The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Directors:

Gary Trousdale
Kirk Wise

Writers:

Christine Blum (story)
Geefwee Boedoe (story)

Release Date:

21 June 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Drama | Family | Musical | Romance

Plot:

A deformed bellringer must assert his independence from a vicious government minister in order to help his friend, a gypsy dancing girl.

Plot Keywords:

Gypsy | Cathedral | Gargoyle | Bell | Soldier

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 7 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Jason Alexander	...	Hugo (voice)
Mary Kay Bergman	...	Quasimodo's Mother / Additional Voice (voice)
Corey Burton	...	Brutish Guard / Additional Voice (voice)
Jim Cummings	...	Guards / Gypsies (voice)
Bill Fagerbakke	...	Oafish Guard (voice)
Tom Hulce	...	Quasimodo (voice)
Tony Jay	...	Frollo (voice)
Paul Kandel	...	Clopin (voice)
Charles Kimbrough	...	Victor (voice)
Kevin Kline	...	Phoebus (voice)
Heidi Mollenhauer	...	Esmeralda (singing voice)
Demi Moore	...	Esmeralda (voice)
Patrick Pinney	...	Guards / Gypsies / Additional Voice (voice)
Gary Trousdale	...	The Old Heretic (voice)
David Ogden Stiers	...	Archdeacon (voice)

Runtime:

91 min | Denmark:87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:G (certificate #34615) | Australia:PG | Brazil:10 (DVD rating) | Brazil:Livre | South Korea:All | Sweden:7 | New Zealand:G | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Denmark:7 | Finland:K-8/5 | Germany:6 (w) | Norway:7 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:G | Spain:T | UK:U

Company:

Walt Disney Feature Animation

Trivia:

The old heretic is Jafar in his old man disguise from Aladdin (1992).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Frollo picks up a piece of the rail, to make his point about the gypsies, the curved edges of the rail are facing towards him, but in the next shot, when he slams it down, the rail fragment is facing the other way.

Quotes:

Quasimodo: You killed her.
Frollo: It was my duty. Horrible as it was, I hope you can forgive me.
[Quasimodo continues to weep bitterly]
Frollo: There, there, Quasimodo. I know it hurts. But now the time has come to end your suffering...
[raises a dagger above Quasimodo]
Frollo: Forever.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Nanny: An Affair to Dismember (#4.8)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Cyclone

One of the best Disney-animated films of the '90s...

Although not a kid-pleaser like "The Little Mermaid", Disney's rendering of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is in every way its equal. The Victor Hugo classic story about Quasimodo, disfigured outcast in medieval Paris who becomes a hero, surprisingly lends itself well to an animated re-enactment with songs. The drawings are handsome and active, very flashy, and the direction is tight if a bit frantic (were they afraid a slower pace would turn children off?). The production is beautiful, compensating I think for the lack of jokes (the gargoyle sidekicks not withstanding) and one really memorable song. The music is still quite good, and the celebrity voices (de rigeur these days) are expressive. The editing is a bit choppy, turning the proceedings into a cartoon hyperbole, but this is a captivating story and good, solid entertainment. *** from ****