The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
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A deformed bell-ringer in 15th-century Paris struggles for acceptance while a powerful judge seeks to control the city's fate.
The story
In 1482 Paris, the story follows Quasimodo, a deformed and isolated bell-ringer of the Notre Dame cathedral. While he is content within the sanctuary of the towers, he yearns to experience the world outside. His life is complicated by the presence of the powerful and puritanical Judge Claude Frollo, who seeks to eliminate the city's Romani population. When a kind gypsy woman named Esmeralda enters the scene, Quasimodo is forced to confront the dangers of the outside world and the growing conflict between his desire for freedom and Frollo's ruthless quest for control over the city's inhabitants.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1482 Paris, Judge Claude Frollo finds a deformed child, Quasimodo, and raises him in the bell tower of Notre Dame. Twenty years later, Quasimodo is a skilled but isolated man who is forced into the public eye during the Festival of Fools. He is rescued by Esmeralda, a gypsy woman who is pursued by Frollo and the captain of his guard, Phoebus. Esmeralda finds refuge in the cathedral, and Quasimodo helps her escape to the Court of Miracles. Frollo, consumed by an obsessive lust for Esmeralda, attempts to seize the cathedral and the gypsy community. During a final confrontation, Frollo pursues Quasimodo and Esmeralda into the bell tower. A fight ensues, and both fall from a ledge; Frollo falls to his death while Quasimodo is saved by Phoebus. Quasimodo is eventually hailed as a hero by the people of Paris.
- First release year
- 1996
- Runtime (minutes)
- 91
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Gary Trousdale; Kirk Wise
- Writers
- Tab Murphy · screenplay; Irene Mecchi · screenplay; Bob Tzudiker · screenplay; Noni White · screenplay; Jonathan Roberts · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Tom Hulce · Quasimodo; Demi Moore · Esmeralda; Tony Jay · Judge Claude Frollo; Kevin Kline · Captain Phoebus; Paul Kandel · Clopin; Jason Alexander · Hugo; Charles Kimbrough · Victor; Mary Wickes · Laverne
- Genres
- animated; musical; drama
- Themes
- genocide; lust; prejudice; sin; redemption
- Tone and mood
- mature; dark
- Premise and plot tags
- fantasy; historical; romance
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1831 novel by Victor Hugo
- Franchise connections
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews and was a commercial success, grossing over $325 million worldwide and becoming the fifth highest-grossing film of 1996.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: positive; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals · Nominated · 2006 · Nominated; AFI's 10 Top 10 · Nominated Animation Film · 2008 · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film's production team took a research trip to Paris to study the Notre-Dame cathedral.; The film's score was composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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