Disney Movie Challenge: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Disney Movie Challenge

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

WHAT IS THE DISNEY MOVIE CHALLENGE: With Disney+ making available almost all of their films from the vault I thought it was a good time to watch all the theatrically released feature length Disney Studio Animated films. That’s a lot of qualifications so what does it all mean? It must be a film developed and released under the Walt Disney Animation Studios (so no PIXAR or Tim Burton stop motion films). Must have been released in theaters (no direct to video releases). And feature length (no shorts that played prior to the features). Currently there are 58 films. Starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 going to Frozen II in 2020. 

I always thought that after The Lion King the 90’s Disney Animated films just got progressively worse.  I wasn’t a big fan of Pocahontas in 1995 and never felt the need to see any of the other films.  The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, and Tarzan are never really are talked about as part of the Disney Renaissance (As a Disney Princess Mulan is the exception).  All that to say I was surprised by how good The Hunchback of Notre Dame was.  

Loosely based on the book of the same name by Victor Hugo the film is about Quasimodo, Esmerelda, Captain Phoebus, and the evil Judge Frollo.  Frollo, wants to destroy anyone he sees as being sinful.  The movie starts with Frollo killing a gypsy (the worst people in Frollo’s eyes) and attempting to kill her deformed son by dropping him down a well.  Stopped by a Priest at the Notre Dame Cathedral Frollo is told by the priest to spare the child's life and raise him as his own kid.  Frollo reluctantly agrees, names the kid Quasimodo and forces him to live his life in the bell tower at Notre Dame.  Twenty years later Quasimodo has no friends except 3 gargoyles that keep him company.  Eventually he decides he will travel into the city to check out the Festival of Fools.  There he meets the beautiful Esmerelda who seems to not be scared of his deformity.  Also at the festival is Frollo who despises Esmerelda because she is a gypsy but also is enchanted by her beauty.  Captain Phoebus is ordered by Frollo to round up the gypsies but he also falls for Esmerelda.  When Esmerelda escapes into Notre Dame she claims sanctuary and Judge Frollo can not do anything to her.  Quasimodo and Phoebus team up to help her while Frollo promises to do everything in his power to destroy her.  It all leads up to a climatic battle at the end where Quasimodo has to save Esmerelda from being burned at the stake.

Not knowing what to expect, the movie took me by surprise.  While Pocahontas featured a rare on screen death this movie ups the ante by starting off with the bad guy actually killing someone and attempting to kill a baby.  It was a pretty shocking way to begin a kids movie.  In one of the standout songs “Hellfire” Frollo sings about how he lusts for Esmerelda and how much he hates her for that.  There is also the love story which isn’t your typical Disney love story.  The movie sets up a love triangle between Esmerelda, Quasimodo, and Phoebus.  Usually Disney films give the main character a love interest that they will get together with at the end.  But by setting up the love triangle we are never sure who Esmerelda will go with and actually makes Quasimodo’s story a bit more sad when even after he saves her she choses Phoebus.  That’s not to say the film is all dark.  The three gargoyles provide the comic relief and while most of their stuff just seems silly I can see kids enjoying their antics. 

After working on Pocahontas, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz are back doing the music for this one.  This is one of the more unique films scores as it taps into the dark themes and “Hellfire” is one of the darkest songs in Disney Canon.  Bringing the characters to life is an All-Star cast including Golden Globe Nominee Demi Moore (Ghost) as Esmerelda, Oscar Nominee Tom Hulce (Amadeus) as Quasimodo, Oscar Winner Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda) as Phoebus, and stealing the show from all those was Tony Jay as Frollo.  You know as soon as he starts talking that he is the villain and he never relents the whole film.  

I asked a question in my Facebook group who the best Disney villain was and someone said Frollo.  It took me by surprise because not many people talk about the film and I honestly had no idea who he was.  But, now that I have seen the movie I can see why.  While not as iconic as Maleficent, Cruella DeVille, or Ursula, Frollo is portrayed as pure evil and has no problem with killing anyone in his way.  It’s a chilling performance that should be talked about more.  

Overall: Did I mention it is dark? It’s hard to imagine kids liking this movie. For me I loved it and could have done without the silliness of the gargoyles.  If you are looking for a more mature adult Disney Film then check this out.  It really is an underrated film.  

Random Facts

The movie almost got a PG rating since during the song Hellfire the MPAA said there was a naked Esmarelda in the smoke.  The animators had to go back and make it clear she had clothes on. 

In the book Frollo is an Archdeacon of the church.  He was changed to a Judge so as not to offend any religions.  

The original names of the Gargoyles were originally going to be Chaney, Laughton and Quinn after the three famous actors who previously played Quasimodo (Lon Chaney, Charles Laughton, or Anthony Quinn).  Fearing they would be sued, Disney forced them to change the names.  It was then changed to Victor, Hugo, and Laverne.  Victor and Hugo being the names of the author of the book.  Laverne just randomly after Laverne Andrews from the Andrew Sisters band.  

 

Disney Movie Challenge Bonus: 101 Dalmatians (1996)

 Disney Movie Challenge Bonus

101 Dalmatians (1996)

Before it became a thing in the 2010's the first Disney Live Action adaptation of an animated film was 101 Dalmatians in 1996.  It was a huge hit that year ranking number 7 at the box office for the year even beating the Animated Disney Film that year The Hunchback of Notre Dame. 

The film updates a few of the aspects of the animated film.  In this one Roger is a video game designer not a musician and the relationship between Anita and Cruella is explained better.  In this one Cruella is Anita’s boss as a fashion designer. The rest of the film is pretty similar to the animated film.  Pongo is the one that gets Roger to meet Anita. Pongo and Perdita have 15 puppies. The puppies get dognapped by Cruella’s henchmen and taken to a rundown house with 84 other puppies.  Pongo and Perdita use the twilight bark to find them and rescue them.  Anita and Roger adopt all the puppies for a total of 101 Dalmatians.  Of course the biggest difference is that the dogs don’t talk in this one.  

This movie has everything you want from an adaptation of an animated film without having the animals talk.  It keeps the cartoonish slapstick comedy, over the top villain, and a whole lotta family fun.  The highlight of the film is of course Glenn Close as Cruella De’Vil. She just looks like she is having the time of her life being evil (she even got a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy). The rest of the cast is perfect also. Jeff Daniels as Roger, balances the slapstick with being charming perfectly.  Joely Richardson and Joan Plowright are great as Anita and Nanny. And it’s fun to see a pre-House Hugh Laurie just getting knocked around by animals. 

The biggest disappointment from the original is that Pongo and Purdita don’t have a bigger role in the rescue and the police due. Some of the charm of the animated film comes from the dogs being able to do what the humans can’t. But all the animals get a time to shine and watching Glenn Close get beaten by farm animals is fun. 

Overall: A fun adaptation that is able to show dogs communicating without making them talking dogs. The movie is perfectly cast with Glenn Close being the standout. Best line in the film “You may have won the battle but I won the wardrobe”

The English Patient

The late 90’s was apparently a very romantic time for the Academy because this is the first of three romantic movies to win in a row. This is also the first movie on my Best Picture Quest that I finally got somebody to watch with me. My mom was in town so I made her watch it with me. I had started it before she came but watched from the beginning after she got here which worked out better since the beginning is a little confusing.

The English Patient is about a man who is badly burned in a plane crash in an African desert during WWII. After being found he is brought to a Canadian Military Hospital where he is taken care of by a nurse Hana (Juliette Binoche). When there caravan drives into a mine field in an Italian town Hana decides since there is no hope for her patient it is best just to let him die in piece and she takes him into a nearby deserted monastery. Claiming he has no memory of who he is or what happened to him he begins to have flashbacks of his life. We learn that he was a map maker on an expedition in Africa. After falling in love with his partners wife begins a secret affair with her. But as Hana is taking care of him she begins to fall in love with a soldier on the bomb squad who is trying to disarm all the mines in the area. Then there is also a mysterious visitor who stays with them and claims he knows her patient from before his accident.

At over 3 hours it is just long, boring and confusing. The confusion comes from all the back and forth between flashbacks and present day. Ralph Fiennes who plays the patient is very good in the flashback scenes(he doesn’t have much to do in the present day scenes except lay in bed with makeup on). The problem is that the flashback scenes are not as interesting as the present day scenes. The story of Hana and Kip and the mysterious David are more compelling that the love story of the flashbacks. To me it was like watching a movie with a split personality one good and one bad. The best things about the flashback scenes were it was beautifully filmed and the scenery was great. The movie ended up winning 9 Academy Awards tying it for third most at the time. Most of the awards it won was technical awards including Cinematography, Art Direction, and Costume Design. Juliette Binoche won Best Supporting Actress and Anthony Minghella won Best Director but it lost Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Winner of Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress (Frances McDormand) was the movie I think should have won Best Picture Fargo. The Coen Brothers black comedy about a Midwestern kidnapping that goes all wrong is both funny and violent. I was glad it won Best Original Screenplay since it was one of the more original written movies. It is actually one of the reasons why I started paying more attention to the Best Original Screenplay category. It turns out that a lot of the more original movies that don’t fit the usual Academy fare gets nominated (but doesn’t always win) Best Original Screenplay. Other winners that year included Billy Bob Thornton for writing Sling Blade (he lost Best Actor) and Cuba Gooding Jr. in a surprise win for Best Supporting Actor for Jerry Maguire. And one of my favorite movies of 1996 Independence Day won Best Special Effects.