Toon Talk: Hunchback of Notre Dame - Mar 25, 2002

Toon Talk: Hunchback of Notre Dame
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The Making of 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' Featurette
This program, which originally aired on The Disney Channel around the time of the film's 1996 release, is hampered by the hammy hosting of Jason Alexander, constantly harping on his role as the "movie's real hero" Hugo.

Aside from the childish dorkiness of Alexander, we are shown brief interviews with the film's cast (Tom Hulce as Quasimodo, Demi Moore as Esmerelda, Kevin Kline as Phoebus, Tony Jay as Frollo, Charles Kimbrough as Victor and the late Mary Wickes as Laverne), a peek at the then brand new Burbank Animation Studio (where Hunchback was the first film produced), research trips to Paris to view the actual Notre Dame (as well as such sites as the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe) and an extensive look into the use of computers to create the teeming hordes of Paris.

As is the case with most of these behind the scenes documentaries, the best stuff comes from the supervising animators, who, unlike the voice cast, receive little time in the spotlight, no matter how deserving. Some choice bits:

  • James Baxter describes Quasimodo as "strong in a compact way, like a wrestler".
  • Esmerelda's gypsy wardrobe and jewelry was a challenge to her animator, Tony Fucile.
  • Russ Edmonds comments how Phoebus is the first Disney hero with facial hair.
  • Kathy Zielinski was tickled that she was able to tackle "someone so evil", mainly Judge Claude Frollo.
  • David Pruiksma handled supervising animation duties on both Hugo and Victor.
  • Will Finn's Laverne is described as "a little old lady sitting on her front porch in a rocking chair ... with a rifle."

The contributions of the Oscar-winning Pocahontas composing team of Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz are also highlighted. They traveled to London to record the Latin-enriched score, performed by the English National Opera and using a one hundred-year old pipe organ. Esmerelda's singing voice, Broadway singer Heidi Mollenhauer, is also featured.

Topsy Turvy Underground Game: 
This DVD game, where you can add wacky sound effects to different scenes from the movie, actually proves to be something unique to it's ilk: a fun game that is actually repeatable.

"Topsy Turvy" Sing-Along: 
Political correctness has the little kiddies singing about "thinking the most of those with least" and "where the cheer is never stopping" instead of mocking priests and free-flowing beer. Huge sections of the sequence are chopped out as well, including the risqué Esmerelda dance.

"A Guy Like You" Multi-Language Reel:
OK, even if you hate this song, you gotta love this "work in progress from the thirty-one language productions" of the film. Actually, 16 languages are heard throughout the otherwise unabridged production number. It's a hoot hearing Hugo in Mandarin and Victor in Castilian, but Laverne spouting Slovak steals the show.

In all fairness, even without the extra disc, this Hunchback of Notre Dame DVD is still entertaining and enlightening enough to warrant a ...

Toon Talk Rating: A-