Quasimodo, eh. That name rings a bell. *guffaw*
With that lame gag out of the way, it's worth starting this review by mentioning that THAT gag is funnier than most of the lines in this movie. I could also belt out a tune and tell you that my choice of songs would be better than most of the tunes in this movie. Neither of these things made me enjoy the film any less though. I'm just making this clear at the very start.
My lame gag is also a way of clarifying that I'm going to assume people know enough about this story already. Written by Victor Hugo, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame is all about a deformed bell-ringer (Quasimodo, voiced here by Tom Hulce) who lives in the heights of Notre Dame Cathedral. He ends up out in the midst of the public one day, jeered and mocked, and shown some kindness from a beautiful Gypsy woman (Esmeralda, voiced by Demi Moore). The plot then concerns Quasimodo's love for the woman who was kind to him, a "trespassing" suitor (Captain Phoebus, played by Kevin Kline), and the nasty Judge Claude Frollo (voiced by Tony Jay), who is the acting guardian of Quasimodo.
So, bearing in mind it's not too funny and none of the songs are that memorable, what would make The Hunchback Of Notre Dame worth your time? Well, it's just a really good movie, and one that incorporates a number of themes not usually found in cute and colourful animated outings. And the fact that it's not too funny doesn't mean it's completely unfunny, while the songs not being too memorable doesn't mean that they're bad. I found this entertaining throughout, and I enjoyed a few of the main songs, even if I cannot hum any of the tunes right now. Maybe a rewatch will change that.
Written by a whole heap of people, and directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, it's worth celebrating this as a Disneyfied adaptation of quite a dark and twisted classic. All of the voice cast do a great job, it's worth mentioning the presence of Jason Alexander as a gargoyle appropriately named Hugo, and they match their characters perfectly. Kline and Moore are the standouts, but you also have small roles for David Ogden Stiers, playing a kindly head priest, and Paul Kandel as a puppeteer who introduces the main theme of the story.
It's an immersive and rewarding experience, made so by the gorgeous animation and shot choices that bring viewers into the world of late 15th-century Paris, letting them float and fly around the streets and rooftops when free from the confines of Notre Dame itself, and putting viewers alongside some nicely-rounded characters. I'm kicking myself for not getting to this sooner, and I'll look forward to revisiting it. Who knows, maybe one day I'll even check out the sequel, although my expectations will be kept very low down for that.
Highly recommended, unless you're wanting the more standard Disney flick, complete with more hearty chuckles and singalong moments. But you can pick from about fifty of those. So at least give this one your time someday.
8/10
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Mandy Patinkin was originally cast as Quasimodo, or at least was very far in the casting process. He was very excited as Quasimodo was a dream role for him; however, he dropped out due to clashes with the producers regarding the character – ‘I wanted to play Quasimodo for real … They had their own Disney needs’. He ended up playing Quasimodo in a TV series the following year while Tom Hulce was cast instead.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if this is true but Quasimodo was allegedly meant to die at the film’s end, stabbed by Frollo, and Esmerelda in turn would kill Frollo. Quasimodo’s dying wish was to ring the bells one last time, and the final shot would have been the crowd cheering, while Esmerelda and Phoebus sobbed over the body of their deceased friend. Interestingly, a simillar thing happened with the Mandy Patinkin film.
How bold would it have been to just polish off the main character, in a heroic moment, and actually depict it with serious depth? It would be held in higher esteem than any other moment from the entirety of the Disney Renaissance Era.
It certainly seems to have been forgotten by most people nowadays, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Although I like the idea of Patinkin in the role, I do also like how this was balanced out by the softened edges of the Disneyfication (sorry if that seems like blasphemy).
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