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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: 5 stars
Summary: Great Movie!
Review: I know it's kind of late for a review but I've loved this movie for years. The characters are well structured and easily to fall in love with. The storyline is well laid out too. Leaves you figuring new things out every time you watch it! I encourage anyone to buy this (except of course, if you don't like Disney Videos)

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Should not become a disney classic
Review: The ending is ok I even liked the little talking statues,but the rest of the movie was boring and it was a waste of my time watching it. "Do not buy this movie".

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great cast, great songs, great plot, GREAT FILM!
Review: I really like this film. I think part of the reason I like it so much, is the brilliant casting The actors fit perfectly into their roles, Hulce makes you care for Quasi, Kline adds that humorous touch to Phoebus. Moore is really Esmeralda in real life! You gotta love Hugo, and as for Tony Jay, well, Frollo is my favorite villain in a looooong time!

The animation is brilliant, especially the magnificent detail given to the cathedral. The computer animation of the crowds is outstanding as well
.

There is some excellent music in this film, my particular favorite being Frollo's "Hellfire," which is combined with some tremendous artwork. "The Bells of Notre Dame" is another great song.

As for the DVD's extras. it has a very good commentary track, the multi- language reel "A Guy Like You" is worth a laugh or two, and the making of Hunchback is interesting. Then for the kids, there's the sing-along song of "Topsy Turvy" and the Topsy Turvy underground game.

One note: this film may not be for all kids, so parents may want to watch it without the kids present so they can judge for themselves if it is suitable or not for them to watch it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not up to par with Disney Collector's Edition movies
Review: Although there is bonus material on this DVD, it is not up to par with Disney Collector's Edition movies. The picture and sound quality are excellent, so it's still a good buy.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great film... Moving and Thrilling....
Review: I thought that this was a great film! Part of that success should go to Tom Hulce as well as the wonderful animation. I think that Tom Hulce brought new life to Quasi and that people like that can be different. I know how he feels.... I am disabled and have seen first hand just how nasty people can be..

This film is rather dark in tone, but I think that you should see it with the kids and talk to them about it.. I think that it would help them see that people that are disabled or deformed are just like everyone else.. They need a chance to prove it...

Lord Frollo was one of the darkest characters that I have seen in any Disney movie... Peobis.. was OK, but Quasi moved me the most... Tom Hulce brought such longing and his singing moved me to tears! His voice is a beauty in itself...

I would pre screen it before showing it to anyone under 10. It is not the original story, but it is a breakthrough, and a wonder to see again and again... So glad that it is out on DVD...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An underrated treasure!
Review: I was so glad to see that Disney released this classic film on dvd from their collection. When it was released back in '96, I was amazed at the beautiful animation, the songs, and the story. What shocked me the most, however, was that it didn't do as well as some of its predecessors and that was a disappointment. Though it isn't as good as "Beauty and the Beast", it is close enough in my opinion and better than some of the blockbusters that Disney has released. As good as "The Little Mermaid", "The Lion King" and "Aladdin" are, I think it is still a step above them. Hopefully with its release on dvd, a new audience can see the film and realize what a gem it is. It also has a good message---that we need to look past a person's disability and see the person inside. That is the most important thing a child, or any of us for that matter, could bring away from this film.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Could have been a masterpiece ...
Review: Disney's musical-comedy retelling of Victor Hugo's grim _Notre Dame de Paris_ leaps off the screen with brilliant art direction and excellent animation. Computerized and traditional animation effects produce images of medieval Paris that venture beyond photorealism into hyperrealism.

If the film were as good as its first six minutes, it would be a masterpiece. But _Hunchback_ doesn't deliver on its early promise. It features plenty of high drama, then undercuts the drama with low comedy and anachronistic humor. As with a few other recent Disney ventures into more adult-oriented subjects -- _Hercules_ and _Atlantis_ spring to mind -- this film seems fundamentally uncertain of its audience. Many scenes are too intense for children, but the film still attempts to pander to their tastes.

Songs by Alan Mencken and Stephen Schwartz are hit-and-miss. The comic songs and ballads -- usually the high point of a Disney film -- are uniformly weak, while expository numbers are uncommonly strong (and very well staged).

_Hunchback_ is a fascinating misfire -- a minor but opulent addition to the Disney studio's oeuvre.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: HUNCHBACK: A Treat for THE EYE, THE HEART, and THE EAR!
Review: Disney's version of the Hunchback of Notre Dame is the only animated movie (in my opinion)to achieve weaving together a fantastic story, a beautiful, soaring, suspence building,soundtrack and yet still able to top it off with the BEST most detailed and beautiful animation EVER seen to date. This movie has yet to find it's match. Since Hunchback was released the Disney studios has NEVER been able to top itself! Tarzan is the only movie since, from any company, that has come close to achieving the same results. Tarzan had a great story and a really great soundtrack which was unique and worked well with the film but it is in part due to it's lack of depth in the character animation that causes this film to fall slightly short of Hunchback. Tarzan is a movie with Hunchback quality backgrounds and main characters but has Pocahauntas style "co-stars". Young Tarzan,Teck and all his friends just look as though they were to be in another film. They are simple rounded, cartoony looking characters who do not mix well with the more "realistic" looking characters and elements of the movie. Atlantis has BREATHTAKING animation but lacks a good soundtrack and the story is a little rough at times leaving you lost and having to rewind and watch parts again. Hunchback is not for the very young but I would let a 7 year old watch it. It's lessons are valuable and necessary for kids to learn and live by in todays world. Mayby after a class bully watches this movie he may learn that the kid with the glasses has a heart and feelings and may be a pretty cool person inside and that's what counts!! Buy this movie, WATCH it, LISTEN to it, BE AMAZED BY IT and LIVE by it's lessons tought throughout! GOD BLESS!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: If You're Worried About the DVD Quality...
Review: ...then the transfer for this film is TOP NOTCH!!!!! I was so excited when my mother brought this home for me, and I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED AND NEITHER WILL YOU!!!!
The 5.1 Track is absolutely gorgeous!!! It is not too loud or too soft. I went mad over it, *simply MAD!!!!!* A+ in Audio!!!

The picture is anamorphic widescreen and shows off superb quality and resolution! I had only seen this film once before on television, and I had forgotten about the millions of colors used for the film. They were beautiful then, but with the DVD they shine through brilliant, gorgeous, and absolutely vibrant I kid you not. Save for some *very minor* film grain, the picture lacks nothing and I went absolutely *Topsy Turvy!!!* over it and so should YOU!!! A+ for Picture.

The story is of course heartfelt and despite it being a Disney film, is probably meant for those around their teens and smaller kids also, should you parents explain a few things to them.

The making of the film extra is informative and the game and multi-language reel is a nice addition.

Packaging is great and menus are okay.

If you were worried about how the DVD held up, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT ANYMORE! Pick this up and absorb the glamour!!!! Believe me, I've watched it twice since I got it 4 hours ago ^_~!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Deserved a Nomination for Best Picture, among other things.
Review: This is the last of the great Disney animated films. The visuals, the score, the special effects, the storyline. All organic elements which worked together effortlessly. Tom Hulce's reading of Quasimodo was as impassioned as anything I've seen/heard in live action films over the past decade or so. Surely, if there were ever an Oscar for vocal readings, he would have been in serious contention.

I recently saw Beauty and the Beast for the first time in many years. Just as the credits began rolling, I thought to myself, if this film garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, why not Hunchback of Notre Dame? Moreover, the musical score for Hunchback, penned by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz - is clearly above the scores for such films as Harry Potter, The Full Monty and other films which have mysteriously received nominations over the years. Hunchback has it all: ballads, comedy schtick, excitement and even a heavy dose of choral writing, highly appropriate and effective for the setting in which the story is told. How it missed a nomination is beyond me. Much less the poignant single version of "God Help The Outcasts" sung by Bette Midler.

Yes, Disney strayed away considerably from the original story (not as if this is the first time they've done this for an animated adaptation... Mermaid, Cinderella, Snow White.. the list goes on and on). However, they also strayed away from their usual "family" entertainment approach to storytelling. There is no glossy finish (save for the gargolye sidekicks, which should have been dropped) added to homogenize or second-guess the expectations of the audience. All of this makes for a more natural film, definitely the crown jewel in animation history. Even the cinematography (which is hardly something that ever truly stays with me after seeing an animated film) was illustrious, well-paced and breathtaking.

In a year when Moulin Rouge is nominated for the Oscar - and is being hailed as a return to the Hollywood Musical genre, don't for a minute forget Hunchback. This is a film that was just as groundbreaking, daring, and unconventional when put in the confines of traditional "kid-tested mother approved" animation. Or rather, put in the confines of American cinema, period.


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