The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film): Difference between revisions

| caption = Theatrical release poster by [[John Alvin]]<ref name=lat>{{cite news|first=Jocelyn|last=Stewart|title=Artist created many famous film posters|url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/2008archives/la-xpm-2008-feb/-10/local/-me-alvin10-story.html|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=February 10, 2008|access-date=February 10, 2008|archive-date=March 14, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100314184353/http://articles.latimes.com/2008/feb/10/local/me-alvin10|url-status=deadlive}}</ref>

TrousdaleIn and1993, Wise[[David joinedStainton]], thethen a development ofexecutive at Disney Feature Animation, conceived the idea to adapt Victor Hugo''Thes Hunchback[[Gothic offiction]] Notrenovel Dame'into an animated feature. He subsequently pitched the idea to then-Disney Studios chairman [[Jeffrey Katzenberg]]. At Katzenberg's alongsiderequest, Trousdale, Wise, and Hahn joined the project in 1993. Murphy wrote the first draft of the script, and Mecchi and Roberts, who had revisedrewritten the script for ''[[The Lion King]]'' (1994), were soon brought in. alongsideAdditional therewrites duowere ofprovided by Tzudiker and White. That same year, the production team embarked on a research trip to reviseParis Murphy'sto study the Notre-Dame cathedral and additional locations for the workfilm.{{sfn|Thomas|1997|pp=156–157}} The musical score was composed by [[Alan Menken]], with songs written by Menken and lyricist [[Stephen Schwartz (composer)|Stephen Schwartz]].

''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' premiered at the [[Caesars Superdome|Louisiana Superdome]] in New Orleans on June 19, 1996, and was released in the United States on June 21. It is considered different from Disney's other films due to its mature themes such as [[infanticide]], [[lust]], [[antiziganism]], and [[genocide]], despite the changes made from the original source material in order to ensure a [[Motion Picture Association film rating system#Ratings|G rating]] from the [[MPAA]].<ref name="MPAA">{{Cite news |last=Bahr |first=Sarah |date=June 21, 2021 |title='The Hunchback of Notre Dame' at 25: 'The Most R-Rated G You Will Ever See' |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/movies/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame.html |access-date=2023-11-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210621122055/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/movies/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame.html |archive-date=2021-06-21 |url-status=live}}</ref> The film received generally positive reviews and was a commercial success, grossing over $325&nbsp;million worldwide and becoming the [[1996 in film|fifth highest-grossing film of 1996]]. It was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Academy Award]] and a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score|Golden Globe Award]] for its musical score. A [[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (musical)|stage adaptation]] of the film was produced by [[Disney Theatrical Productions|Walt Disney Theatrical]] in 1999. A [[direct-to-video]] sequel, ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame II]]'', was released in 2002.

Twenty years later, Quasimodo has grown into a kind yet isolated young man, now with a pronounced [[Kyphosis|hunchback]] caused by [[kyphosis]]. He is also incredibly strong, due to years of ringing Notre Dame's heavy bells. He has lived his entire life in the cathedral with his only company being a trio of living stone [[Gargoyle (monster)|gargoyles]] Victor, Hugo, and Laverne. The gargoyles encourage him to attend the annual [[Feast of Fools|Festival of Fools]], despite Frollo's warnings that he would be shunned for his appearance. Quasimodo attends and is celebrated for his appearance but then, prompted by Frollo's guards, is humiliated by the crowd. Frollo refuses Quasimodo's pleas for help, but he is rescued by [[Esmeralda (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame)|Esmeralda]], a kind Roma who stands up to Frollo for his tyranny. Frollo, who intendsIntending to commit genocide against Roma people living in Paris, Frollo orders herEsmeralda's arrest, but Esmeraldashe escapes using a [[Magic (illusion)|magic trick]].

* [[Demi Moore]] as [[Esmeralda (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame)|Esmeralda]] (singing voice by Heidi Mollenhauer), a young [[Romani women|Romani woman]] (referred to as a '[[Gypsy]]' by many), who dwells within the streets of Paris.

* [[Kevin Kline]] as [[Captain Phoebus]], a gallant war veteran summoned by Judge Claude Frollo to assist in the eradication of Paris' Romani community.

* [[Jason Alexander]], [[Charles Kimbrough]], and [[Mary Wickes]] as Hugo, Victor, and Laverne respectively, a trio of sentient gargoyles belonging to Notre Dame. This was Wickes' final acting performance as she died a year before its release, at age 85. [[Jane Withers]] provided Laverne's remaining dialogue for the film.

* [[David Ogden Stiers]] as the [[Archdeacon]], the [[clergyman]] at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Production on ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' began in the summer of 1993.<ref name="SouthernBaptists">{{cite news | url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1996-06-21/news/9606210071_1_southern-baptist-hunchback-baptist-convention | title='Hunchback' Arrives at Right Time For Disney | last=Pinsky | first=Mark | newspaper=[[The Orlando Sentinel]] | date=June 21, 1996 | access-date=November 30, 2014 | archive-date=December 5, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205212326/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1996-06-21/news/9606210071_1_southern-baptist-hunchback-baptist-convention | url-status=dead }}</ref> In October 1993, directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, art director David Goetz, [[Roy Conli]], Ed Ghertner, [[Will Finn]], Alan Menken, and Stephen Schwartz took a trip to Paris, France, for ten days; three days were devoted to exploring the Notre Dame includingcathedral awhere privatethe tourteam oftook rarelyphotographs glimpsedand sitessketched suchareas asof the religious site, included passageways, stairwells, towers, and a hidden room.{{sfn|Robello|1996|p=98}} The productionteam also located books that documented the cathedral's restricted areas, including one about Victor Hugo's watercolor paintings. Goetz stated, "It turned out that his paintings were very similar in tone to what we were coming with for our early visual development work ... We were a little tentative because it seemed like an un-Disney thing. Then we went to Paris and saw the Hugo paintings and the work of other illustrators of the time. We felt they were so similar that we were really on a track that was appropriate ... We thought, heck, let's go with it."{{sfn|Thomas|1997|pp=156–157}} The crewteam also visited the [[Palais de Justice, Paris|Palace of Justice]] and an original location of the [[Cour des miracles|Court of Miracles]].{{sfn|Robello|1996|p=98}}

{{Quote box|width =33%|quote="We knew it would be a challenge to stay true to the material while still giving it the requisite amount of fantasy and fun most people would expect from a Disney animated feature. We were not going to end it the way the book ended, with everybody dead."|source=Kirk—Kirk Wise<ref name="Hunch" />}}

Writer [[Tab Murphy]] was brought on board to write the screenplay, and it was decided early on that Quasimodo would be the center of the story, as he was in preceding live-action film adaptations. In the early drafts, Quasimodo served as a [[Cyrano de Bergerac|Cyrano]] between Phoebus and Esmeralda, but it was discarded to focus more on Quasimodo.<ref>{{cite news | url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-16/entertainment/-ca-15443_1_quasi15443-originalstory.html | title=A Quasi Original | last=Clark | first=John | newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=June 16, 1996 | access-date=November 30, 2014 | archive-date=December 22, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222021604/http://articles.latimes.com/1996-06-16/entertainment/ca-15443_1_quasi-original | url-status=deadlive }}</ref> Meanwhile, a love story between Quasimodo and Esmeralda was also conceived, according to Murphy, but "we decided to make [[Captain Phoebus|Phoebus]] more heroic and central to the story. Out of that decision grew the idea of some sort of a triangle between Quasimodo, Esmeralda and Phoebus."<ref name="Dretzka" /> Some of the novel's key characters were jettisoned entirely. The gargoyles of Notre Dame were added to the story by Trousdale and Wise. Their portrayal as comedic friends and confidantes of Quasimodo was inspired by a portion of the novel, which reads: "The other statues, the ones of monsters and demons, felt no hatred for Quasimodo…The saints were his friends and blessed him; the monsters were his friends, and protected him. Thus he would pour out his heart at length to them."{{sfn|Robello|1996|p=132}}<ref>{{cite news | url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1996-07-03/lifestyle/9607010647_1_gargoyles-hunchback-crotchety | title=Holy Medieval Icon! Gargoyles Are Hot | last=Shapiro | first=Stephanie | via=[[Orlando Sentinel]] | work=[[Baltimore Sun]] | date=July 3, 1996 | access-date=November 30, 2014 | archive-date=November 2, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102101532/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1996-07-03/lifestyle/9607010647_1_gargoyles-hunchback-crotchety | url-status=dead }}</ref>

One of the first changes made to accommodate Disney's request was to turn the villainous Claude Frollo into a judge rather than an archdeacon, thus avoiding religious sensibilities in the finished film.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fTI1yeZd-tkC&q=jerry+beck+hunchback&pg=PA117 | title=The Animated Movie Guide | last=Beck | first=Jerry | date=2005 | access-date=November 30, 2014 | publisher=[[Chicago Review Press]] | pages=116–17 | isbn=978-1-55652-591-9 | archive-date=July 2, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702033130/https://books.google.com/books?id=fTI1yeZd-tkC&q=jerry+beck+hunchback&pg=PA117 | url-status=live }}</ref> "As we were exploring the characters, especially Frollo, we certainly found a lot of historical parallels to the type of mania he had: [[Confederate States of America|the Confederate South]], [[Nazi Germany]], take your pick," explained Wise. "Those things influenced our thinking."<ref name="Dretzka">{{cite news | url=httphttps://articleswww.chicagotribune.com/1996-/06-/16/news/9606160076_1_quasimodo-hunchback-phoebusfor-the-90s/ | title='Hunchback' For The '90s | last=Dretzka | first=Gary | newspaper=[[The Baltimore Sun]] | date=June 16, 1996 | access-date=November 30, 2014 | archive-date=December 5, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205050753/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-06-16/news/9606160076_1_quasimodo-hunchback-phoebus | url-status=deadlive }}</ref> Producer [[Don Hahn]] evaluated that one inspiration for Frollo was found in [[Ralph Fiennes]]'s performance as [[Amon Goeth]] in ''[[Schindler's List]]'' (1993), who had murdered Jews yet lusted after his Jewish maid.<ref name="Hunch" />

For the opening sequence, Disney story veteran [[Burny Mattinson]] constructed an effective sequence that covered much exposition, although Katzenberg felt something was missing. Following Stephen Schwartz's suggestion to musicalize the sequence, French animators [[Paul and Gaëtan Brizzi]] storyboarded the sequence to Menken and Schwartz's music resulting in "The Bells of Notre Dame.".<ref name="Norman" /> Lyricist Stephen Schwartz also worked closely with the writing team even suggesting that the audience should be left wondering what the outcome of what Phoebus would do before he extinguishes the torch in water in retaliation against Frollo.{{sfn|Laird|2014|p=240}} Another was the film's conclusion. While Frollo's death was made more explicit, Quasimodo and Esmeralda were both spared their fates and given a happy ending. This revised ending was based in part on Victor Hugo's own libretto to a ''Hunchback'' opera, in which he had permitted Captain Phoebus to save Esmeralda from her execution.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

Now cast as Laverne, Lauper was deemed too youthful for a friend who would provide wise counsel to Quasimodo. At the same time, [[Sam McMurray]]—best known for his work on ''[[The Tracey Ullman Show]]''—was hired for Hugo. Meanwhile, [[Charles Kimbrough]] was cast as Victor, who was initially unimpressed at an animated adaptation of ''Hunchback'', but later became rather impressed at the level of research that went into the film and how the story ideas transitioned from the novel to the screen.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19960622&id=BS4iAAAAIBAJ&pg=2936,3543040 | title=Etched in Stone | last=Britton | first=Bonnie | date=June 22, 1996 | newspaper=[[Reading Eagle]] | access-date=November 30, 2014 | via=Google News Archive | archive-date=July 2, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702033131/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19960622&id=BS4iAAAAIBAJ&pg=2936%2C3543040 | url-status=live }}</ref> After several recording sessions and test screenings, Lauper and McMurray were called by the directors who released them from their roles.<ref name="Gargoyles" /> At one point, Jeffrey Katzenberg had considered [[Arsenio Hall]], [[David Letterman]], and [[Jay Leno]] to voice the gargoyles,<ref name="OralHistory" /> but he eventually cast [[Jason Alexander]], due to his previous role in ''[[The Return of Jafar]]'' (1994). After a suggestion by supervising animator [[Will Finn]],<ref name="OralHistory" /> Laverne was then re-envisioned into a wiser, mature character with [[Mary Wickes]] cast in the role.<ref name="Gargoyles" /> Following Wickes' death in October 1995,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/26/arts/mary-wickes-85-character-actress-for-50-years.html | title=Mary Wickes, 85, Character Actress for 50 Years | last=Gussow | first=Mike | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date=October 26, 1995 | access-date=November 30, 2014 | archive-date=December 8, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208020549/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/26/arts/mary-wickes-85-character-actress-for-50-years.html | url-status=live }}</ref> [[Jane Withers]] was hired to voice her six remaining lines.<ref name="Hunch">{{cite magazine | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205135730/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,293046,00.html | url=httphttps://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,293046,00.html1996/06/21/disneys-hunchback-has-murder-lust-and-corruption/ | title=Playing a Hunch | last1=Thompson | first1=Anne | last2=Krager | first2=Dave | magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] | date=June 21, 1996 | access-date=November 30, 2014 | archive-date=December 5, 2014 | url-status=deadlive }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://variety.com/1996/voices/columns/thesp-requires-heimlich-at-museum-bow-1117862933/ | title=Thesp requires Heimlich at museum bow | last=Archerd | first=Army | magazine=Variety | access-date=November 30, 2014 | date=June 17, 1996 | archive-date=December 26, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226055350/http://variety.com/1996/voices/columns/thesp-requires-heimlich-at-museum-bow-1117862933/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

Katzenberg had also wanted [[Meat Loaf]] for the role of Quasimodo, but he passed on the role after Disney could not come to an agreement with his record company.<ref name="OralHistory" /> [[Mandy Patinkin]] was also approached for the title role, but his style of portraying Quasimodo collided with the producers' demands, and Patinkin stated, {{" '}}I [was] just there at the audition [and I] said, 'I can't do this.{{' "}}<ref>{{cite news | url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-03-16/news/-tv-38764_1_chicago38764-hopestory.html | title=The Hunchback From Hope | last=King | first=Susan | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=March 16, 1997 | access-date=November 30, 2014 | archive-date=December 22, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222021602/http://articles.latimes.com/1997-03-16/news/tv-38764_1_chicago-hope | url-status=live }}</ref> [[Tom Hulce]] was cast as Quasimodo following his first audition for the role, and according to the actor, he noticed during the audition that the Disney executives, producers, and directors "were staring at the floor. It looked like everyone was at a memorial service" until he noticed the floor was lined with storyboard sketches. According to Wise, the filmmakers "like to audition the voices with our eyes closed, so we see the character's face."<ref>{{cite news |last=Pearlman|title=10 Hunches about "The Hunchback"|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |access-date=February 16, 2015 |date=June 16, 1996 |first=Cindy |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4341904.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329175659/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4341904.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 29, 2015}}</ref> Quasimodo was originally portrayed as older and with more of a speech impediment during the early rehearsals, but Hulce commented that "we experimented, endlessly. At one point I was ready to call in and say 'Things just aren't happening'."<ref>{{cite news |last=Vincent |title=Will Disney's Hunch Pay Off? This Animated Feature Is a Broadway Musical|newspaper=[[The Virginian-Pilot]] |access-date=February 16, 2015 |date=June 20, 1996 |first=Mal |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-73187484.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329175654/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-73187484.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 29, 2015}}</ref> Ultimately, the directors desired to portray Quasimodo with a younger voice different from the previous portrayals since "[Victor] Hugo described Quasimodo as 20."<ref name="Grimstory" /> Additionally, Hulce was permitted to do his own singing after performing a demo recording of "[[Out There (Disney song)|Out There]].".<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pAkEAAAAMBAJ&q=tom+hulce+billboard&pg=PA64 | title=Tom Hulce gives voice to singing Quasimodo in 'Hunchback' | last=McCormick | first=Moira | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date=July 6, 1996 | access-date=November 30, 2014 | volume=108 | issue=27 | page=64 | via=Google Books | archive-date=July 2, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702033141/https://books.google.com/books?id=pAkEAAAAMBAJ&q=tom+hulce+billboard&pg=PA64 | url-status=live }}</ref>

Due to her deeper voice than actresses who had previously played Disney heroines,<ref name="dvdcommentary" /> [[Demi Moore]] was cast as Esmeralda, and met with Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz on singing. After several singing demos, the actress said, "You'd better get someone else," according to Schwartz. New York City cabaret singer Heidi Mollenhauer was selected to provide the singing voice.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1996-04-19/entertainment/9604170510_1_demi-moore-hunchback-ovarian-cancer | title=No Singing For Demi Moore | publisher=Tribune Media Services | work=[[Sun-Sentinel]] | date=April 19, 1996 | access-date=December 1, 2014 | archive-date=December 5, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205024714/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1996-04-19/entertainment/9604170510_1_demi-moore-hunchback-ovarian-cancer | url-status=dead }}</ref> For the role of Phoebus, co-director Kirk Wise explained that "As we're designing the characters, we form a short list of names...to help us find the personality of the character." Subsequently, the filmmakers modeled his portrayal on the personalities of [[Errol Flynn]] and [[John Wayne]], and "One of the names on the top of the list all the time was [[Kevin Kline]]."<ref name="Grimstory" /> Moore and Kline were the only actors to have the role directly offered to them instead of auditioning.<ref name="OralHistory" /> British actor [[Tony Jay]], who declared his role as Frollo as his "bid for immortality,",<ref>{{cite news | url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/2006archives/la-xpm-2006-aug/-20/local/-me-jay20-story.html | title=Tony Jay, 73; Veteran Voice Actor in Film and Video Games | last=Nelson | first=Valerie | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=August 20, 2006 | access-date=November 30, 2014 | archive-date=December 22, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222021619/http://articles.latimes.com/2006/aug/20/local/me-jay20 | url-status=deadlive }}</ref> was cast after the directors had worked with him in ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1991).<ref name="dvdcommentary">{{Cite AV media notes|people=Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise, and Don Hahn | year=2002 | title=The Hunchback of Notre Dame| type=Audio commentary | publisher=Walt Disney Home Entertainment | location=[[Burbank, California]]}}</ref> [[Anthony Hopkins]] was originally considered for the role, but he turned down the offer.<ref name="OralHistory" /> After watching his portrayal as Uncle Ernie in the musical ''[[The Who's Tommy]]'', Broadway actor [[Paul Kandel]] was selected to voice Clopin.<ref name="dvdcommentary">{{Cite AV media notes|people=Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise, and Don Hahn | year=2002 | title=The Hunchback of Notre Dame| type=Audio commentary | publisher=Walt Disney Home Entertainment | location=[[Burbank, California]]}}</ref>

Alongside ''[[Pocahontas (1995 film)|Pocahontas]]'' (1995), storyboard work on ''The Hunchback of the Notre Dame'' was among the first to be produced for an animated film on the new Disney Feature Animation building adjacent to the main Disney lot in Burbank, which was dedicated in 1995.<ref name="Disney DVD" /><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/05/arts/architecture-view-playful-even-goofy-but-what-else-it-s-disney.html | first=Herbert | last=Muschamp | title=ARCHITECTURE VIEW; Playful, Even Goofy, but What Else? It's Disney | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date=March 5, 1995 | access-date=November 30, 2014 | archive-date=December 8, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208020519/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/05/arts/architecture-view-playful-even-goofy-but-what-else-it-s-disney.html | url-status=live }}</ref> However, most animators were occupied with ''The Lion King'' (1994) and ''Pocahontas'' (1995) at the time, and as a result, more animators were hired from [[Canada]] and [[United Kingdom]] to join the production team for the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jimhillmedia.com/columnists1/b/floyd_norman/archive/2008/11/18/toon-tuesday-looking-back-on-disney-s-the-hunchback-of-notre-dame-part-deux.aspx|last=Norman|first=Floyd|author-link=Floyd Norman|title=Toon Tuesday: Looking Back on Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" -- Part Deux|website=Jim Hill Media|date=November 11, 2008|access-date=November 30, 2014|archive-date=December 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205213751/http://jimhillmedia.com/columnists1/b/floyd_norman/archive/2008/11/18/toon-tuesday-looking-back-on-disney-s-the-hunchback-of-notre-dame-part-deux.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> As the development phase furthered along, most of the entire animation team moved out into a large warehouse facility on Airway in [[Glendale, California]]. As the Disney story artists, layout crew, and animators moved in their new quarters, they decided to name the building "Sanctuary.".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jimhillmedia.com/columnists1/b/floyd_norman/archive/2008/11/11/toon-tuesday-looking-back-on-disney-s-the-hunchback-of-notre-dame-part-un.aspx|last=Norman|first=Floyd|author-link=Floyd Norman|title=Toon Tuesday: Looking Back on Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" -- Part Un|website=Jim Hill Media|date=November 11, 2008|access-date=November 30, 2014|archive-date=December 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205213757/http://jimhillmedia.com/columnists1/b/floyd_norman/archive/2008/11/11/toon-tuesday-looking-back-on-disney-s-the-hunchback-of-notre-dame-part-un.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]'' (1988), other animators hired by Disney Feature Animation were from [[Germany]], [[France]], [[Ireland]], and additional ones from Canada were involved in providing animation duties at the recently opened satellite studio, [[Animation studios owned by The Walt Disney Company#Walt Disney Animation France|Walt Disney Animation Paris]],.<ref name="Norman">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PMK9MQLnRCEC&q=alan+menken+paris+1994&pg=PT109 | title=Animated Life: A Lifetime of tips, tricks, techniques and stories from a Disney legend | last=Norman | first=Floyd | year=2013 | access-date=December 8, 2014 | publisher=[[Focal Press]] | page=110 | isbn=978-0-240-81805-4 | via=Google Books | archive-date=July 2, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702033135/https://books.google.com/books?id=PMK9MQLnRCEC&q=alan+menken+paris+1994&pg=PT109 | url-status=live }}</ref> ofSupervised whichby aboutcoproducer [[Roy Conli]],{{sfn|Thomas|1997|p=157}} 20 percent of the film was done there.<ref>{{cite news|last=Swarden|first=Anne|date=July 1, 1997|title=Parisian Moviegoers Flock To See Hunchback|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1957&dat=19970101&id=tFhGAAAAIBAJ&pg=5979,121705|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=November 30, 2014|via=Google News Archive|archive-date=July 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702033137/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1957&dat=19970101&id=tFhGAAAAIBAJ&pg=5979%2C121705|url-status=live}}</ref> To coordinate with the Burbank studio, the Brizzis traveled there with storyboards and conferred with the directors, animators, and layout team. Back in Paris, they discuss their animation dailies via video conferences provided by Compression Lab Industries' (CLI) video system.{{sfn|Thomas|1997|p=159}} Meanwhile, at the [[Animation studios owned by The Walt Disney Company#Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida|Feature Animation Florida]] studio, which had been working on ''[[Mulan (1998 film)|Mulan]]'' (1998), their first in-house production, at least seven animators penned about four minutes of screen time, which mostly involved Frollo and Quasimodo. The studio had also provided additional layout, cleanup, and special-effects animation.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1996-06-21/entertainment/9606190157_1_disney-animated-disney-mgm-hunchback | title=A Small Role For Florida Animators | last=Hinman | first=Catherine | newspaper=[[Orlando Sentinel]] | date=June 21, 1996 | access-date=November 30, 2014 | archive-date=December 5, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205212331/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1996-06-21/entertainment/9606190157_1_disney-animated-disney-mgm-hunchback | url-status=dead }}</ref>

Although the film did deviate from the source material's darker elements to receive a G rating from the [[Motion Picture Association|Motion Picture Association of America]] (MPAA), it initially received a PG rating after being submitted to the rating board. The reasons were a scene in which Frollo sniffs Esmeralda's hair and Frollo saying the word "sin" in the song ''"[[Hellfire'' (song)|Hellfire]]". Producer Don Hahn suggested toning down the sniffing sound effect and making the word less obvious by turning up the background sound effects. Which, inIn turn, this resulted in the film receiving a G rating after its resubmission.<ref>{{Cite news |lastname=Bahr"MPAA" |first=Sarah |date=June 21, 2021 |title='The Hunchback of Notre Dame' at 25: 'The Most R-Rated G You Will Ever See' |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/movies/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame.html |access-date=2023-11-03}}</ref>

The film has many musical motifs that carry throughout the film, weaving their way in and out of various pieces of music, and having varying timbres depending on the action in the story at that point. The film's soundtrack includes a musical score composed by Menken, and songs written by him and [[Stephen Schwartz (composer)|Stephen Schwartz]]. The film's songs include "[[The Bells of Notre Dame]]" for Clopin, Frollo, and the Archdeacon, "[[Out There (1996 song)|Out There]]" for Quasimodo and Frollo, "[[Topsy Turvy (song)|Topsy Turvy]]" for Clopin, "[[God Help the Outcasts]]" for Esmeralda, "Heaven's Light" for Quasimodo, "[[Hellfire (song)|Hellfire]]" for the Archdeacon and Frollo, "[[A Guy Like You]]" for the gargoyles, and "The Court of Miracles" for Clopin and the other Roma.

Three songs written for the film were discarded for the storyboarding process. Trousdale and Wise were not certain what musical number could be placed for the third act, though Menken and Schwartz conceived two love songs, "In a Place of Miracles" and "As Long as There's a Moon,", between Esmeralda and Phoebus in the film. However, Trousdale and Wise felt the song took too much focus off of Quasimodo,<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.deseretnews.com/top/2407/15/As-Long-As-Theres-a-Moon-The-Hunchback-of-Notre-Dame-15-Disney-songs-that-were-cut-before-they.html | title=15 Disney songs that were cut before they ever made it onto the big screen | last=Hickens | first=Jackie | newspaper=[[Deseret News]] | date=April 6, 2014 | access-date=December 8, 2014 | url-status=dead | archive-date=December 18, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218180043/http://www.deseretnews.com/top/2407/15/As-Long-As-Theres-a-Moon-The-Hunchback-of-Notre-Dame-15-Disney-songs-that-were-cut-before-they.html }}</ref> and ultimately decided to have Clopin sing about sentencing Phoebus and Quasimodo to death for finding their Roma sanctuary.{{sfn|Laird|2014|p=244}} Menken and Schwartz had also written "[[Someday (Disney song)|Someday]]" originally for the film, but the directors suggested that a religious song be sung in the cathedral,. and theThe song was instead featured in the end credits.{{sfn|Laird|2014|pp=242}} R&B group [[All-4-One]] recorded the song for the end credits of the [[North American]] English release,<ref>{{cite press release|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209052647/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/GRAMMY+AWARD-WINNING+GROUP+ALL-4-ONE+TO+PERFORM+FIRST+SINGLE+FROM+THE...-a018234004|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/GRAMMY+AWARD-WINNING+GROUP+ALL-4-ONE+TO+PERFORM+FIRST+SINGLE+FROM+THE...-a018234004|title=Grammy Award-winning group All-4-One to perform first single from the Walt Disney Records soundtrack 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'|work=[[PR Newswire]]|via=The Free Library|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 9, 2014|date=April 29, 1996|access-date=December 8, 2014|location=[[Burbank, California]]}}</ref> and by the British R&B girl group [[Eternal (band)|Eternal]] in the British English version. [[Luis Miguel]] recorded the version for the Latin American Spanish version, which became a major hit.

''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' was the first – andfirst—and currently only – Disneyonly—Disney animated feature to have a major focus on traditional religious faith; in this case, pre-[[Reformation]] [[Catholicism]]. In fact, the words "God," "Lord", and "Hell" are uttered more times in this film than in any other produced by Disney.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}} The book ''The Gospel According to Disney'' explains that "it is the church... that interposes, or attempts to interpose itself between the villain and his evil intentions." During production, the studio executives expressed concerns about various aspects of the film, especially those relating to the religious content in the story, "for their failure to defend the poor and the powerless" and concerns that the story was "too controversial.".<ref name="books.google" /> Another book ''Deconstructing Disney'' notes that the studio "approached the name of God with an almost Hebraic zeal (that it should never be stated) yet here it is invoked in a manner both pious and puritan." Many of the songs were adapted from genuine Latin prayers and chants, such as "Hellfire", which uses the [[Tridentine Mass|Tridentine]] form of the [[Confiteor]] as a counterpoint melody. ''The Gospel According to Disney'' includes a quote that says "religion... appears as an impotent, irrelevant caricature [and] Disney refuses to admit a serious role for religion." At one point, the archdeacon says to Esmeralda, "You can't right all the wrongs of this world by yourself... perhaps there is someone in here who can," referring either to God or Mary. This questions the power religious people actually have in making the world a moral and happy place, according to Pinsky.<ref name="books.google" />

''The Gospel According to Disney'' explains that "while Frollo's stated goal is to purge the world of vice and sin, according to the opening song, he 'saw corruption everywhere except within.'" Because "killing the woman on the steps has put Frollo's soul in mortal danger," he has to take the child and look after him as penance. Even then, he absolves himself of agency in the murder by claiming "God works in mysterious ways," and ponders whether "the child may be of use to him one day." During the song "God Help the Outcasts,", Esmeralda wonders if "Were you once an outcast too?" while looking at a statue of Mary with the infant Jesus, referencing the [[Flight into Egypt]].<ref name="books.google" />

In 1994, the film was scheduled for a Christmas 1995 release,<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Daly|first=Steve|title=Mane Attraction|url=httphttps://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,302837_2,00.html1994/07/08/storyboard-screen/|page=2|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=July 8, 1994|access-date=December 6, 2014|archive-date=July 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716092348/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,302837_2,00.html|quote="They've increased the worldwide animation staff from a worn-down 150 to nearly 1,000, with swanky new digs nearly ready back in Burbank and no end to expansion in sight (six features are due by 1998, including ''[[Pocahontas (1995 film)|Pocahontas]]'' next summer and ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' for Christmas 1995)."|url-status=deadlive}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Hartl|first=John|title=The Lion King' Gives A New Voice To Disney Storytelling|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19940619&slug=1916358|newspaper=[[The Seattle Times]]|date=June 19, 1994|access-date=December 6, 2014|archive-date=December 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226213508/https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19940619&slug=1916358|url-status=live}}</ref> though the film was reportedly delayed following the departure of Katzenberg from [[The Walt Disney Company]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Dismissal Stuns Magic Kingdom|last1=Weinraub|first1=Bernard|last2=Fabrikant|first2=Geraldine|url=https://www.deseret.com/1994/10/9/19135475/dismissal-stuns-magic-kingdom|work=The New York Times|date=October 9, 1994|access-date=February 16, 2015|archive-date=July 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702033133/https://www.deseret.com/1994/10/9/19135475/dismissal-stuns-magic-kingdom|url-status=live}}</ref> By January 1995, it was later pushed back to a summer 1996 release.<ref>{{cite news | title=Animation Fever – Other Studios Aim To Break Disney's Grip On Market | last=Seigel | first=Jessica | url=httphttps://articleswww.chicagotribune.com/1995-/01-/08/entertainmentanimation-fever/9501080385_1_disney-executives-lion-king-snow-white | newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] | date=January 8, 1995 | access-date=December 6, 2014 | quote="In a Gothic reprise of the ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'' theme, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" will pine for his Esmeralda in 1996." | archive-date=September 19, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919125809/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-01-08/entertainment/9501080385_1_disney-executives-lion-king-snow-white | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Sneaks '96 | last=Cromelin | first=Richard | url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-01-21/entertainment/-ca-26888_1_andy26888-warhol-courtney-love-miramaxstory.html | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=January 21, 1996 | access-date=December 6, 2014 | archive-date=December 22, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222174643/http://articles.latimes.com/1996-01-21/entertainment/ca-26888_1_andy-warhol-courtney-love-miramax | url-status=live }}</ref> The film premiered on June 19, 1996, at the [[Caesars Superdome|Louisiana Superdome]] in New Orleans, where it was played on six enormous screens. The premiere was preceded by a parade through the [[French Quarter]], beginning at [[Jackson Square, New Orleans|Jackson Square]] and utilizing floats and cast members from [[Walt Disney World]].<ref name="This Day in Disney">{{cite web | url=http://www.thisdayindisneyhistory.com/Jun19.html | title=It Happened Today: June 19 | work=thisdayindisneyhistory.com | access-date=October 23, 2011 | archive-date=March 16, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316130207/http://www.thisdayindisneyhistory.com/Jun19.html | url-status=live }}</ref> The film was widely released two days later.

As part of the promotion of the film, [[Walt Disney Records]] shipped two million products, including sing-along home videos, soundtrack CDs, and the "My First Read Along" novelized version of the film.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}} Upon release, ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' was accompanied by a marketing campaign of more than $40 million with commercial tie-ins with [[Burger King]], [[Payless Shoes]], [[Nestlé]], and [[Mattel]].<ref>{{cite news | url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-07-23/business/-fi-27142_1_disney27142-animationstory.html | title=Quasi-Successful | last=Bates | first=James | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=July 23, 1996 | access-date=December 8, 2014 | archive-date=December 22, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222174646/http://articles.latimes.com/1996-07-23/business/fi-27142_1_disney-animation | url-status=deadlive }}</ref> By 1997, Disney earned approximately $500 million in profit with the spin-off products based from the film.<ref>{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=bOtMUf22qWMC&q=hunchback+of+notre+dame+disney&pg=PA99 | title = The Mouse that Roared: Disney and the End of Innocence | page = 100 | isbn = 978-1-4422-0330-3 | last1 = Giroux | first1 = Henry A | last2 = Pollock | first2 = Grace | year = 2014 | publisher = Rowman & Littlefield Publishers | via = Google Books | access-date = October 24, 2020 | archive-date = July 2, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210702033133/https://books.google.com/books?id=bOtMUf22qWMC&q=hunchback+of+notre+dame+disney&pg=PA99 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-06-01/entertainment/-ca-64365_1_disney64365-animated-moviestory.html | title=Can Anyone Dethrone Disney? | last=Horn | first=John | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | access-date=December 8, 2014 | date=June 1, 1997 | archive-date=December 22, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222174654/http://articles.latimes.com/1997-06-01/entertainment/ca-64365_1_disney-animated-movie | url-status=deadlive }}</ref>

''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' grossed $21.3&nbsp;million during its opening weekend, ranking in second place at the box office behind ''[[Eraser (film)|Eraser]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=McNary |first=Dave |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/06/23/Eraser-rubs-out-competition-at-US-box-office/4354835502400/ |title=Eraser' rubs out competition at U.S. box office |access-date=February 26, 2022 |work=[[United Press International]] |date=June 23, 1996 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226221257/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/06/23/Eraser-rubs-out-competition-at-US-box-office/4354835502400/ |url-status=live }}</ref> At the time, both [[Warner Bros.]] and Disney already had big summer hits with ''[[Twister (1996 film)|Twister]]'' and ''[[The Rock (film)|The Rock]]'' respectively.<ref name="box office">{{cite news | url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-24/entertainment/-ca-18118_1_strong18118-openingsstory.html | title='Eraser,' 'Hunchback' Post Strong Openings | last=Brennan | first=Judy | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=June 24, 1996 | access-date=December 8, 2014 | archive-date=December 22, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222174622/http://articles.latimes.com/1996-06-24/entertainment/ca-18118_1_strong-openings | url-status=deadlive }}</ref> In a new box office strategy, Disney also included ticket sales which were sold from [[Disney Store]]s nationwide, which added about $1&nbsp;million to the box office numbers.<ref name="box office" /> However, the film had earned slightly less when compared to ''Pocahontas'', which had grossed $29&nbsp;million the year previous. [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista Pictures Distribution]] president [[Dick Cook]] defended the results claiming it was comparable to ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1991), which opened in half as many theaters, and grossed about $9&nbsp;million.<ref name="box office" /> In its second weekend, ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' dropped into third place behind ''[[The Nutty Professor (1996 film)|The Nutty Professor]]'' and ''Eraser'', but stayed above ''[[Striptease (film)|Striptease]]'' and made a total $14.3&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-record-the-nutty-professor-weigh/121724079/ |title='The Nutty Professor' weighs in at No. 1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506230752/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-star-press-first-place-finish-doesn/124170494/ |date=July 2, 1996 |access-date=April 29, 2023 |archive-date=May 6, 2023 |page=23 |publisher=[[Daily Record (New Jersey)|Daily Record]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref>

''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' received generally positive reviews from film critics.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Amundson |first=Quinton |date=July 2, 2021 |title=Disney's Hunchback ages well |url=https://www.catholicregister.org/features/arts/item/33286-disney-s-hunchback-ages-well |access-date=June 19, 2024 |work=[[The Catholic Register]] |quote=it garnered generally positive critical reviews}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Sarnecky |first1=Aaron |last2=Sarnecky |first2=Josh |title=The Anniversary Brothers Movie Podcast: The Hunchback of Notre Dame 25th Anniversary |url=https://thepopbreak.com/2021/06/15/anniversary-brothers-movie-podcast-the-hunchback-of-notre-dame-25th-anniversary/ |access-date=June 20, 2024 |work=The Pop Break}}</ref> [[Review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] gave the film {{a or an|{{RT data|score}}}} positive rating based on {{RT data|count}} reviews, along with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The consensus reads, "Disney's take on the Victor Hugo classic is dramatically uneven, but its strong visuals, dark themes, and message of tolerance make for a more-sophisticated-than-average children's film."<ref name="rt">{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1073037-hunchback_of_notre_dame|title=The Hunchback of Notre Dame|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]|access-date={{RT data|access date}}|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004234841/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1073037-hunchback_of_notre_dame/|archive-date=October 4, 2013|url-status=live}}{{RT data|edit}}</ref> [[Metacritic]], which assigns a [[Normalization (statistics)|normalized]] rating out of 100 from top reviews from mainstream critics, calculated a score of 74 based on 28 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews.".<ref>{{cite web|title=The Hunchback of Notre Dame|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame|website=Metacritic|access-date=July 21, 2021}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Manfredi |first=Lucas |date=November 24, 2022 |title=''Strange World'' CinemaScore Might Be the Lowest Ever For a Walt Disney Animation Studio Film |url=https://www.thewrap.com/strange-world-cinemascore-disney-animation-film/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125002321/https://www.thewrap.com/strange-world-cinemascore-disney-animation-film/ |archive-date=November 25, 2022 |access-date=December 10, 2022 |website=[[TheWrap]]}}</ref>

''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' film critic [[Roger Ebert]] rewarded the film 4 stars, calling it "the best Disney animated feature since ''Beauty and the Beast'' – a whirling, uplifting, thrilling story with a heart touching message that emerges from the comedy and song."<ref>{{cite news | last=Ebert | first=Roger | url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame-1996 | title=The Hunchback of Notre Dame | date=June 21, 1996 | access-date=September 8, 2011 | work=Chicago Sun-Times | via=[[RogerEbert.com]] | archive-date=May 7, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507135636/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame-1996 | url-status=live }}</ref> In his review for the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', [[Gene Siskel]] awarded the film {{frac|3|1|2}} (out of a possible 4) stars, describing the film as "a surprisingly emotional, simplified version of the Victor Hugo novel" with "effective songs and, yes, tasteful bits of humor."<ref>{{cite news | title=Schwarzenegger Solidifies His Action-star Status With 'Eraser' | last=Siskel | first=Gene | author-link=Gene Siskel | url=httphttps://articleswww.chicagotribune.com/1996-/06-/21/entertainment/9606210128_1_eraserschwarzenegger-specialsolidifies-effectshis-action-star-status-with-eraser/ | newspaper=Chicago Tribune | date=June 21, 1996 | access-date=November 30, 2014 | archive-date=December 5, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205050748/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-06-21/entertainment/9606210128_1_eraser-special-effects-star | url-status=deadlive }}</ref> [[Owen Gleiberman]] of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' graded the film an A, labeling it as "the best of Disney's 'serious' animated features in the multiplex era, (...) an emotionally rounded fairy tale that balances darkness and sentimentality, pathos and triumph, with uncanny grace."<ref>{{cite magazine | url=httphttps://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,293063,00.html1996/06/21/hunchback-notre-dame/ | last=Gleiberman | first=Owen | author-link=Owen Gleiberman | title=The Hunchback of Notre Dame Review | date=June 21, 1996 | magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] | access-date=June 16, 2013 | archive-date=October 26, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026121234/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,293063,00.html | url-status=deadlive }}</ref>

Arnaud Later, a leading scholar on Hugo, accused Disney of simplifying, editing, and censoring the novel in numerous aspects, including the personalities of the characters. In his review, he later wrote that the animators "don't have enough confidence in their own emotional feeling" and that the film "falls back on clichés."<ref>{{cite magazine | last = Laster | first = Arnaud | title = Waiting for Hugo | magazine = Animation World Magazine | volume = 1 | issue = 10 | date = January 1997 | url = http://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.10/articles/laster.ang1.10.html | access-date = August 19, 2007 | archive-date = October 11, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121011155442/http://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.10/articles/laster.ang1.10.html | url-status = live }}</ref> Descendants of Hugo bashed Disney in an open letter to the ''[[Libération]]'' newspaper for their ancestor receiving no mention on the advertisement posters, and describing the film as a "vulgar commercialization by unscrupulous salesmen."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://variety.com/1997/scene/vpage/disney-s-hunchback-irks-hugo-progeny-1117342764/ | title=Disney's 'Hunchback' irks Hugo progeny | last=Williams | first=Michael | work=Variety | date=March 11, 1997 | access-date=December 8, 2014 | archive-date=December 26, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226154150/http://variety.com/1997/scene/vpage/disney-s-hunchback-irks-hugo-progeny-1117342764/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1997-03-11/business/9703100651_1_hugo-novel-family | title=Disney Outrages Hugo Family | last=Williams | first=Michael | newspaper=Orlando Sentinel | date=March 11, 1997 | access-date=December 8, 2014 | archive-date=December 14, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214170425/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1997-03-11/business/9703100651_1_hugo-novel-family | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=httphttps://articleswww.chicagotribune.com/1997-/03-/11/news/9703110233_1_victorclan-of-victor-hugo-denounce-moviedisney-posterfilm/ | title=Clan Of Victor Hugo Denounce Disney Film | newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] | location=[[Paris]] | date=March 11, 1997 | access-date=December 8, 2014 | archive-date=September 19, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919232203/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997-03-11/news/9703110233_1_victor-hugo-denounce-movie-poster | url-status=deadlive }}</ref>

Some audiences expressed concerns about whether the film was appropriate for children.<ref name="response">{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305101820/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/REEL+BUZZ+%3A+PARENTS,+KIDS+GET+ANIMATED+ABOUT+%60HUNCHBACK'.-a083950989 |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/REEL+BUZZ+%3A+PARENTS,+KIDS+GET+ANIMATED+ABOUT+%60HUNCHBACK'.-a083950989 | title=Real Buzz: Parents, Kids Get Animated About 'Hunchback' | work=Los Angeles Daily Times | via=The Free Library | url-status=dead | archive-date=March 5, 2016 | date=June 27, 1996 | access-date=December 22, 2014}}</ref> Jason Alexander said that while "Disney would have us believe this movie's like the Ringling Bros., for children of all ages," he would not take his then-four-year-old child to view the film.<ref name="Hunch" /> However, some newspaper publications reported child audiences being unaffected by the mature content and praising the film.<ref name="response" /><ref>{{cite news | url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-24/entertainment/-ca-18114_1_hunchback18114-themesstory.html | title=Children Seem Unfazed by 'Hunchback' Themes | last=Rauzi | first=Robin | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=June 24, 1996 | access-date=December 22, 2014 | archive-date=March 6, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306054006/http://articles.latimes.com/1996-06-24/entertainment/ca-18114_1_hunchback-themes | url-status=live }}</ref> Some audiences criticized the film for having "homosexual undertones,", noticeably with the song "Out There,", being the name of a gay pressure group and as a call to [[Coming out|come out]] of the closet.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Quasi-rudo!%3B+Disney+takes+a+risque+with+sexy+scenes.-a061319048 | title=Quasi-rudo!; Disney takes a risque with sexy scenes. | last=Rose | first=Simon | url-status=live | date=July 11, 1996 | access-date=December 8, 2014 | archive-date=December 9, 2014 | work=The Mirror | via=The Free Library | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209054147/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Quasi-rudo!%3B+Disney+takes+a+risque+with+sexy+scenes.-a061319048}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/do-we-need-disney-1328861.html | title=Do we need Disney? | last=Glancey | first=Jonathan | newspaper=[[The Independent]] | date=15 July 1996 | access-date=16 February 2015 | archive-date=February 21, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170221071033/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/do-we-need-disney-1328861.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

In June 1996, the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] voted overwhelmingly to urge its sixteen million members to boycott Disney films, theme parks, and merchandise, saying the company "disparages Christian values."<ref>{{cite news | url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-13/news/-mn-14682_1_southern14682-baptiststory.html | title=Baptist Group Rebukes Disney, Urges Boycott | last=Dickerson | first=Marla | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=June 13, 1996 | access-date=February 16, 2015 | archive-date=February 17, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217063632/http://articles.latimes.com/1996-06-13/news/mn-14682_1_southern-baptist | url-status=deadlive }}</ref> The cause of the protests—unrelated to the film—stemmed from the company's domestic partnership policy and [[Gay Days at Walt Disney World|gay and lesbian theme days]] at [[Walt Disney World]].<ref>{{cite news | title=''Notre'' damn | work=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]] | date=July 23, 1996 | publisher=Here | access-date=February 16, 2015 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fGMEAAAAMBAJ&q=hunchback+of+notre+dame+southern+baptists&pg=PA12 | archive-date=July 2, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702033135/https://books.google.com/books?id=fGMEAAAAMBAJ&q=hunchback+of+notre+dame+southern+baptists&pg=PA12 | url-status=live }}</ref> Trousdale also claimed that Southern Baptists were outraged over the casting of Demi Moore as Esmeralda, as she had just come off of the film ''[[Striptease (film)|Striptease]]'' (1996), in which she played an exotic dancer.<ref>{{Citation|last=Animation Guild|title=TAGInterview GaryTrousdale 2|date=October 23, 2012 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Sm0kIBw2ok&t=12m35s|access-date=2018-12-07|archive-date=July 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702033212/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Sm0kIBw2ok&t=12m35s|url-status=live}}</ref> Disney officials would not comment on the motivation for the religious content displayed in the film beyond comments on the subject included in the film's [[press kit]], with Disney vice president John Dreyer commenting, "The film speaks for itself."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19960727&id=930hAAAAIBAJ&pg=4237,3105465 | title='Hunchback' finds favor with activists | last=Pinsky | first=Mark | newspaper=[[The Herald Journal]] | date=July 27, 1996 | access-date=February 16, 2015 | via=Google News Archive | archive-date=July 2, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702033136/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19960727&id=930hAAAAIBAJ&pg=4237%2C3105465 | url-status=live }}</ref> Nevertheless, there was praise from religious organizations for its portrayal of religion in the film. [[Louis P. Sheldon]], a [[Presbyterian]] pastor and chairman of the Anaheim-based [[Traditional Values Coalition]], said two months before its premiere: "I am thrilled at what I hear about ''Hunchback'', that Disney is seeking to honour [[Role of Christianity in Western civilization|Christianity and its role in Western civilization]]. I only pray that it will accomplish much good in the minds and hearts of its viewers."<ref>{{cite news | title=Activists praise 'Hunchback' | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19960629&id=MeRNAAAAIBAJ&pg=5018,5424299 | last=Pinsky | first=Mark | newspaper=[[The Ledger|The Lakeland Ledger]] | date=June 29, 1996 | access-date=February 16, 2015 | via=Google News Archive | archive-date=July 2, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702033136/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19960629&id=MeRNAAAAIBAJ&pg=5018%2C5424299 | url-status=live }}</ref>

! colspan="6" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | AwardsList of awards and nominations

| align="center"| <ref>{{cite newsweb |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1997 |title=The 69th Academy Awards (1997) Nominees and Winners |access-date=October 23, 2011 |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]}}</ref>

| rowspan="13" align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://annieawards.org/legacy/24th-annie-awards |title=24th Annual Annie Awards |websitepublisher=[[Annie Awards]] |access-date=June 6, 2021}}</ref>

| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.castingsociety.com/awards/artios/1997 |title=Nominees/Winners1997 Artios Awards |publisher=[[Casting Society of America]] |access-date= July 10, 2019}}</ref>

| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/hunchback-notre-dame |title=The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Golden Globes |websitepublisher=[[HFPAGolden Globe Awards]] |access-date=July 5, 2021 |ref={{harvid|HFPA|1997}}}}</ref>

| rowspan="4" align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oftaawards.com/film-awards/1st-annual-film-awards-1996/ |title=1st Annual Film Awards (1996) |websitepublisher=Online Film & Television Association |access-date=May 15, 2021}}</ref>

| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards1997.shtml |title=International Press Academy website – 1997 1st Annual SATELLITE Awards |publisher=[[International Press Academy]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080201175700/http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards1997.shtml |archive-date=February 1, 2008}}</ref>

| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html |title=Past Saturn Awards |workpublisher=[[Saturn Awards]].org |access-date=May 7, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914184217/http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html |archive-date=September 14, 2008 |df=mdy }}</ref>

DisneyCharacters hasfrom converted its adaptation of ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' intomake othervery media.rare Forappearances example,at ''Disney Comic Hits'' #11, published bythe [[MarvelDisney ComicsParks and Resorts]], featuresin twooccasional storiesparades basedand upon the filmshows.{{Citation needed|date=JulyClopin's 2022}}Music CharactersBox fromis Thea Hunchbacksmall ofattraction Notrebased Dameon makethe veryfilm rarein appearances[[Fantasyland]] at the [[Disney Parks and ResortsDisneyland]], butand can[[Hong beKong seenDisneyland]] ashas figures insidethe Clopin's MusicFestival Boxof inFoods [[Fantasyland]]restaurant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/02/clopins-music-box-adds-to-old-world-charm-of-fantasy-faire-at-disneyland-park/|title=Clopin's Music Box Adds to Old-World Charm of Fantasy Faire at Disneyland Park|date=February 26, 2013 |access-date=September 26, 2020|archive-date=February 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210223215059/https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/02/clopins-music-box-adds-to-old-world-charm-of-fantasy-faire-at-disneyland-park/|url-status=live}}</ref> <ref>https://www.hongkongdisneyland.com/id/dining/hong-kong-disneyland-park/clopins-festival-of-foods/?locale</ref>

* {{Citecite book|last1first=Carol|last=de Giere|first1=Carol|year=2008|title=Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz from ''Godspell'' to ''Wicked''|url=https://archive.org/details/defyinggravitycr0000degi/|publisher=[[HalRowman Leonard& CorporationLittlefield|Applause Theatre & Cinema Books]]|isbn=978-1-55783-745-5|url-access=registration}}

* {{Cite book |last1=Laird |first1=Paul |year=2014 |title=The Musical Theater of Stephen Schwartz: From Godspell to Wicked and Beyond |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield Publishers]]|isbn=978-0-8108-9191-3}}

* {{Cite book|last=RobelloThomas|first=StephenBob|author-link=Bob Thomas (reporter)|title=TheDisney's Art of TheAnimation: HunchbackFrom ofMickey NotreMouse DameTo Hercules|location=New York|publisher=[[Hachette Books|Hyperion Books]]|year=19961997|isbn=978-0-7868-62086241-52}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunchback of Notre Dame, The(1996 Film)}}