The Hunchback of Nowhere has several big nods and several small nods to the original book and to the Disney movie.
The bigs one are handbells and the trapezes. Both are clever tweaks on the massive Cathedral bells and Quasimodo’s acrobatics. Though why are there trapezes in the Bagge’s barn, I have no idea. Another big one is at the climax of the episode, Eustace falls from the roof. This is a clear reference to Frollo falling from Notre Dame. So it would seem that the barn is playing Notre Dame in this episode.
The theory is made evident by a rose window in the barn. You can see it when Quasimodo is playing the bells when Courage finds him in the barn.
Then there is Quasimodo uttering the line “Out there.” This is defiantly a reference to the Disney movie where Quasimodo sings a song called “Out There” in which he hopes for a day in the normal world. In the episode Quasimodo says the line with hope and optimism.
The references are clear, playful and do not bog down the episode. They feel fairly natural within the brief time constraints of the episode though I confess the trapeze while cute is a bit of a stretch.
Next Time; Conclusion