show is available for professional licensing only. It is currently unknown when MTI will fully release the rights. Sequel In 2002, a direct-to-video sequel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II , was released on VHS and DVD.

The plot focuses once again on Quasimodo as he continues to ring the bells now with the help of Zephyr, Esmeralda and Phoebus's son. He also meets and falls in love with a new girl named Madellaine who has come to Paris with her evil circus master, Sarousch. Quasimodo, Esmeralda, Victor, Hugo, Laverne and Frollo all made guest appearances on the Disney Channel TV series House of Mouse . Frollo also be can seen amongst a crowd of Disney Villains in Mickey's House of Villains . Video Games In 1996, to tie in with the original theatrical release, The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Topsy Turvy Games was released by Disney Interactive for the PC and the Nintendo Game Boy, which is a collection of mini-games based around the Festival of Fools that includes a variation of Balloon Fight. A world based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame, La Cité des Cloches (The City of Bells), made its debut appearance in the Kingdom Hearts series in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance . It was the first new Disney world confirmed for the game.

All of the main characters except Clopin and the Archdeacon appear. Gallery The Disney Wiki has a collection of images and media related to The Hunchback of Notre Dame . Trivia Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz also worked on the music for Pocahontas . The Hunchback of Notre Dame was the first Disney animated film to contain a production budget around $100 million dollars at the time, until Tarzan three years later. Belle also makes a cameo appearance in the film. During the song Out There , Belle is seen walking through the streets reading her book, which would make some believe that both films take place at the same time. However, this is clearly impossible, based on the fashions, technology and politics seen in Beauty and the Beast , which placed her film in the latter half of the 18th century, pre-revolutionary (pre-1789) France. Glen Keane confirmed that Belle's cameo in the film was not canonical.

However, both time periods are similar in the fact that married women were viewed not as equal human beings under God (and the law of today), but as personal property and as obedient, servile slaves to their husbands that (in some extreme cases) can be bought and sold like any purchase ( Gaston 's behavior towards Belle and all women in his village is a testament to this, and Claude Frollo exudes a similar treatment to Esmeralda in the film as well). According to the song "Topsy Turvy," the story takes place during and after the 6th of January. However, there is no sign in the atmosphere that it is winter with the exception of the opening sequence. References ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named mojo

Question: What was the name of the Hunchback of Notre Dame?
Answer: Quasimodo