In most classic Disney animations, the themes are light, the story is sweet, and the guy gets the girl by the end. However, Walt Disney Pictures broke all the rules with the release of The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1996. Based on the Victor Hugo novel of the same name, this musical drama follows a deformed bell-ringer living in Notre Dame cathedral named Quasimodo, who hopes to one day be accepted into society. While The Hunchback of Notre Dame had a lot going for it, not every detail of the film is perfect. We’re here to focus on these now.

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Before we get started, it’s worth noting that we will only focus on the original Hunchback and will also fully ignore the direct-to-video sequel. With that said, it’s time to jump back to the 1400s and head to Paris. Here are ten things that don’t make sense about The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Why Was The Archdeacon Okay With Frollo Raising Quasimodo In The Attic?

Frollo ends up taking in Quasimodo as his own after he accidentally murders the gypsy woman who is carrying him. He does this at the suggestion of the archdeacon, who says he must do this to pay for his debts.

It’s surprising the archdeacon thought that it was okay for someone as cruel as Frollo (who literally just killed a woman) to raise a child. Additionally, why did he think it was humane for Frollo to keep the boy locked away in the cathedral attic? Did he not realize the issues he created by allowing this?

Why Did Frollo Educate Quasi?

Frollo loooking at Quasimodo with anger and hatred

It's clear that Frollo doesn't care about Quasimodo and is simply raising him because he doesn't want to be damned to hell. We see that he gives little care to the social quality of Quasi's life by locking him away, so why does he even bother to educate him?

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Frollo teaches Quasi on more than one occasion. For example, early in the film, we see Quasi reciting the catholic alphabet to Frollo. Maybe Frollo's instruction was part of the whole being indebted thing, but it's still strange that Frollo would go out of his way to provide Quasi with care that isn't necessary because his nature is evil.

How Did The Townspeople Know Who Quasimodo Was?

As aforementioned, Quasimodo serves Notre Dame as the cathedral bell-ringer. And yes, he can technically be seen hanging near the top of the cathedral throughout the day because he lives there. However, it’s still surprising that at the Festival of Fools, someone recognizes him as the bell ringer from the cathedral.

After all, Quasi wasn’t allowed to leave the tower and had never ventured among the people. It also would have been difficult for the townsfolk to identify him from the ground because the cathedral reached so high. Perhaps the people had simply heard rumors of a deformed bell-ringer in the attic of the cathedral, but it’s still hard to explain how quickly they recognize him.

Quasimodo Is A Skilled Acrobat

Quasimodo sings in The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Quasimodo has spent his entire life on the edges of the cathedral. He hasn’t ventured anywhere grand and he doesn’t work out, so he shouldn’t be athletic, yet somehow, he is. Quasi proves to be nimble and daring throughout the film.

Quasi manages to jump across rooftops, climb up the side of the cathedral, and leap between platforms with ease. He even does all this once while carrying EsmereldaSpeaking of this instance...

He Also Has Super Strength

Quasimodo is unexplainably strong. Not long after climbing down the side of the cathedral with Esmerelda, he ends up holding Phoebus in the air, by his throat, with a single hand in the bell tower.

This super-strength later comes in handy after Frollo chains Quasi to some columns in the cathedral. Quasi manages to not only tear out of the chains but take down a few columns in the process. Though this was a handy plot device, it's not very logical.

Phoebus’ Armor Randomly Disappears

Frollo orders Phoebus — who is wearing a full suit of armor — to burn down an innocent family’s house, but he refuses. Because of this, Frollo sets the house on fire himself, and Phoebus runs in to rescue the family from the flames. This causes Frollo to punish Phoebus. He is shot down with an arrow and thrown into the water below. Thankfully, Esmerelda is watching the event play out and ends up dragging Phoebus onto the shore. In addition to not having any visible injuries after this event, Phoebus is also missing his armor.

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This makes little sense, being that his armor must have been really heavy and difficult to put on. Why does it all the sudden go missing? How could it have separated from him underwater in such a short amount of time?

Phoebus Recovers Too Quickly

Esmerelda brings Phoebus back to the cathedral’s attic after Frollo attempts to murder him. Though he gets a few minutes to recover, his rest is cut short after Quasi spies Frollo arriving outside of the cathedral. Esmerelda leaves, and Quasi drags Phoebus under a table.

However, as soon as Frollo is done chatting with Quasi, Phoebus jumps up as if he’d never been injured in the first place. He’s ready to get out there and save the day. It’s as if he randomly healed.

How Did Phoebus Save Quasimodo?

Quasimodo nearly falls to his death at the end of Hunchback. Esmerelda tries to hold onto him as he dangles over a ledge in the cathedral, but she can’t keep her grip, and he falls. Thankfully, Phoebus is just below, ready to catch him.

This save is rather convenient and hard to explain. Firstly, there’s no way that Phoebus would know where to stand under Quasi right at that exact moment in order to rescue him; He can’t know the layout of the cathedral that well. Additionally, how did Phoebus even get inside the cathedral in the first place? The other guards were all kept from getting because molten lava poured over the walls. How did Phoebus escape this?

Are The Gargoyles Real?

In an otherwise dark movie, the gargoyles provide Hunchback with a healthy dose of comic relief. They live in the cathedral’s attic with Quasi. While it doesn’t really matter whether the gargoyles are figments of Quasi’s imagination or real beings, the movie is inconsistent in the laws that apply to them.

At first glance, it appears the gargoyles are dreamed up by Quasi. After all, he’s lonely, he lives in a land with no magic that we know of, and we see them in a solitary, stone form when Frollo is around. However, the creatures manage to attack Frollo’s men during the final fight by throwing materials at them including bricks and stone. How could they do this if they weren’t real?

The Hunchback Of Notre Dame Has A G Rating

Quasimodo frees his bird in The Hunchback of Notre Dame

While Quasi’s narrative ends out on a positive note, the G-rated movie explores themes including lust, damnation, infanticide, and genocide. Esmerelda provocatively dresses and dances, many characters commit violence, and Frollo sings a grand musical number about wishing to either have Esmerelda as his own or see her burn in hell. That's a lot for a kid's movie.

Though many of the messages in the film can only be understood by a mature audience, it's still surprising that Disney got away with so much when modern classics like Moana and Frozen earned PG ratings. If The Hunchback was first released in 2020 as opposed to 1996, it probably would see a rating higher than G.

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