It might come as a surprise to a lot of people that Disney did a animated version of Victor Hugo's famous 'The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'. Yes sweet innocent Disney did a version of a very mature and dark novel. However, it was back when Disney was Disney and they actually cared about their audience (unlike today) and they weren't afraid to go dark with their films (also unlike today).
Because of the dark tone of the film, many parents with very young children wouldn't let them watch it. Most however were caught off guard by said dark tone without any warning from friends and family whatsoever.
Upon its release, 'Hunchback' got mostly mixed to positive reviews from critics despite a lot of controversially surrounding it. Especially because of the tone of the film.
The story starts off with Clopin telling a group of children about the Notre-Dame Cathedral bell-ringer ('The Bells of Notre-Dame'). "Who is he? And how did he come here?" he says.
The scene moves to a flashback from twenty years before the main story starts. A group of gypsies are trying to sneak into Paris because they want refuge. The moment they step onto the riverside bank however, they are met with guards...which are lead by Judge Claude Frollo (in the book, he was an Archdeacon). Upon noticing a bundle in the woman's arms, Frollo immediately demands that the guards arrest her. The woman runs for her life.
The woman makes it to Notre-Dame where she is shouting that she needs sanctuary. However, Frollo is suddenly upon her and tries to snatch her bundle from her. The woman refuses to part with the bundle but he kicks her hard. Her head hits the stairs and she is instantly killed.
Looking at the bundle to see what it was that she was carrying, Frollo is shocked; it was a deformed baby. He is about to throw the baby away when a priest stops him in his tracks. When the priest tells Frollo that he has committed evil on the steps of Notre-Dame, Frollo immediately asks what he should do to make up for it. "Care for the child. Raise it as your own" the priest advises him crossly.
Frollo is hesitant because of the deformed baby in his hands but accepts the task. As a result, Quasimodo comes to live in the bell towers of Notre-Dame where no-one can see him.
Twenty years have past and Quasimodo is looking down longingly from the bell tower. Preparations are underway for the Feast of Fools celebration and he thinks about going. However he is hesitant because of his disfigured appearance. His friends- the gargoyles- insist that Quasimodo actually go to the celebration. That is until Quasimodo runs into Judge Frollo coming up the stairs.
Right from the first two minutes of the film it gets dark very quickly. If you have very small children, I too suggest probably waiting until they're a bit older in order to allow them to watch it. 'Hunchback' is certainly one of the few times in which Disney has gone full on dark with their animated films.
As for me, Judge Frollo was one of only two Disney villains to be able to frighten me as a child (the other was the Evil Queen from Snow White). However, as an adult, I can appreciate Tony Jay's excellent performance in the role and as a result, the controversial 'Hellfire' has become my second favourite Disney villain song (my favourite being 'Be Prepared' from 'The Lion King').
Over all, the film highlights what Disney can do visually and when they're not afraid to go dark with their films. As for the live-action remake they're planning on doing...don't remove 'Hellfire', no matter what Twitter says!
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