Le Bossu de Notre-Dame

At the age of nine, I have only one idol. I will never understand what exactly captivated me about this Disney movie. I've seen plenty of animated films, yet I still worship the one where the main hero is ugly, everyone is mean to him, and he only befriends statues in the first half of the film. And like a true classic, it still works fully and strongly after many years. Nostalgia with a tear in the eye. (15/04/2006)

The 34th Disney Feature Film Victor Hugo really isn't appropriate Disney material. The attempt at funny moments in the dramatic story, where the tragic character of Quasimodo becomes a modern-day King Kong... that in and of itself is a problem. It continues with the incomprehensible story of Esmeralda, a gypsy girl who is loved by three men at once. The mentality of medieval Paris and its pursuit of crazy fun for at least one day a year then enters into this nonsensically-sketched situation... We cannot accept the Disney story of "Quasi," where cute animals represent "cute" gargoyles. Frollo is a character completely out of place, and the songs are from a different genre. Perhaps the quality of the animation is fine, but it's a futile effort. I'd probably prefer the second part, which went straight to video, because only in this form does it really matter anymore. A terrible experience. (19/06/2019)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame refers in a kind and unobtrusive way to the old familiar saying of don't judge a book by its cover, or in this case don't judge others by their deformities or skin colour. In addition to the nicely delivered message of tolerance towards others, the film offers a story of all colours with a beautiful musical score and more than one humorous moment, especially provided by the gargoyles and the goat. Despite the demonic character of Frol and the darker ending, the film radiates an incredibly positive atmosphere that makes it an enjoyable watch. (07/09/2020)

Even though Disney changed the story according to their liking, it is a fairly successful and functional adaptation. The characters have clear dimensions, they are either black or white. Perhaps only Quasimodo is a bit more interesting. The use of 3D elements is dreadful here, but on the other hand, the songs are fantastic. Disney's version is definitely not bad. (04/03/2015)