The Hunchback of Notre Dame

DISCLAIMER: This blog is not for profit. I do not claim ownership of this material - all images and footage used are property of their respective companies unless stated otherwise.

                                                     

When it comes to animated Disney films, you don’t get much darker than the Hunchback – and its more dramatic tone is accompanied by some of the most spectacular music and animation that Disney has ever produced, as well as one of their most complex villains. In many ways, this is one of Disney’s most underrated films. Unfortunately, they couldn’t stray too far away from their usual formula this point, as it also tries very hard to be a fun, happy, silly Disney film at the same time (yes, I am talking about the Gargoyles). As a result, the whole tone just ends up feeling confused, stopping it from becoming the classic it should have become overall.

As I said, for the most part the music and animation of Hunchback are spectacular. The choral nature of the soundtrack combined with the often stunning views of Notre Dame and the surrounding area make the film worth watching on it’s own. When it comes to the characters, Quasimodo and Phoebus are likable enough – but by far the best good guy of the film is Esmerelda, who is refreshingly strong and fierce for a Disney heroine. The development of Esmerelda and Quasimodo’s relationship is also very refreshing and they have a very sweet friendship which adds some light to what is overall a very dark story.

That’s not even mentioning the villain – Frollo is one of the most complex villains Disney has ever attempted. His inner turmoil and the way in which he tries to justify his actions, but the fact that he is still pure evil at the same time, makes him one of the best bad guys in the canon. At times, it’s hard to believe that Disney would put a storyline this adult on screen, but they do a remarkable job of it.

Something they do a less remarkable job on is the comic relief. I’m just going to be frank here- the Gargoyles who Quasimodo regularly speaks to should not be in this film. They’re not funny for the most part and they just make the whole tone seem childish in a way that doesn’t suit the storyline. And there are more than a few moments where the film goes too silly for it’s own good. It feels like they wanted to tell a dramatic story, but were bound by Disney convention at the same time, resulting in a confused tone overall. In the Lion King for example, they were able to balance out the comic relief with the more dramatic main plot, but the main difference is that Timon and Pumbaa (and the other more light-hearted scenes) had a purpose in the storyline. The Gargoyles are just shoved in because it’s Disney and they needed to keep the kids happy, but their lack of purpose (and funny humour) just make them feel like a disruption overall.   

Overall, the Hunchback of Notre Dame is a spectacular, if flawed and tonally confused film, which is definitely worth watching if you’ve never seen it before.

Ratings

Good guys: Whilst most of the main characters of this film are great, the comic relief is some of the worst Disney has ever produced, so the good guys get 6/10

Bad guys: One of Disney’s most underrated villains gets 10/10

Animation: Some spectacular shots make this film worthy of 10/10 in animation

Music: With the exception of ‘A Guy Like You’, the music in this film is wonderful, so it gets 9/10

Plot: A bold adaptation which works for the most part, the plot gets 7/10

Overall rating: 42/50

Next review: Hercules

Pocahontas

DISCLAIMER: This blog is not for profit. I do not claim ownership of this material - all images and footage used are property of their respective companies unless stated otherwise

                                                             

Disney Animation were doing so well in the early 90s, but it’s safe to say they hit a huge stumbling block with Pocahontas. Not that it’s the worst film in the canon ­­- in fact, there are a few enjoyable artistic aspects - but it’s pretty close to being at the bottom of the barrel. In the same way that the Jungle Book was towards the bottom of the top, Pocahontas is at the higher end of Disney’s worst films.

Of course, the real history behind Pocahontas hangs over the entire film like a black cloud, which makes for extremely uncomfortable viewing right off the bat. The glossing over of deeply horrific history in this film is absolutely awful, outside of the lack of artistic merit I am about to comment on.

The plot that they did manage to make up was actually rather boring. It’s the same old environmental story we’ve all seen a million times before and the same old Romeo and Juliet story we’ve seen a million times before, neither of which are particularly interesting once you’ve seen them done so many times. The characters and dialogue are also rather bland, which also unfortunately makes Pocahontas and John Smith’s relationship underdeveloped on the whole, meaning that the story falls even more flat. To make matters worse, this is the first time that the cute comic relief characters were useless and unfunny at best and made the whole tone too childish at worst, especially considering the slightly more mature animation and primary plot.

The two most enjoyable things about this movie are the music and the animation. They went with a more realistic style for both the backgrounds and characters and it looks really nice. In fact, a lot of the colours are stunning, especially in the signature song, Colours of the Wind. The musical numbers are also nicely done for the most part, with the aforementioned Colours of the Wind being up there with Disney’s best songs. I also rather enjoy the cartoonish villain Radcliffe, although his whole tone can be a bit at odds with the rest of the film when things get more dramatic, as it makes him seem a lot less threatening. But those truly are the only saving graces of Pocahontas.

Ratings

Good guys: They’re all pretty bland for the most part, meaning that good guys get 2/10

Bad guys: Radcliffe is a fairly entertaining villain, so the bad guys get 6/10

Animation: The film looks really beautiful, so the animation gets 8/10

Music: With some great songs and a really nice score, the music gets 7/10

Plot: Aforementioned glossing over of history and a dull storyline overall mean that the plot gets 2/10

Overall ranking: 25/50

Next review: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Lion King

DISCLAIMER: This blog is not for profit. I do not claim ownership of this material - all images and footage used are property of their respective companies unless stated otherwise

                                                        
                                                             

Although it’s a cliché, there’s only one word I can use to describe the Lion King: epic. First of all, the animation is of course spectacular. The backgrounds are beautiful and although it’s unusual in animation, the use of shots also adds to the grand scale of the whole thing. This is also helped by the fact that the music is some of the best in any Disney animated film. I’m not just talking about Elton John’s iconic songs, although they are of course brilliant – but another unusual bonus is the score, which adds an extraordinary amount of atmosphere.

Of course, all of this serves to make an already great story even better. There is a sense of gravitas in the plot which is rather rare for a Disney film, probably due to it’s Shakespearean influences, but they are also able to balance this out pretty well with more light-hearted segments, such as the songs Hakuna Matata and I Just Can’t Wait to Be King (Hunchback of Notre Dame, take notes). It’s a little jarring moving from Mufasa’s death into Timon and Pumbaa’s first entrance, but both segments are so well done that I can’t really fault the movie as a whole for it.

The characters are all iconic and I also admire the fact that the protagonist has to essentially learn to grow up and take responsibility, as opposed to many of the main characters of previous Disney films, as it makes for a more dynamic story overall. Scar is of course one of Disney’s best villains and Jeremy Irons does a spectacular job, as his voice is perfectly suited to the character. And I don’t normally point out the performances of specific voice actors, so that’s very high praise. I also love the way that on a thematic level Simba grows out of Scar’s childish worldview that a King can just do whatever he wants with no consequences and no regard for nature, as it sets up a very nice parallel between the hero and the villain.

The sense of sheer scale created by all these elements is truly what makes the Lion King not only one of the greatest Disney films of all time, but one of the greatest films ever made.

Ratings

Good guys: The iconic main characters of this film get 9/10

Bad guys: Scar is up there with the best Disney villains, so he gets 9/10

Animation: Some of the best animation that Disney has ever done gets 10/10

Music: Some of the most iconic songs in the canon get 10/10

Plot: The spectacular story gets 10/10

Overall score: 48/50

Next review: Pocahontas 

Aladdin

DISCLAIMER: This blog is not for profit. I do not claim ownership of this material - all images and footage used are property of their respective companies unless stated otherwise

                                                       

It’s safe to say that out of all of the early Renaissance films, Aladdin is the most fun. It’s bright colours and energetic soundtrack make it one of the most vibrant films in the canon so far and it of course has the brilliant comedy of Robin Williams throughout. Web video creator and film commentator Lindsay Ellis once said that this was one of the earliest animated films to use the ‘Dreamworks style’ which would become so prevalent in the animation industry later on and she was right. It uses more comedy, pop culture references and celebrity voice actors than any previous Disney film, or animated film in general for that matter. But the difference is that Aladdin is able to balance out a slightly more comedic tone with genuine artistry and heart – that’s something special.

As I said, the vibrant colours and rounded designs make this one of the prettiest films Disney has ever produced. From a visual perspective, this is was level of animation not seen by Disney before. There’s just something so fluid in the character designs and movements, it looks wonderful. Something a bit more unusual for Disney classics, which often take themselves quite seriously, is that it is really funny. Robin Williams is of course hilarious as the Genie, who is probably the best character in the film for that reason and Gilbert Godfrey is perfect for the part of Iago. Aladdin is an interesting hero, primarily because (unlike many previous Disney protagonists) he’s not perfect. He makes mistakes and has to learn from them, which of course also makes the story as a whole more interesting, as well as making him a more well-rounded character.

 Jasmine is also one of the most dynamic Princesses yet, whilst her and Aladdin have a refreshing amount of chemistry, considering previous Disney couples usually (infamously) sang half a song together before deciding to get married.   

Speaking of singing songs, this one has my personal favourite soundtrack of the Disney Renaissance period (yes, I’m including Hunchback on that list). The music is fun and goofy at times, whilst being stunningly beautiful in others –­ it really has a perfect balance.

Aladdin has all the aspects that make Disney classics great – a sneering baddie (who I didn’t even get a chance to mention, but who is of course up there with the greatest Disney villains), lovable goodies, stunning animation and fantastic songs. But it also adds a comedic and fun tone which makes it not only one of the best Disney films of this era, but in general.         

Ranking

Good guys: The good guys of Aladdin are well rounded whilst also being incredibly likeable, so the good guys get 10/10

Bad guys: Jafar is a classic Disney baddie, so the bad guys get 8/10

Animation: Visually, this is Disney’s best film so far, so the animation gets 10/10

Music: Some of the catchiest songs in the canon get 10/10

Plot: A classic story told well, the plot gets 8/10

Overall rating: 46/50

Next review: The Lion King