Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame vs. Victor Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame

Let’s all watch this little gem. In it, Archdeacon/Judge Claude Frollo sings lustily into the fire (while imagining his temptress Esmeralda doing a special sort of dance for him) about his desire for the gypsy girl Esmeralda.

Lyrics include all of the following: “you know I’m so much purer than the common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd”, “it’s not my fault if in God’s plan he made the devil so much stronger than a man”, “destroy Esmeralda and let her taste the fires of hell, or else let her be mine and mine alone” as well as, “now gypsy, it’s your turn, choose me or your pyre, be mine or you will burn”.

Hell, even in my teens when I saw this movie it made me go: “What the fuck?”

So whose brilliant idea was it to bring this dark gothic tale of murder, rape, religion and discrimination to the masses of children of the world? Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, also known for bringing us other actual (?) G-Rated hits such as The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast.

Of course to bring this movie to the masses there had to be some Disney trims. Following are some of the differences between the novel and the Disney adaptation:

1. Okay, they actually did do one thing in the movie that made Frollo seem more villainous than he was. The movie implies that Quasimodo was named Quasimodo by Frollo because he’s only ‘half man’ or something of that nature. It just so happens that he found him on the Quasimodo festival day in the book as well.

2. Phoebus in the book is not a sweet-natured and charmingly arrogant man voiced by Kevin Kline. Instead he woos 16 year old Esmeralda into bed with him (just for kicks) and ditches her as soon as he can for his very rich fiancee. He does nothing to help her when she is imprisoned and set to be hanged.

3. Frollo attempts to stab Phoebus in the novel after he witnesses the remnants of their fornications! And then later tries to rape Esmeralda himself.

4. Hey- where’d that Gringoire poet guy go that Esmeralda married to spare his life in the court of miracles? Maybe he’s hiding somewhere with her goat Djali (whom he chose to save instead of her).

5. No talking and singing Gargoyles in the book. Bummer.

6.  Frollo was actually not very mean to Quasimodo in the book. He was a father figure to him and the two got along quite well. Until they fall for the same woman.

7. Esmeralda was a bitch in the book. No kisses for Quasimodo in the novel!

8.  Clopin (yeah that guy with the puppets) doesn’t really have puppets in the novel. He is a gypsy leader who is quite hardcore and works very hard for his people.

9. No mention of Esmeralda’s mother in the Disney film. Which is perhaps for the better. That part was really depressing.

10. In the Disney film it ends with Phoebus and Esmeralda happily in love and a small child giving Quasimodo a flower. In the book Esmeralda is locked in a dungeon, starved and Quasimodo sneaks in and takes her dead form in his arms. Many years later their skeletons are found in an embrace. I’ve yet to find a movie adaptation of the book that has this romantic ending.

There are more differences of course, too many to actually name but you get the idea. Though the novel was written in 1831 we are still having problems with that pesky hypocrisy of the church. Lusting priests? What’s that about! The ostracism of groups based on their ethnicity? That doesn’t happen anymore! Unkindness to those who are different? We’ve moved way past that!

How sad. How very, very sad. Well, at least we can count on Disney to give us a generic fairy tale ending. Who knows when we the people will get one…