Here’s a picture of TinkerBell
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The Biggest Difference is the Characters
In all seriousness Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame
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
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,
Where do you begin to discuss the differences between Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame and Victor Hugo’s original novel Notre Dame de Paris?
I guess it easier to discuss the similarities. They both take place in Paris, there is a hunchback who is the bell ringer of Notre Dame and a pretty gypsy girl and the main characters are attractive to her. She has a goat and is dancers. There names are the same (Quasimodo, Claude Frollo, Esmeralda, Djali, Phoebus, and Clopin) and that’s pretty much it.
Good Night everybody.
2026 edit- I mean yes. The Disney version is very divergent from the source as are many of the adaptations of the novel into other medium form are.
However credit where credit is due an aspect of the novel that the Disney version gets right is perceptive of three men on one woman. Which of those perceptive is healthy and which is toxic. This version nails that part of the novel.
I’d also add that Disney Quasimodo’s attitude towards Esmeralda shifts from being school crush which idealize her to accepting her own feelings towards for Phoebus and still choosing to save her life is very healthy. That should be more discussed than “Quasimodo not getting the girl.”
No Seriously next time we’ll go through the major differences.
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I had said in my 1939 Hunchback of Notre Dame review on setting, that movies shouldn’t take too much from Notre Dame’s structure as it’s changed a lot from its state from the time the story takes place to when Victor Hugo wrote the book to when Disney created the film.
First Disney makes Notre Dame
Another flaw that can be over looked is the all the exterior sculptures on the Cathedral are shown as plain, natural-colored stone. At the time the story is set, they were polychromatic – painted in colors. Again it can be overlooked because Notre Dame’s current look is so iconic that it would have looked strange to audience to have colors associated with the exterior. I can also overlook the square in front of Notre Dame also that wouldn’t have been there in 1400 but you can forgive it since it’s what the audience knows.
The aspects of the depiction that I have a hard time overlooking is the how the sanctuary is depicted. In the scheme of Hunchback cartoons and movies it’s very accurate, there are some terrible representations of Notre Dame but the way it’s set up in the film is problematic. The Sanctuary is show once in the film during “God Help the Outcast”
Looking at Notre Dame’s set up and structure Notre Dame seems both bigger and smaller. Esmeralda strolls though the layout a a very leisurely pace yet the Cathedral seems more expansive than it is. She also isn’t impeded by the structure. At about at the 2:00 minute mark of the song, Esmeralda is seen walking in the side aisles and to her left there are columns. Then in the very next shot, Esmeralda is against a Fresco, with no columns in the shot. Which means Esmeralda needed to veer to another side of the column but she did not.
So I guess the columns magically go away for a better shot. Also if her head in level with the fresco how tall is she? Because her height is really inconsistent and she’s bare foot and those Frescos are pretty high off the ground. Then this could be inconsistency. But do make the inside of the Church not in proper proportion.
So getting back to what I said at the beginning of this about being careful not to copy Notre Dame in it current state to much is that after Victor Hugo wrote Notre Dame de Paris, the cathedral when though a massive changes. The statues that can be seen in Out There towards the end when Quasimodo talks “Ordinary Men” where add after the novel was written in 1831.
The statues are 12 apostles that adorned the spire. I don’t think I would mind this but Quasimodo motions to the statues as an examples of “ordinary men” The 12 Apostles are ordinary men Disney? Really? The fact the Disney used the statues as more than just Background but a visual aid is where I find fault.
Next Time – Major Differences between Disney and the Book
The Licentious CG Crowds
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For the most part Hunchback of Notre Dame has stunning animation and visuals, and isn’t that what Disney is know for… beside songs, and Princesses and Branding the Hell out their movies. Unfortunately Hunchback has one aspect of their visuals that hasn’t aged well; the CG crowds.
Hunchback of Notre Dame has had a history of big crowds scenes, they can be seen the 1923 version
So of course Disney had to this to and the opted for computer generate crowds that the could swap out clothing hair and other traits, it was a time saver.
The crowds can be seen in “Topsy Turvy,” the climax and the ending. And My God they stick out against the film’s art style. There just not refined enough to blend in remote to the film. However it is possible to over look it.
But still when the are noticeable they’re clunky, angular and not very pretty. They actually bring the visuals down for me, perhaps I’m too harsh but they look like the come from a cheap and boring video game about peasants who wear a lot of brown.
Beside the Crowds there is another aspect of the that Disney didn’t quite get right
Next Time – Notre Dame de Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame
This actually old news but Hunchback of Notre Dame is getting the Graphic Novel treatment via Dark Horse Publishing. It’s By Tim A Conrad.
Hunchback of Notre Dame Graphic Novel by Tim A Conrad
Hunchback of Notre Dame Graphic Novel by Tim A Conrad
Hunchback of Notre Dame Graphic Novel by Tim A Conrad
Believe it not this not the first time Hunchback as been experience the comic treatment.
Hellfire wasn’t a Fluke
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As I end discussing the music I want to say ONE thing, in Hunchback of Notre Dame, when the songs differ from the standard Disney format of song-type, the songs were great and when the songs was very formulaic it was bad. I think Disney needs to pull away from the rigidly formulaic movies and be a little more experimental.
I realize the Hunchback wasn’t a great success for them but that’s because they took a book that
a) is a piece of literature with a bittersweet ending
and
b) they blended the plot so it could both be “dark” and also for kids.
I know Disney recently has been trying new things, Tangled 
In conclusion Disney, you love Night on Bald Mountain, you love Hellfire, just make a dark movie and don’t market it for kids who know maybe that’s the shot in the arm your company needs; making a good film that people want to watch, and the people like Dark.
(2026 edit – Disney doesn’t remotely touch “dark” vibes anymore and it’s been a long while since the company has had proper villain. I’d say “that’s life” but Disney markets the “fun” villains a lot so they REALLY should craft a new villain of that type at the very least.)
Hunchback Score Might be the Best One for Disney
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Let’s us now concluded the musical portion of Hunchback with probably the strongest aspect of it: Alan Menken’s Score
Quasimodo = “Out There,” Frollo =”Hellfire,” Phoebus has this march that is heard a lot when ever he appears on the screen. This Phoebus leitmotif got reused as part of the musical for Phoebus’ introductory song “Rest and Recreation.”
Esmeralda =”God Help the Outcasts.”. Clopin doesn’t seem to get one because he is always singing. You can hear the some melody throughout the movie. Track 4 Humiliation has the melody of “Out There” and “God help the Outcast.”
So while the songs are pretty hit and miss, the score is strong. My Favorite track is defiantly Sanctuary!
Next time a slight Rant and Plea to Disney
Julie Zenatti as Fleur de Lys Notre Dame de Paris
Hey all there’s a new Notre Dame de Paris Lens. This time it’s Fleur de Lys and all her actresses. So go check it out http://www.squidoo.com/fleur-de-lys-notre-dame-de-paris
I’m still adding to it and don’t forget to click the images ^_~ Enjoy