Disney’s 1996 animated feature The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a strange, often beautiful thing. Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, who had just made Beauty and the Beast, turned to Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel and kept its cruelty. A woman is killed on the cathedral steps in the first act. Her baby is nearly drowned by the man who becomes his guardian. This is a family film with a body count and a villain who sings about hellfire.
Trailer, via Disney UK.
Quasimodo and the Bell Tower
Quasimodo, voiced by Tom Hulce, is the deformed bell-ringer of Notre Dame. He has lived inside the cathedral for twenty years, raised by Judge Claude Frollo, Paris’ Minister of Justice, as penance for a killing. His only company is a trio of living stone gargoyles: Victor (Charles Kimbrough), Laverne (Mary Wickes), and Hugo (Jason Alexander). The gargoyles push him toward the annual Festival of Fools. Frollo warns him he will be shunned. Both are right.
Esmeralda, Phoebus, and Frollo’s Obsession
Quasimodo attends the festival and is crowned for his appearance, then humiliated by the crowd. Esmeralda (Demi Moore), a Romani woman, steps in and defies Frollo. She escapes arrest and claims sanctuary inside Notre Dame. Captain Phoebus (Kevin Kline) refuses to drag her out, telling Frollo she has claimed asylum.
Frollo, voiced by Tony Jay, is the film’s engine. He wants to exterminate Paris’ Romani population, and he wants Esmeralda. His lust terrifies him, and he begs the Virgin Mary for relief. Tony Jay plays him without a wink.
Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz’s Score
Alan Menken composed the score, with songs written alongside lyricist Stephen Schwartz. The film opens with “The Bells of Notre Dame,” Clopin’s narration to a crowd of children. “Out There” is Quasimodo’s wish to leave the tower. “God Help the Outcasts” is Esmeralda’s plea inside the cathedral. “Topsy Turvy” is the festival’s chaos.
The songs are not decorative. They carry the plot, and the darkest of them belong to the villain.
A Casting History the Film Survived
The gargoyles nearly had different names. The development team first proposed Chaney, Laughton, and Quinn, after the actors who had played Quasimodo before. Disney’s legal department objected, fearing lawsuits from those estates. Trousdale and Wise then suggested Lon, Charles, and Anthony, which carried the same risk. The first two gargoyles were named for Victor Hugo, the third for Andrews Sisters singer LaVerne Andrews. Cyndi Lauper was cast as Laverne, then released as too youthful for the role. Sam McMurray was hired as Hugo and also released after test screenings.
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director | Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise |
| Runtime | 91 minutes |
| Score | Alan Menken |
| Lyrics | Stephen Schwartz |
| Quasimodo | Tom Hulce |
| Frollo | Tony Jay |
What the Film Gets Right
The film’s best decision is refusing to soften Frollo. He is not a comic villain. He is a judge who kills, and who believes his own piety. The film also gives Quasimodo a real want: to be accepted outside the walls. That want drives every scene he is in.
The gargoyles are the weak link. They are broad, gag-driven, and they undercut the dread around them. A film this serious about damnation did not need three stone sidekicks cracking jokes.
The Verdict
The Hunchback of Notre Dame runs 91 minutes. It is darker than its Disney peers and more honest about obsession than most live-action films aimed at adults. The animation holds up, the score does the heavy lifting, and Jay’s Frollo is one of the studio’s finest villains. The gargoyles cost it. So does a tonal wobble the film never quite fixes.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame: 7.1 of 10.
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