Disney is known for its countless animated films from across the decades, with some becoming instant classics and others a bit more divisive with audiences.
There is one movie from the ’90s that managed to do the unthinkable. It received an award from both Hollywood’s most prestigious award show and another that celebrates the very worst in film.
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The Hunchback of Notre Dame is the Most Divisive
Disney’s 1996 film The Hunchback of Notre Dame might be considered one of the most divisive animated films from the ’90s. This film remains the only movie to receive both an Oscar nomination and a Razzie nomination.
For those unfamiliar, the Razzies often recognize the worst in movies, and this nomination was for Worst Screenplay for a film grossing over $100 million. As for the Oscar, the film was nominated for the Best Original Musical or Comedy Score.
The Disney Paradox of The Hunchback of Notre Dame
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The Hunchback of Notre Dame certainly did not align with the era of the Disney Renaissance films, which also featured Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King. The Hunchback film had a far darker tone with more complex themes and mature storytelling.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a loose adaptation of Victor Hugo’s tragic novel Notre-Dame de Paris, published in 1831. The novel explores themes of beauty, deformity, love and obsession, and societal cruelty. The original story has a far more tragic ending with Frollo’s lust leading him to order an attack on Esmeralda, resulting in her torture and execution. A devastated Quasimodo then kills Frollo before dying beside Esmeralda’s body, and the two are found years later intertwined as skeletons.
Definitely not the happy ending Disney paints in their animated retelling, although it is not uncommon for Disney to take on dark tales and turn them into light-hearted musicals for children. However, Disney chose to keep many of the adult themes in the film while also trying to balance it with family-friendly entertainment. The result? A divisive animated film that is credited with both a great musical score and the worst screenplay.
There’s No Denying the Great Musical Score
There’s no denying the fantastic musical score composed by Alan Menken. Yet this is also an example of where we see the tone of the film get wrenched in different directions as it tries to balance darker themes of lust with family-friendly comedic side characters.
“Hellfire” might be one of the most talked-about songs from the film, as it showcases Frollo’s lust for Esmeralda, which is not toned down much for a children’s film. The song ends with his decision that Esmeralda must choose him if she wants to survive, with the line that she can “taste the fires of hell.” Yikes, not exactly the family-friendly sing-along many might have hoped for.
Compare that with the starkly different “A Guy Like You,” where Quasimodo’s gargoyle sidekicks bounce around in a quippy, comedic melody. This whiplash of songs showcases how the movie struggles to balance adult themes while creating a family-friendly film.
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Despite its controversies, The Hunchback of Notre Dame remains a favorite among audiences, especially for those ’90s kids who grew up belting out “Hellfire” without a care in the world.
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