Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame vs Victor Hugo’s Novel; Characters

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The Biggest Difference is the Characters

In all seriousness Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame really only has the basic premise of the original novel. All the characters differ in attitudes and back storys. The way the story unfolds and comes to its conclusion is different because of the characters.

Frollo

 

In making Frollo a judge and not a priest we loss his turmoil which makes Frollo an interesting and complex character.

I really don’t care as much about his lust and obsession for Esmeralda just because he hate the Romani people. Also in the book, his obsession occurs slowly. He sees her and is instantly taken by her youthful beauty. After that he begins stalking her and by kidnapping her he forces the the plot to take action.

In the Disney movie, Quasimodo doesn’t have the some loyalty and Frollo abuses him by telling him he’s a monster and keeps him locked in the tower. In the book Frollo did no such thing and Quasimodo could leave Notre Dame if he wished.

 

Quasimodo

Quasimodo in the Disney movie is very much like Ariel. He wants to live with the normal people. He is very naive, kind and gentle.

In the book, Quasimodo is kind and loyal to those who have been kind to him  i.e Frollo and Esmeralda. However, Quasimodo is also angry and doesn’t really like people. He would never want to leave Notre Dame as Notre Dame is his universe. He loves Notre Dame so much that he is very much  a part of it and his lovers are bells. The relationship between Quasimodo and Notre Dame is destroyed in the Disney version as Notre Dame is not so much a sanctuary but a prison.

Also in the movie Disney he briefly mentions the bells but you don’t get the sense that he loves the bells. I also don’t see this Quasimodo killing Frollo in fit of rage or lying down next to Esmeralda to die.

 

Esmeralda

 

Esmeralda is the polar opposition between Disney movie and the book.

In the book she is at least part French and is young, beautiful, naive, shallow and, childish.

In the Disney movie, while she is beautiful, she has none of the other traits, though the youth is debatable.  She is confident and is in control of her sexual appeal. In the Disney version she is a full Romani and we are never given any sense of her backstory. 

In the book she was unaware of her beauty and she lacks any worldliness. This naivety is what gets her into trouble in the book and ultimately is what kills her and not a passion for social justice.

 

Phoebus

Phoebus in the book is a jerk who is kind of dumb and just wants to sleep with pretty girls.

Also he is two-timing cheat, who despite being engaged he tries sleeps with every good-looking girl he can.  

In the Disney version is he is noble, moral and likes to crack bad jokes.  Not like book Phoebus at all.

Clopin

Clopin in the book in the leader of the Court of Miracles, not the Romani. The Leader of the Romani in the book was the Duke of Egypt. Typically, the leader of the Court of Miracles and the Leader of the Romani get fused into one which is Clopin. That’s a minor issue. Compared to Frollo, Quasimodo, Esmeralda and Phoebus; Disney Clopin’s differences are not so bad. He tells stories like Gringoire (a character in book) and is the leader of the Court of Miracles; he’s two characters in one, or three.

 

Djali

 

Djali in the Disney movie is a pretty minor character who doesn’t do anything other than add some charm and humor.

In the book however Djali is pretty essential to the plot. Djali is the prime evidence for why Esmeralda is convicted of being a witch. Goats were considered to be representational of the devil and the tricks innocence tricks Djali performed like spelling and telling the time were thought to be the work of witchcraft by the judges in the book.

Of course, since the plot veers so far the book it doesn’t really matter. Djali’s main function in the movie is a cute sidekick who sells toys to children. To be honest while Djali lose plot relevance I still love Disney Djali.

 

The Gargoyles

The Gargoyles do not count, they’re not in the book.

 

 

It really does seems like someone early in production took the cliff notes of Hugo’s book, throw them into a blender, strained, added water and poured out the Disney Plot. Then that  got re-written by those people who didn’t read. And the differences in the characters in proof that.

(2026 edit – Kind of mean but the inspiration for the movie was based on a graphic novel by Classics Illustrated. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was Volume #18 publish in March 1944.

The production was up-front about the graphic novel adaptation of the book as the inspiration for this movie. There is also enough similarities between the Disney version and the 1939 to draw a conclusion that it was also used an inspiration for the Disney movie. Especially since in the 1039 version Quasimodo does say his iconic line “Why wasn’t made of stone like three” to a gargoyles which inspiraed a gargoyles as characters in this movie. So I do think the book wasn’t reference all that much HOWEVER “Hellfire” does have a lyric that is pretty much a line from the book so at the very least Stephen Schwartz read the book.)

 

Next time – Minor Differences,