A gem that has several very visible flaws; yet, with these flaws, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" shines as the best from the Disney factory yet. For, at first, the company name and movie title didn't quite appear to sit well together. You don't marry the king of novel Gothic gloom (Mr. Victor Hugo) with one of the world's most beloved (if not biggest) animation companies and expect the usual world population to be at the reception; but expect even Mr. Walt Disney to pat himself on the shoulder blade (or what's left of it) for allowing a hideous hunchback to be transformed into a Gene Kelly-Incredible Hulk combo type of hero.

This "hero" is Quasimodo, which by the way means half-formed. It's about his distorted education, his humiliation, his first love and his big, big heart. It's about how our outward appearances should not matter. It's about believing in yourself but not being self-righteous

Wise and Trousdale obviously had a vision that didn't exactly conform to your usual "and they lived happily ever after" type of fairy tale. They employed a lot of artistic license when rewriting the plot. It was, after all, a cartoon; but they didn't allow it to become an excuse to dissolve the poi

Computer or no computer, animation has certainly come a long way. From the days of "101 Dalmatians", "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" and "Cinderella" to "Hunchback" (Disney's 34th full-length animated feature film), there have been no lack of originality. Like its predecessor, "Hunchback" is definitely original material destined for the Oscars. Like the directors functioning as visionaries, the stars that are being voice casted work like magic. Tom Hulce takes center stage as Quasimodo's voice, giving it a raw passion and sounding appropriately un-handsome. A very plucky, wild and fiery gypsy Esmeralda voiced very convincingly by Demi Moore. It is almost a reprisal of her recent role in "Striptease" as an exotic dancer (euphemism for stripper) , which censors here will not take to kindly. Kevin Kline did justice to the inclusion of the devistatingly handsome Captain Phoebus by giving him that wickedly humorous edge. All the voice actors gave such a brilliant performance that they didn't allow the celluloid to imprison their characters, rather they added a very human dimension that made very cartoon pop right out of the screen.

The one song that stands out as the highlight of the movie the brilliant juxtaposition of Quasi's "Heaven's Light" and Frollo's "Hellfire". The contact with Esmeralda sparking off two disparate reactions from two very different men; to borrow a phrase from the storyteller, Clopin (Paul Kandel doing a splendid and candid job), we all end up wondering "who is the monster and who is the man".

The same goes for "Hunchback". I can see the amount of effort Schwartz took with every little word; even with the adaptation of the canto Gregorian chants. T

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1136
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)