The Grand Finale
After Frollo dies, the hellish lava goes away and the masses are happy. This is when Quasimodo, the lovable abet not too conventionally attractive hero emerges from the darkness and silence of Notre Dame to be greeted with the acceptance of the people. Why is he now welcome? I think for saving Esmeralda and saying “No” to Frollo. It’s not for killing Frollo, Notre Dame and Frollo’s haste took care of that.
So as Quasimodo is being cheered, Clopin reprises the “Bells of Notre Dame.” Just in case you’re a complete moron the movie clearly shows the audience who the Monster was, the Frollo puppet. To think this whole time I just thought it was Frollo, Twist ending here; it was the Puppet! The man was Quasimodo, no surprise there. I kid. I understand subtexts most of the time.
If you like “Bells of Notre Dame,” you’ll like the Reprise. It is sung well by Clopin (as to be expected now from Paul Kandal.) It’s a bit repetitive though, not sure how times the word “Bells” is uttered but it’s a lot. There also some new lyrics added;
“Whatever their pitch (Bells, bells)
You can feel them bewitch you (Bells, bells)
The rich and the ritual knells (Bells, bells, bells, bells)“
A Weird Twist? No but a Fun Musing Either Way
He saying that the Ringing Bells have an effect of people. So was it the bells that made Frollo crazy with lust? I mean it says the Bells bewitch. Quasimodo did ring the bells right before “Hellfire” and you only see him doing it once in the movie. So the Bells were the Frollo’s puppet accomplice. Of course, it all makes sense. The Puppet couldn’t stand that Frollo had all the power, so he harnessed the ancient Deus ex Machina power of the Bells to make Frollo crazy which would led to his death by Notre Dame, of course!
I figured you out, movie. This makes the Bells and the Frollo Puppet the heroes and villains. Touché Disney, I didn’t know you were so complicated. Truly this twist rivals M. Night Shyamalan. (2026 edit – I was being silly here, I think at least I hope I was being silly.)
A Finale to the Grand Finale
On an unrelated note, the song is a good ending, you get a curtain call: Quasimodo is happy to be “Out There” “In the Sun” with the “Ordinary Men.” The Gargoyles are happy that the people now love “A guy like” Quasimodo. Esmeralda is happy because Notre Dame (Mary) “Helped the Outcasts”. Phoebus is happy because his ex boss is dead and he has a hot new girlfriend. Djali and Clopin are happy because the sanction of street performers had lifted with Frollo’s death and now they don’t have to pay the Busker Tax. The only person who isn’t happy in all this is the Old Heretic, he fell into a sewer and was never to heard from again. They say on quiet nights you can heard an old man saying “Dang it.”
On the Final Shot
Since the film ends with the same song as it began with, it’s only that it ends with a pull away though the sky above the Notre Dame. It’s appropriate yet a little cheesy but it’s better that ending on a stain glass window that show all the main characters, a la Beauty and the Beast or a stupid page peel by the Genie in Aladdin. Though it would be funny to have the Genie pop up in random Disney Movies saying “made you look” at the end. (2026 edit- I do not stand behind this take anymore. I’m not sure what I was thinking siting the Stained Glass ending. The fourth wall break from the Genie I didn’t love that as a kid as it took me out of the impact of the story but I don’t it’s “stupid.” The 2011 version of me had some hot takes.)
Next Time – Someday, the Credit song and Delated Song.
