I love this movie. I'm only slightly exaggerating when I say I watch this movie about once a week. Seriously though. I. Love. This. Movie. I get slightly annoyed when someone tells me they don't like this movie due to its dark motifs. "This is Disney!" They say, "How could Disney make something so dark?" I think the problem these people have is not with the actual story (because the story and morals behind the story are actually quite beautiful) but with the medium used to tell the story. Once again there is this mistaken notion that animation is strictly for children and that if anyone tries to aim it at adults it's an abomination. Just think about it....if someone had decided to do a live action version of Disney's Hunchback (not Victor Hugo's mind you, there is a substantial difference between the two) what would your reaction be? Would you consider it to be dark and violent? It has no more violence and wickedness in it than say Les Miserables; to compare another Victor Hugo story-made-movie. And that movie is phenomenal. In any case, put your prejudices aside and enjoy the movie for the sake of the story not the medium.
That being said, let's chat about this movie...
Everything about this movie reeks of intelligent design. I want to kiss the man who wrote the music for this film. Have you ever really paid attention to the lyrics of any of the songs in this movie? Take the first song "The Bells of Notre Dame" that describe the toll of the bells as the soul of the city. Which so perfectly introduces the first symbol of the movie: the cathedral. Notre Dame not only represents the eyes of God in this movie but it also represents the city of Paris itself and the pulse of the people dwelling there. On top of that it is completely interconnected with the character of Quasimodo. Quasimodo is a solitary character, as an audience we need to know what he's thinking and if he doesn't have anyone to tell them to we have no way of knowing them. The cathedral acts as an outlet for Quasimodo's inner dialogue. Just watch any scene with those gargoyles (whose obnoxious personalities I only tolerate because they lend a very helpful hand to some major character development). Any time those gargoyles are talking it sounds like a conversation Quasi is having with himself. The gargoyles always express his inner desires, they are the encouraging voice that pushes him along. And since he's the only one capable of seeing them it further shows that they are a projection of his mind.
Another fantastic display in intelligent lyricism comes from the songs sung by Quasimodo and Frollo. I have a Disney radio station on Pandora that I listen to a lot while I'm at work and I've come to notice that if Frollo sings a song it's immediately followed by Quasimodo singing a song and vice versa. That's because any songs they sing are actually considered one song. It makes for an excellent juxtaposition of the goodness of one character with the wickedness of the other, for example: "Heaven's Light/Hellfire." (As a side note: the song "Hellfire" becomes so much more fascinating when you understand the Latin that is used throughout the song.)
This brings up another bit of symbolism incorporated throughout the movie: light. Any character that is good is associated with natural or "heavenly" light. The sun, moon, and the friendly light of a candle come to mind when thinking of characters like Phoebus, Esmerelda, and Quasimodo. Frollo is associated with harsh light such as a fire in a fireplace, torchlight, a bonfire, or the burning of Paris. There's also the molten fire that Quasimodo pours out of Notre Dame which I consider to be symbolic of the wrath of God pouring out upon those that would desecrate His church.
One instance of symbolic lighting I want to focus on is during Esmerelda's song "God Help the Outcasts." Esmerelda walks through a corridor of candles, in front of a gold painted fresco, and into the light of Notre Dame's gigantic rose window during her prayer for the less fortunate. On the other hand, the others in the cathedral who are pleading for selfish favors from God are shown as shadows on the wall, perhaps indicating how shallow their desires are, especially in comparison with Esmerelda's sincere plea for those who cannot help themselves.
A small thing that I find to be interesting is the colors used in the outfits for Esmerelda, Phoebus, and Frollo. Phoebus is always wearing shining gold or white.... the symbolism for that should be pretty obvious so I won't dwell on it. Esmerelda on the other hand is a little more subtle. If you haven't noticed her standard outfit is purple and back in Medieval times purple was a color associated with royalty and was also used in conjunction with God's royal family, aka Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. When she isn't wearing purple she's wearing white. And the one time she isn't wearing either one of these is when she does her dance during the Feast of Fools. In that sequence she's wearing purple and red; I don't know if anyone else out there noticed this but Frollo's robe is lined in purple and red. This visual token subconsciously ties Follo's actions with Esmerelda and since those colors are forever present on Frollo it shows the audience that he cannot hide from his secret lusts.
I can't help but be astounded at the possibly immense amount of research that must have been done for this movie. There are an insane amount of sculptures decorating the exterior of Notre Dame and it feels like each one of them makes an appearance in this movie.
It's not a secret that I'm a huge fan of Victor Hugo, who wrote Hunchback of Notre Dame (or Norte Dame de Paris if you want to be technical about it), but did you know that this novel had a direct influence over the cathedral being restored from the ruined state it had been in following the French Revolution? There are quite a few historical tidbits throughout the book that are fascinating. Unfortunately this post is about the Disney movie, not the book so I'll just say that everyone should pick up a copy and read it.
Finally, I would like to remind everyone of the morals to this story:
Be kind to those around you, no matter their social standing or their physical appearance.
and
What makes a monster and what makes a man?
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