The Hunchback of Notre Dame

[AdAstrα]

Ok, I KNOW I'm not the only one here who loves this movie I first saw it when it came out in 1996 and although obviously some of its major themes went right over my head (like racism etc.), it became one of my favourite movies ever and has been ever since!

So, those of you who like it, why do you like it? What's your favourite scene? And most importantly...

..are the gargoyles real, or is Quasimodo just imagining that they are?

[Misiziri]

Absolutely love it, my favorite character is...

Esmeralda's goat. No seriously I love that little guy. But it's one of my favorite Disney movies, a lot of effort was put into it and I personally think it's underrated :I

[AdAstrα]

Haha Djali the goat! I love him too <3

And yes, this is like, the most underrated movie ever I wish more people would see how amazing it is.

[Misiziri]

Haha, he's precious.

I guess some overzealous parents got their undies in a bunch, claiming it to be too dark for children and all that. It is definitely a darker Disney film, but I still think it's fine for kids. The reason it's so underrated is probably because it was too serious for kids to understand and enjoy, I know I might not have liked it at a younger age.

[AdAstrα]

Well I was 4 years old when I first saw it, and the darker aspects of it didn't bother me at all because I was too young to even understand them. I did however, enjoy it, and most importantly, it taught me a valuable lesson; to NEVER judge anyone by their appearance. Quasimodo was considered "ugly" by everyone (I think he's adorable though!) but he was beautiful on the inside and that's what REALLY counts. This was something I thought about a lot in real life after seeing this movie, and when I went to kindergarten I was always the one trying to get the kids that had trouble making friends involved in our games. Oh, and Esmeralda has always been my favourite Disney girl :3 I don't think this movie is bad for kids at all, parents of today are just way too overprotective =/

[Misiziri]

I'd agree, I think you perceived differently than many kids would, however. Some themes could be too scary for them, etc... but no reason for this masterpiece to be so underrated. Maybe the parents could have a little talk with their kids about the movie beforehand or something, I don't know.

[AdAstrα]

Yeah, that would be a good idea! I mean it is a dark film, but it's not as bad as people seem to think. They obviously haven't read the book (which is downright depressing).
I also think that this movie being underrated is partially due to bad marketing by Disney. From the ads they made it seem like much more of a little children's movie than it actually is. And what's with the G rating? It should be PG at least. That way, people would have known what they were in for when they watched the film in cinemas, and they could have prepared their kids for it beforehand. Perhaps just taken the older kids and left the toddlers at home.

[Lauren]

I love this movie! One of my favorite parts is when Quasimodo rescues Esmeralda and yells out to the crowd "Sanctuary!" three times. It just saddens me how someone like Quasimodo was raised by someone like Frollo. This movie teaches you what makes a man and what makes a monster.

[AdAstrα]

I love that part too ^ And when Quasimodo shows Esmeralda and Djali around the tower and they have that little talk about gypsies not being evil and him not being a monster. Such a lovely scene <3 I also like Esmeralda's "Justice!" speech. And of course, God Help the Outcasts <3

[Lauren]

Agreed. She's such a great character.