The Hunchback of Notre Dame

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler, Michael

Been out of commission for a week doing a show, but time to get back into it. Recent discussions lead to watching the handful of Disney films I've never properly seen. This one I'd seen bits and pieces of before but never sat down and watched the whole way through.

What an odd story to make into a Disney musical. So dark. Even with them changing the original story and lightening it up considerably it's still a pretty grim tale. They add in talking gargoyles and a burping goat for the kids and they feel very out of place. A somewhat misleading trailer that one...

I remember this at the time of release because everyone was going on about how it was the first Disney animation to have a male lead that sports facial hair. Also the computer composited crowd animation. That was pretty neat.

As it's not one of the films I grew up with none of the songs really popped out for me, except the comically high and epic Bells of Notre Dame. The film has great animation but I wished the tone was a little more consistant. It really could have used the darker ending, or do away with it completely and go for a more lively tone like the trailer suggested.