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The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney)

List Price: $19.99
Your Price: $15.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Yuck
Review: this is by far the creepiest Disney movie of all time. It is far too sexual and just all around not fun. Esmerelda's dancing is basically a cartoon dancing like a stripper while keeping her clothes on. Frollo's fixation with her is way over the top (re: fireplace scene) and all around it gives me the willies. How do you explain to a child why Frollo wants to "have her" or have her "go to hell"? Seems difficult to me! Another part I found somewhat disturbing was the burning down of the peasant-looking folks' house. Seemed like something you would see in braveheart. If I was under the age of 10 or so, I would have a hard time sleeping after seeing that movie and.or understanding a bit of it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ONE OF THE BEST DISNEYS EVER MADE
Review: As has been said in other reviews, this is not really a kids' film, as Disneys in general are. When I first saw this in theatrical release, I wept openly at its scope, grandeur and depth of emotion. It immediately reminded me of the magnificent BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, with its large-scale operatic score and unbelievably beautiful animation. It also boasts one of the best scripts ever written for animation, with full, complicated characters and a well thought-out balance between the darkness of the original Victor Hugo masterpiece and the neccessities of modern storytelling.
A theme which Disney films come back to again and again is that we must cherish all of our earth, whether or not it fits into our own individual worldview. Diversity and difference are not to be suppressed and eliminated; rather, they are to be celebrated as part of our rich tapestry of life. Some reviewers have wondered why the Disney folks decided to tackle NOTRE DAME; they simply do not see that the story is a natural. A lonely outsider, desperate to join the human race, just wants to belong. We all want to belong, and from DUMBO to PINOCCHIO to BEAUTY AND THE BEAST this is a recurrent theme.
This theme is handled beautifully, especially during the heartbreaking song "Heaven's Light". The rest of the score, by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, is nothing less than glorious, with memorable and literate songs which would make as vivid a broadway production as THE LION KING became.
The entire cast, from Tom Hulce as Quasimodo to Kevin Kline as Phoebus to Demi Moore as Esmeralda to Tony Jay as Claude Frollo, are well up to the task of playing these characters. The neccessary gags and the inspired idea of Quasimodo's unfettered imagination bringing the cathedral's famous Gargoyles to life leaven the tragedy with humor, because life does indeed go from joy to sadness and back.
The DVD includes many bonus features, such as a documentary on the making of the film, a sing-along version of "Topsy-Turvy", a game for the kids (and the kid in every adult), commentary from producer Don Hahn and directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise (who, not surprisingly, are the team responsible for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST), and much more.
A movie to treasure for all who love great film, great animation, great stories, great musicals. Disney's HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME stands alongside milestones like WEST SIDE STORY and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF as one of the best.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of my favorites
Review: I have always loved Disney, and I particularly respect them for what they did with the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Though still a very toned down and disney-fied version of the story, they did not completely gloss over the darker aspects of the original book, something Disney rarely does. It gives the story a far greater impact than it otherwise would have had. And complaining parents (who say it scared their children) aside, this is an absolutely excellent movie. Aside from the occasional annoying gratuitous computer animated crowd-scenes, most of the animation is beautiful, particularly during the sequence when Esmeralda sings God Help the Outcasts. I'd highly reccomend it to anyone.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Review: I bought this for my grandchild. I was very pleased with the condition that the DVD was in. I will purchase from this seller many more times. The package arrived as promised and on time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This film deserves a 4 1/2 stars: Enjoyed that film!
Review: Well, when I was a little kid. I use to watch this Disney movie and it was really good. I never stopped liking it! Now these days, I think it should get a 4 1/2 stars.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a wonderful story with 'a heartwarming adventure that I can recommend for anyone ages 4 to 84'. It's not a bad film! If you like Pocohontas, then you'll love Hunchback of Notre Dame.

It's a lovely adventure of a poor guy who was so poor the only thing he had left was to ring the bells every day! He tries to make himself free! I never even knew it was based on a true story!

This should be a movie to put in your Disney DVD collection!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Entirely too sexually charged for kids
Review: What were they thinking??? Do children NEED to be sexualized??? If Disney wants to make animated films for adults, then how about they market it that way--and don't make TOYS for the movie???

This film is entirely too sexualized and violent and abstract for children to comprehend. My kid was scared out his mind. And he asked me all kinds of questions about the movie, that I couldn't begin to explain without going over his head. UGH. SKIP this.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Disney botches another masterpiece
Review: "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (which was ironically first published as simply "Notre Dame" but retitled later when the Hunchback continued to get the credit) is a great story, but sadly none of it is found in this movie.

So what is in this movie? Well Disney tries to be serious I suppose. Esmeralda cavorts about the stage in a skimpy outfit to adoring men (Blooper alert: she magically changes outfits when she goes to comfort the hunchback), the evil villain blatantly lusts after her and leads a rampage through Paris to get his hands on her...but its all for naught.

In truth, Disney can't be serious. They destroy any chance of that with the three Gargoyles who magically come to life and act goofy. First, why is it every Disney film nowadays has to have an inanimate object that talks? And why do we have the gargoyles here to sing songs about people being lit on fire or an entire city being devastated?

I'd like to see a Disney movie about the Holocaust...
Gargoyle: o/` Warsaw is hot tonight...sure thats because its people are on fire... o/`

I sound bitter, but thats because this movie left me bitter. Bad songs, a bad screenplay, inconsistant tone, a kind of too easily resolved ending, its just not at all that good as some Disney fanboys have made it out to be. Sorry.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Dissenting Opinion
Review: Well, I understand that many of people thought this movie was great. However, I was quite displeased with it. It contained material that was unsuitable for children, and if it isn't suitable for children, why should adults watch it? Because they aren't as impressionable?

For those that insist that it still is a great movie for adults, I would merely ask- okay, then why did the movie have to change the book? Last time I checked, the book ended very differently than the pleasant everyone is happy even if they didn't get what they thought they wanted ending in the movie.

If you want entertainment for an adult, go read a book. If you want entertainment for children, read them a book, or find an appropriate movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: WOW
Review: I saw this movie back in 1996, when it first came out. I was nine years old, not exactly a little kid, but still "too young" for this movie. All I can say is the reviews are wrong. This movie is PERFECT for a younger audience. I can't even begin to say how much this movie affected me and many other kids at that age. Quasimodo was someone we could identify with. He showed us what we already knew, that everything isn't perfect. He wanted to be accepted, like all kids want, and that scene where he's publicly tortured was enough to keep us all from ever making fun of someone again. Esmerelda and her pure selflessness taught us it's ok to do what's right, no matter what it costs us. Same thing with Phoebus. That scene where he almost dies for saving an innocent family, well, I know a few soldiers that are model ones after that scene. And Frollo, well, you can't begin to explain. He was definetly the stuff of nightmares. Not all villains are ugly, see? We learned that. We learned that you might try to tell yourself something is right, but if it's wrong no amount of convincing can turn it otherwise.
That said, the movie itself is a masterpiece. After seeing the cathedral itself on a trip to Paris, I can truly say they captured the spirit of the building. The songs are heartfelt and frightening. They express the most basic human emotions: a longing for acceptance, hope, love, passion, and betrayel. You can't get any better than that. "Someday" is my personal favorite. Orginally written to be sung by Esmerelda, it was later replaced by "God Help the Outcasts" and moved to the credits. Still powerful, though. Alan Menken (probably spelled wrong) really outdid himself.
Disney will never have the guts to make a movie like this again. They're still getting a bad rap for making this one. But two thumbs up for Disney! This has got to be one of the most powerful animated films I have ever, and will ever, see!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An Epic Adventure
Review: If I had to sum-up this movie in one word, I couldn't do it. I'd be lost as to which word to even begin to consider using. 'Amazing', 'Extraordinary', and 'Breath-taking' come to mind, but they don't seem to do it justice.

The story is about a mis-shapen young man named Quasimodo (literally meaning "half-formed") and his search for acceptance and love. He finds it with another outcast, the gyspy Esmerelda. Unfortunatley Esmerelda, though she cares for Quasi, is in love with the captain of the king's army, Phoebus. And just when you thought it couldn't get worse, you find out the villain (and Quasimodo's master) loves her, too. Torn by his lustful feelings, he proclaims in a haunting song that if he cannot have her, no one can, and he vows to have her burn in hell.

Which brings us to the music. Wow. Just wow. The music is so incredible, it's almost a scandal that it didn't even get nominated for an Oscar. The opening song ("The Bells of Notre Dame") is a masterpiece in itself. Capped off with Latin chanting that gives the songs deeper meaning than one would really pick up on, it really does give you chills. "God Help the Outcasts" is a beautiful song in which Esmerelda gives a heart-felt prayer to God to help the outcasts in society. Many people view "A Guy Like You" as being just plain bad, but it's really a wonderful set up for a moment in the movie. And then there's "Hellfire". Such a song Disney has never had nor will ever have again.

And the visuals are stunning. You forget that its an animated movie as the gorgeous backdrops of medieval Paris and the gothic architecture of Notre Dame pull you into the story.

To conclude, this movie is, and always will be, a Disney classic. What I can't understand is why so many feel that it's inappropriate for children. Of course it's disturbing at parts (I've found that many kids were upset when Quasimodo is tortured at a public festival), but these are the kinds of things that help kids develop strong morals and good values early on, showing them that's important to be accepting of all people, showing them that it's the beauty inside that counts more than the outside.


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