The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Disney, the studio that gave birth to animation, has given us such classic as Pinocchio, Fantasia and Beauty and the Beast; films of such joy and power, many containing stern moral messages for the young viewers (Pinocchio, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King)...However, never before or since has Disney so daringly steered from its safe boundaries, as with The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a film of such maturity, depth and darkness that you almost forget it was made by the same studio that brought us Aladdin four years earlier...Not even the Shakespearean tones of Disney's previous masterpiece, The Lion King, made way for the audacity of adapting Victor Hugo's 1831 dark and haunting novel...
The story revolves around Quasimodo, a deformed bellringer at the Notre Dame Cathedral, his vicious guardian, Judge Claude Frollo, a bigot who has a burning desire to eradicate all gypsies from Paris...The other main character is Esmeralda, a beautiful, street-smart gypsy, who befriends Quasimodo.
Frollo, is enchanted by Esmeralda, he experiences erotic desires towards her, but cannot understand why he is drawn towards someone so 'inferior'...The character of Frollo reminds me of the sadistic Nazi, Amon Goeth, in Schindler's List, who is attracted to his beautiful maid, but he still lashes out at her, because she is a Jew...
Never has a mainstream animated film, tackled issues of racism, xenophobia and mob hysteria...Frollo's visions of demons and sexual longings towards Esmeralda during a breathtaking sequence in the film must be particularly startling for younger viewers...
The film has its shares of humour, particularly from Quasimodo's friendly gargoyles, and a number of joyous songs...While not as dark as Hugo's depressing novel, this is a very intense film for younger viewers and credit to Disney for taking such a risk...
An overlooked masterpiece.
10/10
Disney, the studio that gave birth to animation, has given us such classic as Pinocchio, Fantasia and Beauty and the Beast; films of such joy and power, many containing stern moral messages for the young viewers (Pinocchio, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King)...However, never before or since has Disney so daringly steered from its safe boundaries, as with The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a film of such maturity, depth and darkness that you almost forget it was made by the same studio that brought us Aladdin four years earlier...Not even the Shakespearean tones of Disney's previous masterpiece, The Lion King, made way for the audacity of adapting Victor Hugo's 1831 dark and haunting novel...
The story revolves around Quasimodo, a deformed bellringer at the Notre Dame Cathedral, his vicious guardian, Judge Claude Frollo, a bigot who has a burning desire to eradicate all gypsies from Paris...The other main character is Esmeralda, a beautiful, street-smart gypsy, who befriends Quasimodo.
Frollo, is enchanted by Esmeralda, he experiences erotic desires towards her, but cannot understand why he is drawn towards someone so 'inferior'...The character of Frollo reminds me of the sadistic Nazi, Amon Goeth, in Schindler's List, who is attracted to his beautiful maid, but he still lashes out at her, because she is a Jew...
Never has a mainstream animated film, tackled issues of racism, xenophobia and mob hysteria...Frollo's visions of demons and sexual longings towards Esmeralda during a breathtaking sequence in the film must be particularly startling for younger viewers...
The film has its shares of humour, particularly from Quasimodo's friendly gargoyles, and a number of joyous songs...While not as dark as Hugo's depressing novel, this is a very intense film for younger viewers and credit to Disney for taking such a risk...
An overlooked masterpiece.
10/10