Esmeralda Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image red dress

Esmeralda Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Today’s question is “How does Esmeralda have green eyes?” I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the Esmeralda in question is Disney Esmeralda, since she’s the only one with green eyes.

Also a Disclaimer, I have read the book, many many times. In the Book, Esmeralda has Black eyes. This question is about Disney Esmeralda, the book does not enter into this question except with regards to her name with her name.

Esmeralda and Djali Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Esmeralda and Djail Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Since this question is “How” which means “by what means” and since she is a cartoon this question is very simple; it’s green ink. But allow me to make yet another massive assumption, this question is actually a “why” question meaning “what reason for.”  So let’s answer this new question, Why does Disney’s Esmeralda have green eyes?

Esmeralda Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Esmeralda Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

I think the reason was to link the character to the name. In the book Esmeralda got her name because of an amulet she wears which is a pouch that has a paste emerald on it. It’s worth mentioning that Esmeralda in the book is rarely called “Esmeralda” it’s either “La Esmeralda” or something linked to her being a gypsy or a dancer. So the name is a title in someway. Now the in the disney movie, Esmeralda is a proper name and was given to her based on her eye color.

Esmeralda singing God Help the Outcast Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Esmeralda singing God Help the Outcast Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Now let’s ask one more question, is it possible for Esmeralda to even have this eye color. Well yes and no. No is the sense that this shade of green is not a natural eye color but it’s a Disney film so to hell with logic and the law of nature. And yes, given that the Romani (Gypsies) came out of Northern India, it’s possible, albeit quite rare. After all some of India’s top actresses have green or blue eyes like Rani Mukherjee (Golden- green) and Aiswariya Rai (blue).*

Rani Mukherjee posingpicture image

Rani Mukherjee posing

Aishwarya Rai umrao jaan Blue eye

Aishwarya Rai as Umrao Jaan

I mean without getting to a whole anthropological, genealogical, and tracking human migration patterns over the centuries discussion, let’s just say that this type of color is possible for a Romani and therefore it’s not impossible for Esmeralda. Though it inaccurate to the book where she has dark brown eyes but creative license and what not.

Esmeralda Disney Hunchback of Notre dame picture image

Esmeralda reaching out to Quasimodo Disney Hunchback of Notre dame

Please Note – This answer was not meant to be 100% serious, so relax. It was more about ink color and character design than about Genes and Hereditary patterns.

*Movie Recommendations with Rani Mukherjee and Aiswariya Rai (I’m a Bollywood fan ^_^)
Rani Mukherjee- Black, Paheli,Dil Bole Hadippa
Aiswariya Rai- Devdas , Umrao Jaan, Jodhaa Akbar
This movie has both actress through Rai is just a cameo. But It’s a funny movie.
Bunty Aur Babli

6 Thoughts on “How does Esmeralda have green eyes?

  1. mel.p on 09/23/2016 at 8:36 pm said:

    Don’t know if you had read the book or not, but it is said that esmeralda was kidnapped when she was a child by a group of gypsies when her mother was out and they let a baby quasimodo instead. Esmeralda’s mother was a french women and so was her daugther. She doesn’t have any romanian, spanish, andalusia or egypltian origins and her skin color was mostly due to a sun tan. However they didn’t take it in consideration in the disney movie. So that could have been a explanation for her green eyes despite the fact that no matter wich origin you are, if you have the rights genes, there is a chance that you will get blue or green eyes. Some of them are more rare in some places but it doesn”t mean that it is impossible

  2. Berisha on 07/26/2012 at 5:46 pm said:

    Not a fan of the Disney movie or even the book really, racist? A little bit. I feel the Disney Esmeralda would look a bit more realistic if she had wider cheekbones and maybe slightly Asian looking eyes, her face shape is very white. Plenty of Romani look rather white by the way, especially the Romani of Britian, the Romnichel. Many Romani have a mixture of features such as being dark skinned but with blue or green eyes or light hair or pale skinned with black hair and brown eyes. There is no one Romani look. My source of information, I am Romani in part myself.

    • Rute on 02/25/2014 at 6:01 pm said:

      If you read the book, Esmeralda actually has french origins, so she wouldn’t look like the other gypsys. That’s why she was considered so beautiful: she had french features, but dark skin and bohemian clothes! :)

      • So being of Indian decent is not considered beautiful XD lol.. The Disney character looks similar to many gypsies in Rajasthan.

  3. Ricardo Bauler on 07/20/2012 at 11:16 pm said:

    Well… it´s wrong what you said. It´s very very rare, but not impossible – even without the mix with the european people – that a Romani person has green eyes. It´s the same about arabic people. Some arabic people can have green or hazel eyes (with is very uncomon, but not impossible). By the way, my mother´s mother was a gypsy from Italy and my mother has green eyes, more or less the same colour of Esmeralda´s eyes.

    Ah, and there is one detail here that I think you may forgot: Esmeralda in the book has black (dark brown) eyes, but she is not an actual gypsy(romani) person. She and Quasimodo were changed when they were babies. Quasímodo was the real gypsy baby. :)

    • jess on 07/21/2012 at 1:45 am said:

      Umm, I wondering if the issue here is the meaning of “not impossible”. The use of “Not impossible” meant that it is possible. I was saying in the post that Romani can have Green Eyes. If that was your issue I’m sorry for the confusion. I’ll fix my wording to avoid future confusion. Or was it different issue you had with this post?

      I did not forget the book, I mentioned the book in the post as well as Esmeralda’s eye color in the book. It’s just that the given question pointed to the Disney movie so that was the focus.

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