Alex Richards
Donor
It seems that it would be generally recognised that after the brief Rennaisance quartet of Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King, Disney's animated films began to slip into a bit of a doldrumns, with a few well recieved films (Mulan for example) in amongst a number which seem to have slipped under the radar while Pixar has become more dominant.
However, it is interesting to note that while it was the second film of this period, Hunchback of Notre Dame features some very strong animation, themes and writing. The Hellfire sequence is perhaps the greatest villain song in all of Disney's history both for the images and the fact that it's a psychological look at a villain with a motivation that seems much realer and more complex than many of those that had come before. Across the board the visuals are strong, and there are elegant motifs played out along the lines of the nature of evil and the development of insanity.
Indeed, if one were to look at just the Bells of Notre Dame, Hellfire, Out There, God Save the Outcasts sequences and indeed the entirity of the final scene, it would seem odd that this is not counted among the earlier four films. The answer perhaps comes in the form of the 3 gargoyles, in there predominately as a (importantly not the sole) source of comic relief. Most of the time, these sorts of characters work, the work in the quartet, they work in Pixar films, they work in most disney films, but just this once the usual formula doesn't quite gell with the darker tones of the rest of the film.
So, lets say that somebody at Disney decided to take risks and depart from the usual formula from this film, with the gargoyles removed, and the bits of plot that they're needed for replaced with a mixture of interactions with the Archdeacon, Quasi talking aloud to the pigeons (and indeed the staturary) out of lonelieness (this would work best for scenes such as Heaven's Light which could easily fit as just singing aloud), and if necessary a new acolyte who decides to find out about the bellringer could be added. Most things remain unaltered, and the only song that really need be cut in its entirity is A Guy Like You which perhaps is the worst culprit of mood disonance coming straight off the back of Frollo burning down half of Paris.
Would this bring Hunchback to the same popular standing as the quartet? Would the Rennaisance last longer? Or would this simply be the last gasp of the rennaisance or even crash alltogether.
Thoughts?
However, it is interesting to note that while it was the second film of this period, Hunchback of Notre Dame features some very strong animation, themes and writing. The Hellfire sequence is perhaps the greatest villain song in all of Disney's history both for the images and the fact that it's a psychological look at a villain with a motivation that seems much realer and more complex than many of those that had come before. Across the board the visuals are strong, and there are elegant motifs played out along the lines of the nature of evil and the development of insanity.
Indeed, if one were to look at just the Bells of Notre Dame, Hellfire, Out There, God Save the Outcasts sequences and indeed the entirity of the final scene, it would seem odd that this is not counted among the earlier four films. The answer perhaps comes in the form of the 3 gargoyles, in there predominately as a (importantly not the sole) source of comic relief. Most of the time, these sorts of characters work, the work in the quartet, they work in Pixar films, they work in most disney films, but just this once the usual formula doesn't quite gell with the darker tones of the rest of the film.
So, lets say that somebody at Disney decided to take risks and depart from the usual formula from this film, with the gargoyles removed, and the bits of plot that they're needed for replaced with a mixture of interactions with the Archdeacon, Quasi talking aloud to the pigeons (and indeed the staturary) out of lonelieness (this would work best for scenes such as Heaven's Light which could easily fit as just singing aloud), and if necessary a new acolyte who decides to find out about the bellringer could be added. Most things remain unaltered, and the only song that really need be cut in its entirity is A Guy Like You which perhaps is the worst culprit of mood disonance coming straight off the back of Frollo burning down half of Paris.
Would this bring Hunchback to the same popular standing as the quartet? Would the Rennaisance last longer? Or would this simply be the last gasp of the rennaisance or even crash alltogether.
Thoughts?
