Disney | The Hunchblog of Notre Dame

02Dec 2015

Fan Casting Review for a Live action Disney movie of Hunchback

by jess

Last week this Live Action Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame Fan Casting came up on my google alerts. So let’s review their choices.

First off on the whole this article seems to think singing is needed in the casting though so far none of the Live-action Disney versions have been musicals so that shouldn’t be a factor.

Josh Gad as Quasimodo

Josh Gad

I don’t see it. Gad has a goofy comedian vibe but I don’t see him as sweet, insecure Disney Quasimodo. I would hate, HATE to say it but he is better suited for Hugo and I hope the Gargoyles would be cut out or at the very least CLEAR figments of Quasimodo’s imagination.

Rosario Dawson as Esmeralda

Rosario Dawson

I’m a little torn on this one. On the one hand I can see her pulling of Esmeralda as Disney depicted her but on the other hand I don’t think she is the best casting choice there is.

I think Disney should try for some Bollywood IT girl or something. Deepika Padukone is popular fan choice as well as Priyanka Chopra who is one few Bollywood actors to make the jump to Hollywood as she on ABC’s Quantico which makes Chopra the first South Asian to headline an American network drama series. Or Jana Perez would be a good option for Esmeralda and has the benefit of being in another Live action Disney movie before like Mr. Gad.

Zachary Levi as Phoebus

Zachary Levi

I can see this one working. He has the right type of look for Phoebus and could pull off Phoebus’ witty and brave personality.

Alan Rickman as Frollo

Alan Rickman

This a yes and a no. First yes, Rickman as Frollo is like ideal casting that people all want but for Disney Frollo, it’s a little more iffy on that super austere design he has. But considering Disney Frollo’s design is based on Sir Cedric Hardwicke and Rickman has a similar screen presence I will go with a yes. I agree.

Neil Patrick Harris as Clopin

Neil Patrick Harris

Again yes and no. Harris could pull off Clopin’s personality BUT he does not have the look. His look should resemble Esmeralda unless there something in the script to address it. Like Clopin in the book was the head of thieves I.E the Court of Miracles and not the leader of the Gypsies. In Disney movie he is the leader of Gypsies. So it’s up to the script and or filmmakers who they can cast. But I think the role should go to someone else.

What do you think. Do you like these suggestions?

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13Oct 2015

Scary Scenes; Hellfire

by jess

Frollo singing Hellfire Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

What is full of flames and is one the best parts of any Disney movie? HELLFIRE!

I would say this scene isn’t like super SCARY but it is unsettling. First you have a rather creepy dude singing about wanting a woman whom he has a lot of hostile towards. Then you have the fire imagery and the specters that are featured at various points especially at the end, love the end.

One of the creepiest parts of Hellfire is where Frollo is running through the hooded faceless ghost that watch him in judgement. It’s very much like the Trial by Franz Kafka.

I could see this song scaring a few younger child and making adult uncomfortable.

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30Sep 2015

Disney and The Bechdel Test

by jess

Esmeralda singing God Help the Outcast Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

As mentioned before Hunchback versions seldom ever passes The Bechdel Test, including the Disney version read here. But it made me think about the other Disney movies. I was going to go through and look at each movie but I don’t have to because this site did all the work for me, http://disney-blog.com/2011/05/the-bechdel-test-and-disney-films/. But I’m going to offer some analysis.

Disney Princess Line UP with Esmeralda, Megara and Kida

As a refresher, to pass the test a work needs to meet 3 criteria; 1) It has to have at least two named female characters, 2) That talk to each other 3) About something other than a male. Most movies fail the Bechdel test. Also passing or failing does not indicate the quality of a movie. Terrible movie pass and great movies fail.

Aurora and Prince Phillip Sleeping Beauty

So what does this mean for Disney? Well the purpose of the test is show the female presence in a given movie. Interestingly enough the older movies, Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty all pass. Which is valid as at least with Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty there is a decent amount of named female characters. Though movies that don’t have lots of female characters still pass, like 101 Dalmatians, Peter Pan, Hercules, and even The Emperor’s New Groove, which is a male buddy comedy.

Jasmine

Movies like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are often criticized for passive lead female characters but the most of the characters in the movies are females. So having one strong likable female character doesn’t help the over-all female presence. Like Aladdin fails, hard.

Ariel

I would disagree with The Little Mermaid failing as the site says because Ariel and Ursula had a fairly long conversation about a few topics, I would give it a pass. The Lion King could have passed if Nala and Sarabi had spoken more. I’m a little unsure if Snow White should have gotten the pass, as the Queen has a name but after the fact. Her name isn’t said in the movie. Though to be fair, I haven’t seen Snow White in a very long time.

Elsa and Anna

I do find it interesting that with modern day Disney movies that are Princess that try to aim with boys in mind they do keep a strong female presence. Tiana with her mother, Rapunzel with her “mother” and the sisters of Frozen.

Yzma

I would thought more Disney movies would have failed but it pretty mixed. It’s just really interesting that the older princess movies have a stronger female presence than the Disney movies that have a single “strong” and “Independent” female character.

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23Jun 2015

The Wedding in the Disney Version

by jess

As Long as there’s a moon Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Way back in 2011, I looked at the two attempts that the Disney Verison tried to give Phoebus and Esmeralda a love song (read here). One song was called In a Place of Miracles and the other was called As a there’s a Moon. The second song depicted the wedding scene of Esmeralda and Gringoire only with Phoebus instead of Gringoire and Quasimodo being present.

As Long as there’s a moon Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Of course Disney added things but they did have the jug and counting the pieces. Unlike the book the jug in this deleted sequence broke into a thousand pieces instead four. Really Clopin just counts to three and goes up to thousand, either he couldn’t count or was just lazy.

As Long as there’s a moon Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The obvious additions are the moon. There has to be a moon which would have been lovely in the movie, Disney’s Hunchback had amazing lighting so this would just added another facet to the spectrum. Another add-on was Quasimodo joining Phoebus and Esmeralda’s hands. This was to give Quasimodo something to do since the directors REALLY didn’t want to take focus off of Quasimodo for any length of time even for five minutes. In hindsight Esmeralda and Clopin are the more popular so it would have been fine and it would have given the audience a chance to get behind Phoebus and Esmeralda’s love.

Esmeralda As Long as there’s Moon Demo Reel Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Also Esmeralda would have gotten another costume change so you know I’m all for that.

The issue is that since it was delated we don’t how the flow would have work. To us now it looks like they just would had a love song right after Phoebus and Quasimodo told them about Frollo coming but they would have fixed that for the pacing. I do think the movie could have used a love song and it’s again hard to judge this song as demo. It seems meh to me but it’s like one person singing with storyboard so it just a rough demo.

As Long as there’s a moon Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The sequence is a lot more romantic than the book but it got the idea of it pretty well it’s shame that the director were so focus on Quasimodo that it rob us getting a love song but we still have to suffer through a guy like you.

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03Apr 2015

Disney Live-Action Remakes

by jess

On March 31st it was announced that Disney is planning on making a Live-Action Mulan movie, Source. This adds to number of Live-ation remakes following Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo and I guess Maleficent is in the mix too.

Really we all know what they are doing, these movies are clear cash grabs on popular properties. Though why Dumbo I don’t know. I mean I loved Dumbo as a kid, I still do but it’s kinda of the odd one out. You would think Snow White or the Little Mermaid over Dumbo but whatever, I’m not a studio executive nor did they ask me my opinion, I mean the should have but whatever.

But the question I have to force myself to ask, will Hunchback get this treatment? I’m going on the offence here and say probably not as Disney likes to forget that movie existed though not as much as The Black Cauldron. However unlike The Black Cauldron, which could be awesome as a live-action movie, Hunchback did get a musical which is getting a TONS of praise and does have a fan base. So it COULD maybe happen, like 0.05% chance.

Personally for me, I would love a new movie version, bad or good. And Hunchback makes more sense than a Live-Action Dumbo movie that will be mostly CG anyway so the Live-action in a misnomer. But do you think would you like Disney Hunchback live-action movie and do you even want one?

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25Feb 2015

Netflix’s tagline for Disney’s Hunchback

by jess

This is no joke the write-up for the Disney version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame on the Netflix app for the PS3, could for other app I just say it on the PS3 one.

Esmeralda and Quasimodo Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Esmeralda reading Quasimodo’s palm Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

“A deformed bell ringer falls for a beautiful gypsy girl and lives happily ever-after? Hey, it could happen.”

Expect everyone knows it doesn’t. It’s kind of the psedo-clever default joke of the movie like Belle’s two hour Stockholm Syndrome. There is just so must fail in that little write-up that I had to share it.

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06Jan 2015

Clopinâ€™s Festival of Foods

by jess

Clopin’s Festival of Foods, Hong Kong Disneyland

In honor of the Feast of Fools let’s quickly look at Hong Kong Disneyland’s restaurant Clopin’s Festival of Foods. They serve Chinese food there which, no judgement or anything, but considering Clopin himself is a little bit of a head scratcher but whatever I would eat there, It’s look cool and fun. So in honor of this eatery and sticking it to the man, let’s eat Chinese food on this Christian Feast Day which is also the Epiphany.

Picture source plus more;
Central Character

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29Dec 2014

Disneyland paris Hunchback Light show

by jess

This is pretty cool. I really like the rose window light on Sleeping Beauty’s castle and the fireworks.

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23Dec 2014

Watch Out for this Disney Hunchback Book

by jess

Because rumor has it, it’s too beautiful. I obtain this book though secret covert maneuvers.

Hunchback Watch Book Disney picture image

A new Hunchback book with Disney Illustarion?

The cover is really pretty, but let’s take a look on this inside.

A watch!

What sort of devilry is this? A Watch?

It’s a very nice hunchback watch

I actually got this as a gift from a friend of my family. The watch is very nice with a leach wrist band and the book box is very nice. There are a lot of Hunchback watches out there. You can find this on eBay along with lots of others. There is one hunchback watch on Amazon which is of Quasimodo and Esmeralda, The Hunchback of Notre Dame Collectible Plastic Watch in Blisterpack.

Sorry for the less than stellar pictures, I took them very quickly.

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22Dec 2014