In the 1990s, it seemed that everything Disney touched began turning to gold. Their releases had become instant classics again: From Beauty and the Beast to Mulan, every animated film they put out was pure gold, a new favorite of every kid who saw it.
There were a couple of exceptions to this rule: The Rescuers Down Under, along with its predecessor, is now largely forgotten, and Pocahontas doesn't enjoy the same ageless fame as some of the other films that came out around the same time. But perhaps the strangest and most unexpected film Disney put out during this period was The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
There's no accounting for why Disney decided to make an animated version of a Victor Hugo novel where everyone dies at the end. It was a strange choice for sure: A story about a corrupt priest (who Disney turned into a judge to avoid upsetting the church) raises a deformed gypsy child in a church attic while making it his life mission to extinguish all gypsies from the city of Paris, doesn't exactly sound like a good story to make for kids. Throw in the whole plotline where Judge Frollo is driven to insanity and burns down Paris because of his lust for the gypsy Esmeralda, and it seems like an easy "nope" from any children's studio.
Even the directors and production team for the film doubted whether it would work as a Disney movie when they pitched it. But somehow, Disney gave them the green light, and they went on to make one of the greatest musical masterpieces of all time.
It's no wonder the movie was so good: Dark or not, it was still based on a Victor Hugo novel. There's no doubt that the author of Les Miserables knew how to tell a story. Add to that two of the greatest Broadway composers of the day: Alan Menken (the genius behind almost all of Disney's musical movies, from The Little Mermaid to Tangled) and Stephen Schwartz (whose college thesis was the hit musical Godspell, and who would later go on to write Wicked), and you have a guarantee for a movie musical beyond what any audience would be prepared for.
It turns out that audiences truly weren't prepared for the Hunchback: While the film did extraordinarily well at the box office, and critics more or less loved it, parents weren't as thrilled. The overall consensus was that it was far too dark, violent, and scary for children... and they weren't exactly wrong. No amount of singing gargoyles can make up for a movie where a woman is nearly burned alive as an entire city watches and cheers.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame recently regained fame in the form of a stage musical that used Disney's music but stayed truer to the original source material (most notably by making Frollo a priest again and restoring all the deaths that the movie cut out - which was actually most of Paris). The show gained great acclaim in Germany, then later in California, and New Jersey, where it played in famous playhouses to thrilled audiences.
However, in spite of the hype surrounding it, and audience expectations, the show never went to Broadway. Disney never commented on why, but theatergoers assume that it was most likely because the company didn't want the incredibly dark, raw material to damage their family-friendly brand. It was a shame because the musical truly stands up to others of Broadway-caliber — but from the company's perspective, the stance is understandable.
Should The Hunchback of Notre Dame have been made into an animated movie for kids? Probably not. But that doesn't mean that it's not still a masterpiece... and one that is actually very important for kids to see, now more than ever.
Why All Kids (And Grown-Ups) Should Watch Hunchback
The Hunchback of Notre Dame contains important messages on how we should treat one another as human beings, especially in this day and age. It's dark, yes, and potentially scary, but not in the way that horror movies are scary: The reason that this film is scary is that it's incredibly real. The problems and prejudices in this movie have been present in humanity since the beginning of time, and it's important that we learn how to recognize them, avoid them, and fight against them, as early as we can comprehend them.
First, and most obviously, you have Claude Frollo and his prejudice against the gypsies. Frollo wants the "invading, sinful gypsies" out of his precious city, and is adamant about his disgust and desire to round them up and imprison them, or worse. It's difficult not to draw the parallels between his stances on allowing the gypsies to live in Paris, and the immigration stances of some of the world's more conservative politicians, and the extremes allowed in the story make it clear that the impulse to "other" people, no matter in what way, is plainly wrong. The song "God Help the Outcasts" furthers this point and teaches kids to always think of the less fortunate and to ask what they can do to help.
Aside from the lesson on the dangers of xenophobia and othering, there are countless other positives to be gained from showing Hunchback to kids: They get to see Quasimodo, a disabled person, as a very capable hero; they see Esmeralda, one of Disney's strongest female characters, stand up not only for herself but for what is right; and they see Quasimodo accept with grace and kindness that his friend Esmeralda falls in love with someone else (instead of getting angry with her for "friend-zoning" him); they see Paris set on fire and learn the dangers of a mob mentality.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is dark, yes, and perhaps a bit too dark for younger children, but it's also a masterpiece, and parents shouldn't write it out of their Disney itinerary. This is a film that both kids and parents can benefit from watching. Parents should consider taking it out and showing it to their kids around third or fourth grade, (which is the age where cliques and bullying usually crop up in classrooms), and perhaps discuss it with them afterward.
Even if you don't have kids, you should watch Hunchback (or listen to the soundtrack of the musical version if you're ready for the darker version). Just remember: If you ever begin to sound like Frollo, you're doing something wrong.