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[Cyberpunkd]

So my uncle works at Disney and he sent me the following transcript of the meeting that took place in the early 1990s.

Early 1990s, super secret Disney lair, the Altar of Mickey Mouse sits in the middle of the table. 10 cloaked figures line the room.

Unknown Disney Suit 1 (UDS for brevity): Ok, we need to decide on the next movie we will make.
UDS2: How about we have a story of a lion cub who is betrayed by his uncle, and has to run away only to return to become the rightful king?
UDS3: How about we make it a coming-of-age story featuring chubby girl of Asian decent with all the associated cliches and even make her turn into a red panda!
Ultra Giga Chad (UGC): (finishing banging the secretary in front of everyone and zipping up his pants): That's them/them gay. We will make something that will be so out of character for Disney that other Giga Chads will remember it in 30 years. We will make the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Everyone: Ke?

UGC: Ok, listen up, shitfucks. Here's the story: we have a disfigured child named Quasimodo. He losses his mother to murderous magistrate who gives him to be raised in the church.
Everyone: Church?
UGC: Yes, we will use this to bring forward the themes of lust, idolatry, God, religion, heaven and hell, and genocide. Wholesome family fun.
UDS1: You said it's based on the book?
UGC: Yes, it's called "Notre Dame de Paris". It came out in 1831.
UDS2: Why isn't it called 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame"?
UGC: Because the author - Victor Hugo - wanted to bring attention to the gothic architecture in Paris that was in the process of being torn down and fell into disrepair. So the main character is the building itself.
UDS3: Ok, I can see working, great to remind the audience about their historical heritage. Which Paris is it? The one in Idaho?
UGC: No.
UDS3: The one in Kentucky?
UGC: Bob, you want me to fuck your wife again? It's Paris, as in Paris FRANCE, fuckface.
UDS1: Ok, ok, looks like a great idea completely in line with the movies we made till now. One question - how does it end?
UGC: Everybody dies.
UDS1: Ok, the bad guy dies, right?
UGC: The bad guy, the girl, the girl's mother, then Quasimodo lies down next to her body and dies as well.
Everyone: ..........
UGC: Ok, maybe we can change that part.


So I just watched this movie for the first time ever and OMFG it was really good, but most importantly I cannot believe what sort of gaping chasm exists between everything Disney made before and after the Hunchback of Notre Dame. The imagery is incredible with hand drawn scenes setting the sinister tone. After watching this I am still in awe of the fact someone at Disney had this idea and was able to push it through to the completion.

 

[feynoob]

 

[PaddyOCanager]

I saw it in theaters when I was 9 and haven't seen it since. I remember nothing about it.

I don't doubt that it's good, but it left zero impression on me as a kid.

 

[Alebrije]

Maybe Disnet got Cyberpunked with this movie becausd honestly I dont remember anything about it....

 

[AJUMP23]

Never watched this one.

 

[Lukaku's First Touch]

Is this french humor?

 

[Boaty McBoatface]

It's my favourite Disney movie for all the reasons you outlined OP.

I rewatched it as an adult some years ago and nearly shat myself when Claude Frollo sniffs the girls hair

 

[poppabk]

Was their any precedent for this being for kids, because it does seem strange adapting an adult book into a kids movie. It'd be like deciding to adapt Crime and Punishment as an animated kids movie

 

[TheInfamousKira]

Was their any precedent for this being for kids, because it does seem strange adapting an adult book into a kids movie. It'd be like deciding to adapt Crime and Punishment as an animated kids movie

No, there wasn't.

Source: I'm OP's uncle.

 

[ahtlas7]

You have a giga uncle.

 

[SJRB]

 

[Spaceman292]

The gypsy girl was bangin but I can't remember anything else about this movie

 

[ThatStupidLion]

 

[Cyberpunkd]

It's my favourite Disney movie for all the reasons you outlined OP.

I rewatched it as an adult some years ago and nearly shat myself when Claude Frollo sniffs the girls hair

This guy gets it.

Was their any precedent for this being for kids, because it does seem strange adapting an adult book into a kids movie. It'd be like deciding to adapt Crime and Punishment as an animated kids movie

Which is precisely what I am getting at and why it is so weird this movie exists and comes from Disney.

 

[Drew1440]

This was a kids movie?

 

[Elysion]

This is one of those Disney movies that is much better when watching it as an adult.

I‘m not looking forward to the inevitable life action remake they will undoubtedly make at some point. You just know it‘s gonna be vastly inferior.

 

[jason10mm]

There were several attempts to push the "cartoons are just for little kids" boundary a bit. "Watership Down", "Secret of Nimh", Disney with "The Black Cauldron", several others. It's nice that they used to take more risks without making it some kind of big statement about "ableism" or whatever. All of these were based on edgier books as well from when kids weren't rolled in NERF foam from birth till age 25 and could be expected to grok some heady themes. Disney could learn from itself and go back to adaptations, their "original" output is usually lacking subtlety and depth.

Hercules is another recent(ish) Disney film that gets slept on a bit. Not the super catchy saccharine of TLK/TLM/BatB/Aladdin powerhouse years but better than a lot of the more recent stuff of the CGI era.

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

That was back when disney was in the business of making art.

Popular art, but neverheless still art.

 

[DAHGAMING]

I havnt seen it for years, I remember laughing with my brother watching it, the scene where Quasi owner geezer is up in the tower singing to him with lyrics like "I am your only friend". I cant remember the end but did Quasimodo get to smash eventualy ?

 

[JimmyRustler]

One of my favourites from Disney actually. Golden era, when they had balls. Soundtrack is banging too.

 

[Toons]

They changed the ending from the book though to make it happier. That would be frowned upon today would it not?

 

[LimanimaPT]

This was a kids movie?

The animation is really top notch.

 

[ManaByte]

 

[Cyberpunkd]

This was a kids movie?

Do you think kids shouldn’t learn about eternal damnation? Also, hair sniffing.

 

[MayauMiao]

In the movie Esmerelda was da bomb.

 

[SirTerry-T]

Dark subject matter you say?
Give "The Plague Dogs" a watch.



Prepare to be traumatized

 

[Doom85]

Dark subject matter you say?
Give "The Plague Dogs" a watch.



Prepare to be traumatized

Oh, let’s keep this train rolling!





I love that apparently Neil Gaiman, who wrote the original story, says this isn’t that far off from how the pitch went.

In the movie Esmerelda was da bomb.

Probably one of my favorite jokes in a movie ever:

(Esmeralda begins dancing)
Frollo: “Look at that disgusting display.”
Phoebus (smiling): “Yes, sir!”

 

[Umbasaborne]

Its pretty fucken dark for a disney movie. The main villain wants to burn a woman alive because he cant control his sexual urges. Its pretty fucked for a movie that was aimed at kids. But other wise yes, its an excellent film, one of disneys best.

 

[Umbasaborne]

I havnt seen it for years, I remember laughing with my brother watching it, the scene where Quasi owner geezer is up in the tower singing to him with lyrics like "I am your only friend". I cant remember the end but did Quasimodo get to smash eventualy ?

Nah, she goes with the hot dude. Disneys not about to teach us that ugly dudes get the girl, its not a judd apatow neckbeard fantasy flick.

 

[Doom85]

Nah, she goes with the hot dude. Disneys not about to teach us that ugly dudes get the girl, it’s not a judd apatow neckbeard fantasy flick.

It is a pretty important lesson for impressionable kids/teens. Just because Quasimodo has a tragic life under Frollo’s abuse and is the underdog compared to Phoebus in conventional attractiveness doesn’t mean Esmeralda is obligated to return Quasimodo’s feelings. Not saying the film couldn’t have worked if the two had ended up together, but I think it works well with its message and makes the film even more unique than it already was.

 

[jason10mm]

It is a pretty important lesson for impressionable kids/teens. Just because Quasimodo has a tragic life under Frollo’s abuse and is the underdog compared to Phoebus in conventional attractiveness doesn’t mean Esmeralda is obligated to return Quasimodo’s feelings. Not saying the film couldn’t have worked if the two had ended up together, but I think it works well with its message and makes the film even more unique than it already was.

This lesson needs to be taught more

 

[Umbasaborne]

It is a pretty important lesson for impressionable kids/teens. Just because Quasimodo has a tragic life under Frollo’s abuse and is the underdog compared to Phoebus in conventional attractiveness doesn’t mean Esmeralda is obligated to return Quasimodo’s feelings. Not saying the film couldn’t have worked if the two had ended up together, but I think it works well with its message and makes the film even more unique than it already was.

I totally agree, i think adventure time was smart with that stuff as well. Your feelings wont always be reciprocated is a good lesson

 

[cash_longfellow]

So my uncle works at Disney

 

[Doom85]

I totally agree, i think adventure time was smart with that stuff as well. Your feelings wont always be reciprocated is a good lesson

Man, I need to go through all of Adventure Time someday. I got up to like halfway through Season 3. I know it’s a cartoon that can have tons of lighthearted humor and adventure and then shift to really dark stuff, humorous or serious, just like that.

Also, the whole cast is great (I even got to meet Finn’s VA and got his autograph, also the same with Steven’s VA from Steven Universe), but John DiMaggio (Jake) in particular can take lines that are merely amusing on their own and make me LMAO with his great delivery. Like the one where Finn and Jake are getting wizard training:

(Finn and Jake learn their first beginner spell: making dust particles slightly move)
Jake: Um, well that’s kinda cool, I guess.
Finn: Kinda cool? This is awesome!
Jake: Woo yeah! Force that enthusiasm!

(also in terms of dark humor: the part in the episode where the meteor is about to hit the area, and a magic spell misses its target and brings a random rock to life)
Rock: Oh hey, neat, I’m alive!
(the rock’s eyes look up and see the meteor about to annihilate them all, and proceeds to scream)
Like, god, imagine gaining sentience and then realizing you’re moments away from death. So messed up, LOL.

 

[DAHGAMING]

Nah, she goes with the hot dude. Disneys not about to teach us that ugly dudes get the girl, its not a judd apatow neckbeard fantasy flick.

Lol the soy brigade will be sad to hear that. I was always upset thay Bell chose that vial Beast over that hench chad Gastoun aswell.

 

[Pidull]

So my uncle works at Disney and he sent me the following transcript of the meeting that took place in the early 1990s.

Early 1990s, super secret Disney lair, the Altar of Mickey Mouse sits in the middle of the table. 10 cloaked figures line the room.

Unknown Disney Suit 1 (UDS for brevity): Ok, we need to decide on the next movie we will make.
UDS2: How about we have a story of a lion cub who is betrayed by his uncle, and has to run away only to return to become the rightful king?
UDS3: How about we make it a coming-of-age story featuring chubby girl of Asian decent with all the associated cliches and even make her turn into a red panda!
Ultra Giga Chad (UGC): (finishing banging the secretary in front of everyone and zipping up his pants): That's them/them gay. We will make something that will be so out of character for Disney that other Giga Chads will remember it in 30 years. We will make the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Everyone: Ke?

UGC: Ok, listen up, shitfucks. Here's the story: we have a disfigured child named Quasimodo. He losses his mother to murderous magistrate who gives him to be raised in the church.
Everyone: Church?
UGC: Yes, we will use this to bring forward the themes of lust, idolatry, God, religion, heaven and hell, and genocide. Wholesome family fun.
UDS1: You said it's based on the book?
UGC: Yes, it's called "Notre Dame de Paris". It came out in 1831.
UDS2: Why isn't it called 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame"?
UGC: Because the author - Victor Hugo - wanted to bring attention to the gothic architecture in Paris that was in the process of being torn down and fell into disrepair. So the main character is the building itself.
UDS3: Ok, I can see working, great to remind the audience about their historical heritage. Which Paris is it? The one in Idaho?
UGC: No.
UDS3: The one in Kentucky?
UGC: Bob, you want me to fuck your wife again? It's Paris, as in Paris FRANCE, fuckface.
UDS1: Ok, ok, looks like a great idea completely in line with the movies we made till now. One question - how does it end?
UGC: Everybody dies.
UDS1: Ok, the bad guy dies, right?
UGC: The bad guy, the girl, the girl's mother, then Quasimodo lies down next to her body and dies as well.
Everyone: ..........
UGC: Ok, maybe we can change that part.


So I just watched this movie for the first time ever and OMFG it was really good, but most importantly I cannot believe what sort of gaping chasm exists between everything Disney made before and after the Hunchback of Notre Dame. The imagery is incredible with hand drawn scenes setting the sinister tone. After watching this I am still in awe of the fact someone at Disney had this idea and was able to push it through to the completion.

Disney was going hard for an Academy Award for best picture. Hunchback was a legit attempt too.

I think of they had kept some of the cheesy stuff more subdued they would've had a shot, but the contrast between serious and silly was too pronounced and often makes it feel like the movie doesn't know what it is supposed to be.

A personal favorite for me though.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

Dark subject matter you say?
Give "The Plague Dogs" a watch.



Prepare to be traumatized

You just reminded me of this..



Never heard of Plague dogs, i'll have to look into that.

 

[Soltype]

Didn't see this move until years later, the day I went to watch it at the theaters I ended up watching The nutty professor instead, I think I made the right decision.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Didn't see this move until years later, the day I went to watch it at the theaters I ended up watching The nutty professor instead, I think I made the right decision.

 

[Soltype]

 

[supernova8]

Now we get Ariel with dreadlocks lol

 

[GymWolf]

Now we get Ariel with dreadlocks lol

At least she has fish-eyes.

 

[BlackTron]

I saw it once in the theater as a kid. I don't remember much about the story or individual scenes, but I do remember feeling really bad for Quasimodo and like a depressing message had been wrapped in a happy Disney package. Mainly, I remember thinking that even if the movie presented a Disney Miracle by the end that allowed him to get the girl (it didn't), in the real world it would never happen and is full of people who feel exactly like he does.

 

[TaylorSwiftFan]

Dark subject matter you say?
Give "The Plague Dogs" a watch.



Prepare to be traumatized

 

[The Pleasure]

It's my favourite Disney movie for all the reasons you outlined OP.

I rewatched it as an adult some years ago and nearly shat myself when Claude Frollo sniffs the girls hair

 

[Raven117]

That was definitely funnier in your head.

 

[Trogdor1123]

Dark subject matter you say?
Give "The Plague Dogs" a watch.



Prepare to be traumatized

I just want to go hug my dog now…