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Thirty years ago today Disney’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” was released in movie theaters.
Its legacy, not to be confused with the album of the same name, is fairly mixed. It lauded for being Disney’s darkest work that deals with more serious issues. It’s also criticized for its attempt of levity with gargoyles. The gargoyles especially Hugo adds cognitive dissonance to the narrative and tone. Frollo and “Hellfire” are praised for being one of best Disney villains and “Hellfire” is considered by many to be the best villain song of all times not just in Disney movies. It’s also criticized for its representation of the Romani people as well as Esmeralda picking Phoebus over Quasimodo as well as hyper sexualizing Esmeralda.
It’s simultaneously an underrated gem yet the most well-known film adaptation of the novel.
An Underrated Gem or the Most Well-Known Version? Pourquoi pas les Deux
Then there was my own attitudes and in inflexibility toward the Disney version when compared to the book when I first reviewed Disney’s Hunchback. Honestly it might have come down that the 15 or so years ago it more fashionable to dunk of this movie for its flaw. It certainly was fashionable to lean into anger and histrionics for internet reviews. However my opinions have changed over the years with regard to the Disney version. I did touch them a little bit in this post.
I also think the movie has been reanalyzed in the years since I made my initial review series of posts and these days people think more highly of it. Though it could be in light of Disney recent works and the renaissance just being a great period for the company’s animation division. The point is I was harsh in. 2011 and I no longer feel the movie was awful as much as I made it out to despite the legit criticism that can be made for this movie. It’s not perfect but it not awful either.
A Hot Take
My own personal hot-take was that the inspiration for why Disney went ahead with adapting Hugo’s novel was less about money and more for prestige and accolades. After the success of Beauty and The Beast’s Oscar nomination Disney wanted that best picture award, again this is my theory. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is similar on paper to Beauty and the Beast but it was less well known to the general audience.
This gave Disney license to simplified the story and soften for a general audience. Disney definitely did pushed the tone as far as they could however the darker tones and serious subject matters are a more in line with the other Disney titles of the era. Hunchback is just the darkest and the most dramatic . And it very clear how far the production pushed the boundaries when compared to Disney’s more recent works.
A Tough Assignment
At best the movie is captivating. At worst it’s a mix bag. Often it gets over-looked and forgotten because it’s not “fun” and “marketable” which makes it harder to push merch and theme park attractions. Also due its serious issues of race, cruelty of the justice systems, ostracizing people who are different on a micro and macro level, religion, among other Disney isn’t up for remaking this movie. Which honestly is a mixed because Disney’s live action movie are very hit or miss but mostly miss and just pale in comparison to the originals but I at least was curious about what Hunchback would have been like in live action but I think it dodged the bullet so to speak.
Disney did try and meld the book and their version with the theatrical musical version. This version never made it to Broadway but has a rich life through Regional productions. While many love this musical adaptation I think in some ways it missed the forest through the trees. In changing some aspects to be more like the book it muddied more aspect of the Disney movie version.
And while the Disney version took a lot of creative liberties it also worth noting the Hugo’s book is hard to adapt for other mediums, even Hugo himself simplified the story a lot for the opera La Esmeralda. There are some many themes that touched on in the book some are overt and some are subtle.
A Theme The Movie Nails
While the Disney movie omits a fair amount of themes from the book there is one core aspect that the Disney does very well, maybe one of the best amongst the adaptions so far. That is the concept of three men’s different perspectives of one woman. It’s the crux of the novel.
The Disney movie makes it very clear the effects that one woman has on the hearts and minds of three men. Quasimodo harbors a kind affection for Esmeralda rooted in her being nice to him but his love for her is more an in love with love concept. He puts her on a pedestal and likens her to an angel. Frollo is all lust and carnal desire, liking her to evil even though he is the one choosing evil in his pursuit of her. Phoebus sees Esmeralda as a person whom he respects and does treat more as an equal. It’s not perfect he does sees in a sexual way and notes that she “fights as well as a man” but the idea is that Phoebus sees her as a human.
Of course the central thesis of the Disney version is “What makes a monster and what makes a man?” This thesis does add to the conflict of true love and selfish love, so it’s part of that over concept of “Three Human Hearts Differently Constructed” and thus the reason why the Disney version excel at this theme better than of most the other versions. Even though it’s about Quasimodo vs Frollo.
Final Thoughts
Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame has some major flaws and does smooth out a gritty and tragic novel to make it more watchable for a general audience but it is a good movie. It’s not the most forgotten Disney movie. Sometimes it featured in the parks and in other Disney properties. It could have been a case it not living up to the expectations of money and accolades due its initially marking focusing on the Festival of Fools while making the movie being “darker” in tone while dealing with serious issues compared to the other films of the Disney Renaissance period. That just puts it in an awkward place for having it part of the parks. Like Frollo being part of the “Unfairly Ever After” show don’t work but the movie isn’t as forgotten as The Great Mouse Detective*, or The Rescuers, or Oliver and Company, or Treasure Planet, or even Wall-E.
There are more Disney title that go forgotten but Hunchback has a few and meet and greets from time to time and two themed attraction centered on Clopin (Clopin’s Music Box in Disneyland and Clopin’s Festival of Food in Hong Kong Disney Land.) The Hunchback is also used on show across the different theme parks.
Speaking of the park for the 30th anniversary Disney released a puzzle pin set of the characters that form Notre Dame. There are ten characters which includes Snowball, Frollo’s horse. Also at this stage there are currently 202 trading pins for The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
It feels like sometimes Disney just more or less doesn’t know what to with this movie. While it was audacious for Disney to even make this movie and though it has its flaws it’s still pretty great and entertaining.
Also The Hunchback of Notre Dame has one of the best scores in Disney.
*The Great Mouse Detective also turns 40 on July 2nd 2026 and there is less fan-fare from the Disney company whereas Hunchback is getting official merch, like the new pin set. There is same fan stuff for The Great Mouse Detective. Also as of teh time as writing this there are 72 trading pins for The Great Mouse Detective.
