The Hunchback of Notre Dameis aDisney classic.
Like Hugo’s novel, the concepts in the movie are dark and it’s filled with adult themes.
Here are a few of the things you only notice inThe Hunchback of Notre Dameas an adult.
None of which disappointed.
Movies likeFinding NemoandCocofeature fun moments where characters from other films pop up unexpectedly.
Likewise, the animators fromThe Hunchback of Notre Damealso apparently wanted to have some fun.
Speaking of Belle, the baker featured in the town looks identical to the baker fromBeauty and the Beast.
Pumbaa fromThe Lion Kingcan also be spotted in this scene, as noted byHuffPost.
Or else let her be mine and mine alone."
That may have gone over kids' heads, but the adults know what this creep was saying.
But this love triangle is interesting because the titular character (spoilers!)
doesn’t end up with Esmeralda.
Instead, the story confronts issues of romantic rejection.
His “burning desire” for Esmeralda displays lust, greed, and envy.
For example, inCinderella, the audience is only told about the death of Cinderella’s father.
Meanwhile, inTheHunchback of Notre Dame, the death of Quasimodo’s mother is rather violent.
Viewerssee her fall on the stepsof Notre Dame while trying to protect Quasimodo.
So the film brought onJane Withersto finish Wickes' lines.
As he sings, the audience is shown one of these gypsies holding baby Quasimodo.
This inconsistency was probably not a mistake but done intentionally.
In the novel, Esmeralda falls in love with Phoebus, and Frollo becomes jealous.
So he stabs Phoebus, and Esmeralda is blamed.
She mistakenly admits to witchcraft and murder and is sentenced to death (viaEncyclopaedia Britannica).
Disney also softens the story’s ending.
The book is much darker than the animated classic, so it’s no wonder there were changes.
Kids probably didn’t notice the connection, but most adults probably saw the nod to the writer.
He publishedThe Hunchback of Notre Damein 1831 (viaBiography).
So were Hugo’s offspring proud of the appearance of the names Victor and Hugo in the movie?
Though it seems they didn’t appreciate the gargoyles' names, plenty of viewers probably did.
Quasimodo saves Esmeralda, gypsies escape capture, and the people of Paris revolt against the guards.
When did the people of Paris have time to clean up?
Did the people of Paris defeat the guards and decide to start tidying up as Quasimodo finished fighting Frollo?
Sure, we can look upon the sudden change in time of day as a partial explanation.
Maybe Disney’s timeline is that they fought, recovered overnight, and left in the morning.
Still, how could the townspeople have cleaned up so fast?
