Ah, the voice acting in Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame. Some of it’s great, some it is just ok and some of the casting is off, which seems to weaken the believability of the characters. This is more or less in the order of rank, as I see it or hear it.. yeah.. I know lame joke.

 

Tony Jay picture image

Tony Jay

The highlight of the voices in the movie is Tony Jay’s rendition of Judge Claude Frollo. Jay’s cold sounding baritone mixed with his british accent makes for the perfect bad guy voice. He gives Frollo’s voice an air calm control that at any second could explode into fevered anger. Also his voice is seductive, you can believe this guy is a charmer and yet he speaks with command and authority. Jay’s voice helps make Frollo a more interesting character.

Jay had been a veteran Disney voice actor and voice actor in general. He’s been in a number of Disney related films and television shows as well many other non disney films, television and recordings of broadway shows.  On his IMDB page he has 150 credits but I think he most known for Frollo mainly because Frollo is a horrible person and his voice accentuates brilliantly.

Tony Jay  was  nominated for an Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Voice Acting.

 

Paul Kandel picture image

Paul Kandel

Paul Kandel voiced Clopin and is a Broadway performer. He’s probably the best singer in the film (the crescendo at the end of Bells of Notre Dame gets me every single time) and that’s probably why he ended up with the most songs in the movie. In fact Clopin sings more than he actually speaks. Kandel gives Clopin a sense of fun and whimsy but he also gives him a flair for the dramatics which is a boon for the introductory scene since it’s not funny.

 

 

David Ogden Stiers picture image

David Ogden Stiers

David Ogden Stiers voiced the Archdeacon. Stiers like Jay is a veteran voice actor and has been in many major Disney movies. He’s also primarily a  television actor. Stiers runs the gambit of tones  with the Archdeacon’s voice; tenderness, command, authority, concern and a little amusement (the Archdeacon sounded a little amused when he thinking about Esmeralda’s merry chase). Just because the Archdeacon is by all account a glorified extra Stiers’ voice helps makes the character more interesting.

 

 

Kevin Kline picture image

Kevin Kline

Kevin Kline voiced Phoebus. Kline does well as Phoebus but I think he falls short of Jay and Kandel because I mean really, Phoebus isn’t a hard role to play. Phoebus has a dry wit but so Kline, I mean Kline is practically playing himself.  I give Kline credit, he made Phoebus funnier than probably was originally intended which makes him more interesting as character. Because without the humor would Phoebus have been memorable? My guess is no.  Kline is also partly responsible for Achilles’ name. He insistent that horse have a name, so they gave the Phoebus’ horse a name at Kline’s insistent.

 

Fun Fact about Kline’s process – to get into the character of playing a knight, Kline held a sword in hand during recording sessions. He even ruined some recordings because he would hit the microphone (accidently, I’m sure.)

 

 

Jason Alexander picture image

Jason Alexander

Jason Alexander voiced Hugo. As much as I dislike the gargoyles, I think the voice acting is fine. Jason Alexander is best known as George Costanza on Seinfeld. George is uptight and neurotic, the total opposite of Hugo. Hugo is fun-loving and laid back. I think Alexander does very well in the role. But again, is a fun-loving partier a demanding role?  No, not really.

 

 

Charles Kimbrough picture image

Charles Kimbrough

Charles Kimbrough voiced Victor.  Kimbrough  has been in many types of media; film, TV and voice acting. Kimbrough does well enough as the prim, more serious-minded Victor, but it’s hard to lay out Victor’s personality compare to Hugo and Laverne. So it’s hard to identify how well Kimbrough did as Victor.

 

 

 

Mary Wickes picture image

Mary Wickes

Mary Wickes voiced Laverne. Later in Wickes’ career she played cranky old ladies. Two of the movies I remember her in were Little Women (Aunt March) and Sister Act (Sister Mary Lazarus), both characters are tell-it-like-it-is, cranky old ladies much like Laverne. So while she does well in the role she definitely playing her type of role.

 

 

 

Jane Withers picture image

Jane Withers

I want to mention Jane Withers briefly. Mary Wickes died as the film was being recorded and so Jane Withers stepped in to finish the recording and took over the role of Laverne. There are some lines where Wickes started and Withers finished, which is testament to Withers; acting to able to sound almost identical to Wickes.

 

 

 

Tom Hulce picture image

Tom Hulce

Tom Hulce voiced of Quasimodo. Tom Hulce is most known for his role in Amadeus Mozart. I do not find any fault with Hulce’s acting, I think he does a good job giving Quasimodo tenderness, gentleness and a bit of pitiable emo-ness. I also think Hulce does well exhibiting both Quasimodo’s natural disposition and in contrast to his attitude when he’s with Frollo.  So Why is Hulce’s performance second to the last on this Blog post? Well that is because I wonder what the directors were smoking in making  Quasimodo a school boy that’s gentle and sweet. Quasimodo is suppose to be gentle but only to Esmeralda. He’s not suppose have a school boy. I can understand why Disney did this and I understand why Hulce’s voice is good for this type of role but just because I can understand it doesn’t mean I have to condone it. Honestly they made Quasimodo into a Disney Princess. Hulce has a clear voice which is a commonality to the Disney Princess trope. Think about, Quasimodo is a Disney princess, he just a male and not very pretty.

 

Demi Moore image picture

Demi Moore

Demi Moore voiced of Esmeralda.  Like Quasimodo, I think casting was way off. I get that they wanted something different. The directors liked Moore’s husky and rough tone of voice and they liked that she also had a tenderness to it, but Moore ages the character. It’s weird looking at the concept art, how youthful Esmeralda started and how mature she looks/acts in the movie. I understand that the decision to cast Moore was intentional and as part the process of animation is that Esmeralda took on Moore’s looks and mannerism but I don’t think the pay off was good in the long run. I think Esmeralda is too much like Moore and effectively Moore was playing herself  (or at the most her type-cast role) so she didn’t exactly have to exert her acting prowess. Also I think Moore got the role due to sex appeal and popularity. And point Deductions for being the only one of the cast not able to sing her character’s song, though if can’t sing than she can’t sing, but they could have just had Heidi Mollenhauer do the role in it enitety, she is an singer/actress after all. They fact they they didn’t just mean that Moore was cast for her popularity and appeal.

 

Shout Outs/Kudos to:

Gary Trousdale picture image

Gary Trousdale

 

 

-Shout out/Kudos to Gary Trousdale voice of Djali (that not a bleat) and the Old Heretic.

 

 

Corey Burton picture

Corey Burton

Bill Fagerbakke picture image

Bill Fagerbakke

 

 

 

 

 

-Shout out/Kudos to Corey Burton and Bill Fagerbakke, Brutish and Oafish Guards these two made those characters hilarious.

 

 

Agree or Disagree, I’d love to know your opinions

 

Next Time- Going to Start Looking  Music/Songs,  starting off with beginning “The Bells of Notre Dame”

Quasimodo Hunchback of Notre Dame Disney picture image

Quasimodo’s Reveal

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In an effort to get the audience of Quasimodo’s side, Directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale gave Quasimodo a gentle disposition made compete with a kind look. He has big, friendly doe eyes, a full head of red hair and wears a green tunic. Two of the more uglier factors  are his  big stub nose and his  teeth  (large teeth in the front of his mouth). I mean for Disney he’s ugly but for Quasimodo he’s adorable. I think Disney was afraid of making Quasimodo too ugly and risk scaring people off of seeing the movie.

Quasimodo gazing at Esmeralda Hunchback of Notre Dame Disney  picture image

Quasimodo gazing at Esmeralda

Quasimodo Hunchback of Notre Dame Disney picture image

Quasimodo

Esmeralda, Phoebus, and Quasimodo Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Quasimodo accepts Esmeralda and Phoebus as a couple Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

It’s also interesting to mention (and I’ll be mentioning this again) that for many characters in the movie there is not glint in the eyes. Many of the characters their eyes are just small black pupils, exception would be Esmeralda who has green irises, black pupils, and no glint. Quasimodo is one of the few who does has a sparkle in the eyes (other are Djali (though inconsistent) and the little girl who gave Quasimodo a hug, who doesn’t have it till the final even though you see her at the beginning.) Maybe this glint is indicative of innocence, an inconsistencies, or playing favorites? I dunno. I can understand why Quasimodo would have it but for Djali and little girl (only at the end) to have it and no one else, I sense a deeper reasoning here. I’m going with innocence.

Quasimodo shine in the eye Disney Hunchback of Notre dame picture image

Quasimodo shine in the eye Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Djali Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Djali Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Little Girl Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

The Little Girl Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

So how does Disney Quasimodo compare with book Quasimodo?

Oh not at all. I said Quasimodo is adorable here. In the book he is not, not at all. Quasimodo is described by Victor Hugo as having a horse-shoe mouth, a small left eye with bushy red eyebrow, a right eye that’s completely hidden by a monstrous wart, uneven broken teeth with gaps that project out like tusks, callous lips, and forked chin. He was also described ” a giant who had been broken and badly put together again.  Disney’s Quasimodo looks like to extent but everything about is soft and round. His mouth is normal. His eyes are both visible despite the protrusion, His hair isn’t bushy in the slightest, it’s smooth and straight and he eyebrows are slightly think but not bushy.  His teeth are uneven but not like tucks. He doesn’t have callous lip  or a forked chin (he hardy has either).

Quasimodo Illustrtion Francois flameng picture image

Illustration of Quasimodo

Quasimodo Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Quasimodo Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Same character and yet no comparison.

In the concept art for Quasimodo ranges all other the place. Sometime he look scary (the way he should look) and sometimes  almost handsome ( he just needs a haircut, and eyebrow plucking). For More Concept Art of Hunchback

Quasimodo Concept Art Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame  picture image

A Monstrous version of Quasimodo Concept Art Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Quasimodo  Concept Art Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame  picture image

The closest to movie version Quasimodo Concept Art Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Quasimodo  Concept Art Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Jockish looking Quasimodo Concept Art Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Quasimodo in the scope of things is just deformed, not ugly. There are ugly people in the crowds in the movie and they don’t have the crutch of deformties for an excuse.  I mean Frollo is no looker himself.

Next Character up – Frollo

Frollo Hunchback of Notre Dame Disney picture image

Frollo Hunchback of Notre Dame Disney

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

A Memorable Character who has no affect on the plot is The Old Heretic (voiced by Gary Trousdale one of directors who as did non-baas for Djali). The guy who yells “I’m Free’ after getting out of some form of confinement but then immediately gets into a new one and then proclaim “Dang it” because they can’t use the word Damn.

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame  picture image

The Old Heretic is free Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame  picture image

The Old Heretic falling Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame  picture image

The Old Heretic railing against the cruel hand of fate Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So why I’m I bothering with this character. Well, he’s funny, he’s a running gag done well. You see him twice, it the same joke but it’s funny. And though the film goes out of it’s way to do this joke, it feel natural and not forced. Mainly because of control freak Frollo it’s believable that an old guy would be locked away in a cage for X number of years. But odd that a stock would left open during a festival.

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame  picture image

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame  picture image

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Old Heretic looks likes Jafar from Aladdin in his disguise (this make four cameos by other Disney characters, others are  Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Carpet (Aladdin), Pumbaa (The Lion King) and the Baker (Beauty and the Beast) . Maybe the Jafar Disguise is the default  look for Disney’s prisoners. If Disney made  a version of the Count of Monet Cristo, Abbe Faria  would probably look like Jafar/Old Heretic too.

Jafar Disguise Disney Aladdin picture image

Jafar in Disguise Disney Aladdin

Belle, Carpet, Pumbaa Disney Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King picture image

Belle, Carpet, and Pumbaa

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baker Figurine Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Baker Figurine Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Baker Disney Beauty and the Beast picture image

The Baker Disney Beauty and the Beast

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little is known about the Old Heretic. We have no idea why he is a heretic or even how old he is. You don’t even learn that he is supposed to be a heretic. One thing that we do know is this; he has a Confinement Destiny*.  He just a gag no more no less. But in the scope of  a running gag it’s enjoyable.

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame  picture image

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

 

 

 

 

 

*This is a lame joke relating to Ananke (very simply it means Death Destiny). Ananke plays a big part in the novel and I’m making up another type of destiny, it’s a lame joke, I have a Lame Joke Destiny ^_~.

Next Time – It’s a surprise ^_^

Quaismodo and Hugo Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Quaismodo and Hugo Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame