THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME
A film review by Michael John Legeros
Copyright 1996 Michael John Legeros
(BV)
Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise
Written by Tab Murphy, Irene Mecchi, Bob Tzudiker, Nomi White,
Jonathan Roberts
Cast The voices of Tom Hulce, Demi Moore, Kevin Kline, Tony
Jay, Jason Alexander, Charles Kimbrough, Mary Wickes
MPAA Rating "G"
Running Time 95 minutes
Reviewed at General Cinemas at Pleasant Valley, Raleigh, NC
(21JUN96)
==
Nobody lays it on quite as thick as Walt Disney. Their newest seasonal juggernaut, an animated operetta based on the Victor Hugo classic, is just as big, bright, and beautiful as the marketing and merchandising assault would lead us to believe. Heck, we *already* know most of what we're getting. Having purchased our limited-edition copies of THE LITTLE MERMAID, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN, THE LION KING, and POCAHANTAS, we're pumped and primed for the schmaltzy ballads, anthropomorphic critters, adult in-jokes, and, of course, an everybody- cries ending. Throw in the strange sight of a singing hunchback, some more of that nifty computer- aided artwork, and a trio of finger- snapping, wise-cracking gargoyles (led by the voice of "Seinfeld's" Jason Alexander) and, viola, Disney's done it again... except, this time, with a twist.
Under the direction of Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise (both from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST), the animators have broken the mold in many places. This is a very Gothic movie that festers with surprisingly dark and sinister deeds. In the first ten minutes, alone, we witness both a murder and attempted infanticide! (You may want to keep the three- and four-year olds away from this one.) There are plenty of other adult references, some serious and some side-splitting. It's all a well- deserved form of compensation for us grown ups; a reward, if you will, for having to endure all the trailers, the tie-ins, and those dreadful cardboard figures in the lobby.
Yeah, the commercialism *is* crass. (And, perhaps, in the case of most major studios, entirely co-dependent to the creative process.) However, I challenge anyone to name another movie this season (or year?) that shows as much inspiration as perspiration. No child, for example, is likely to understand the agonies of the villainous Frolio, the repressed Parisian judge who is tormented by his desire for the feisty gypsy girl Esmeralda (voiced and modeled after Demi Moore). But just as they laughed at pink elephants on parade and without knowing a thing about inebriation, so can children marvel at the demons that erupt from Frolio's fireplace as he imagines the Hell that awaits his condemned soul.
Grade: A
--
Mike Legeros - Raleigh, NC
legeros@nando.net (h) - legeros@unx.sas.com (w)
Visit me in MOVIE HELL
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