History Awesome / TheHunchbackOfNotreDame

!!Meta
* The original point of the novel was to raise public awareness for architectural preservation, specifically of, you guessed it, the Cathedral De Notre Dame De Paris. Before then the idea of preserving any structure that was no longer useful was entirely alien to the world. In a few years after the original novel was published the city decided to restore Notre Dame cathedral, and France started a campaign to preserve other historical buildings. Its really hard to find another work of fiction that decidedly turned around a cultural trend as quickly as this one.

* The brothel madame is a OneSceneWonder. Her brothel is ''known'' to allow Roma people to take shelter there, meaning she's stuck her neck out for who-knows-how-many persecuted people over the years. When Esmeralda is hiding there, she repeatedly lies to the guards and says she's never even heard of her, she has ''no'' idea where this "La Esmeralda" could be hiding. Even when Frollo is threatening to burn her house down, she refuses to crack!
* After Phoebus refuses to burn down a brothel in the hunt for Esmeralda, Frollo has him arrested. Cue Esmeralda throwing off her disguise and starting a swordfight with the soldiers, which is of course her MOA. But then she falls and Frollo moves to stab her, only to have Phoebus catch the dagger with his body.

!![[WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame The Disney film]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hnddisneysanctuary.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:'''"SANCTUARY! SANCTUARY! SANCTUARY!"''']]

* The opening song, "The Bells of Notre Dame".
** Especially the last note that Paul Kandel (Clopin) hits FULL-VOICE.
*** If you look at the sheet music, it's a D on two ledger lines. Tenor parts are written an octave higher than they sound. Still, it is quite impressive. Especially when you consider how long he can hold that note without his voice giving out!
** "'[[BigDamnHeroes STOP!]]' cried the Archdeacon!"
** The WarningSong when the Archdeacon says the lines below was very much a 'Oh, you're gonna get yours when it's over!' and it felt wonderful. Made even more awesome when it's clear that the "eyes of Notre Dame" in this verse does not refer to the Cathedral, but to the eyes of Notre Dame (Our Lady) the Virgin Mary herself.
--->'''Archdeacon:''' You can lie to yourself and your minions,\\
You can claim that you haven't a qualm,\\
But you ''never'' can run from nor hide what you've done,\\
From the eyes! The very eyes of Notre Dame!\\
'''Choir:''' Kyrie Eleison!
** Then the cathedral itself gets one with all the statues -- particularly the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus -- glaring down at Frollo, [[GodIsGood as if God is saying]] "Yeah, throw that baby down the well, you son of a bitch, and see how pissed I get." Frollo's [[OhCrap wary and fearful expression]] as he feels the stone eyes of the statues upon him just seals the deal.
--->''"And for one time in his life of power and control, Frollo felt a twinge of fear for his immortal soul"''.
** In conclusion, it's easy to understand why this is considered one of the best openings to a Disney film ''ever.''
* The [[BadassPreacher Archdeacon]] in general gets a number of these, at least of the moral sort since (naturally) as a churchman [[ActualPacifist he doesn't get involved in any action scenes]]. Of particular note is during Frollo's siege of the cathedral:
-->'''Archdeacon:''' Frollo, have you gone ''mad''?! I ''will not'' tolerate this assault on the house of God!
** When Phoebus gets Esmeralda to claim sanctuary so she is safe from Frollo. Not only does he stalk forward to interrupt just as Frollo is demanding Phoebus [[LoopholeAbuse drag Esmeralda outside so he can arrest her]], but then he lays a hand on her shoulder reassuringly and delivers a deceptively mild but delicious rebuke, referencing his "very eyes of Notre Dame" moment above:
--->'''Archdeacon:''' Don't worry, child. Minister Frollo learned years ago to ''respect the sanctity of the Church''.
*** The look of impotent, teeth-gnashing fury on Frollo's face is wonderful.
*** Also, the glare of the Archdeacon when he said that line. Frollo ''feared'' the Archdeacon. He placed guards with ''polearms'' in front of the cathedral, specifically to prevent the Archdeacon from interfering. Props to the Archdeacon for trying to interfere anyway.
*** All the Archdeacon moments take an even more impressive gloss when you learn that in the original book Frollo ''is'' the Archdeacon, meaning that the Disney film can be said to use two characters to illustrate the internal debates that Frollo has, and therefore Frollo casting the Archdeacon down is equivalent to him discarding pretense in order to enact his desires.
* "Hellfire". Coupled with [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome awe-inspiring animation]] and [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic the amazing and sadly gone voice of the late Tony Jay]], Disney had the perfect SanitySlippageSong. In fact, this is arguably the greatest villain song if not one of the greatest musical moments in Disney history. If you search for it on [=YouTube=], you would find an entire list of covers to it. It was so effective that it would be [[WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog 13 years until another villain would get their own musical number!]]
* Quasimodo's incredible escape, rescue of Esmeralda from the stake, cries of "SANCTUARY!", and the image of waterfalls of molten lead pouring from Notre Dame.
* Quasi slumps down in chains when Frollo is about to burn Esmeralda, then slowly looks up. As Frollo sets the fire, Quasi lets out a tremendous "[[BigNo NOOOOO!]]" proceeding to break the chains, save the girl, and kick some arse. ''He shakes the entire cathedral with his exertions!''
** The filmmakers considered the entire movie an elaborate prologue for that very moment.
** There's no ''way'' this scene isn't epic. Just read it:
--->''(Quasimodo is chained down, the gargoyles are trying to free him)''\\
'''Hugo:''' Come on, Quasi, snap out of it!\\
'''Victor:''' Your friends are down there!\\
'''Quasimodo:''' ''(Despondently)'' It's all my fault.\\
'''Laverne:''' ''(As she, Hugo, and Victor try tugging the chains)'' You gotta break these chains.\\
'''Quasimodo:''' ''(Grim)'' I can't. I tried. What difference would it make?\\
'''Victor:''' But you can't let Frollo ''win''!\\
'''Quasimodo:''' He already has.\\
'''Hugo:''' So, you're givin' up? That's it?\\
'''Laverne:''' These chains aren't what's holding you back, Quasimodo.\\
'''Quasimodo:''' ''(Snapping)'' [[DespairEventHorizon Leave me alone.]]\\
'''Hugo:''' ''(Meekly)'' Okay. Okay, Quasi. We'll leave ya alone.\\
'''Victor:''' After all, we're only made out of stone.\\
''(He and Hugo turn to stone.)''\\
'''Laverne:''' [[DareToBeBadass We just thought maybe you were made of somethin' stronger.]]\\
''(Laverne turns to stone.)''\\
'''Frollo:''' ''(From the square below)'' [[ForGreatJustice For justice]], for Paris, and for her ''own'' salvation, it is my sacred duty to send this unholy demon... ''back where she belongs''!\\
''(He fires the kindling while the crowd indistinctly shouts in protest)''\\
'''Quasimodo:''' '''''[[BigNo NOOOOOOOOOO!]]'''''\\
''([[BewareTheNiceOnes The chains snap taut and the bells resonate as the pillars Quasimodo is chained to break and fall.]])''
** He then [[BuildingSwing swings down]] from the cathedral on the bell-pull rope, freakin' ''wall-run loops'' off the south tower and into the square, over the heads of the massive crowd, landing on the gallows, ''leaps onto the flaming bier'', rips the bonds off with his bare hands and grabs the unconscious Esmeralda, ''tears her still burning stake off the pyre and wallops the guards with it'' as they climb onto the gallows to stop him, then swings back and scales up the hundred feet walls to stand with [[CrucifiedHeroShot her limp body]] [[PietaPlagiarism in his arms]] in front of the [[BackgroundHalo great rose window]], bellowing [[HoldTheLine "SANCTUARY!"]] as the masses cheer him on.
*** It's not just the chains that Quasimodo breaks, but the ''pillars they're bound to''. The gargoyles were right -- he ''is'' stronger than stone. On top of that, the bells resonating [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic could be interpreted as]] Notre Dame herself crying out against the injustice occurring before it.
*** Speaking of the cheering masses: most were already afraid of Frollo and prejudiced against the Romani people. Many had their houses burned to the ground (some may have even been imprisoned and tortured, [[InferredHolocaust and it's implied many have]] ''[[InferredHolocaust died]]'') [[SexIsEvilAndIAmHorny because Frollo became obsessed]] [[IfICantHaveYou with a Roma girl]]. Now she's been captured and is about to be burned alive, and what do they do? Do they cower, thinking that at least now things will turn back to normal? Do they cheer, believing the witch responsible for all their suffering is going to get her rightful punishment? ''[[AvertedTrope Hell. No.]]'' They stand there in protest (some of them even ''trying to get through Frollo's guards to put a stop to it''), [[MachiavelliWasWrong defying the very man that terrorised them]], [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight just because they know Esmeralda is innocent]]. Even before Phoebus rallies everyone behind him, it's very clear that Paris was on the verge of revolting against Frollo. It really hammers the point that [[KnightTemplar people]] [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain like]] [[IrrationalHatred Frollo]] [[RousseauWasRight are the only reason the world is cruel]] (also counts as SugarWiki/{{heartwarming|Moments}}).
*** And of course, there is the actual rallying by Phoebus and the ''entire crowd'' freeing the arrested Romani and charging the guards.
---->'''Phoebus:''' Citizens of Paris! Frollo has persecuted our people! Ransacked our city! Now, he has declared war... ON NOTRE-DAME HERSELF! ''WILL WE ALLOW IT?!''\\
'''Crowd:''' '''''[[BigNo NO!]]'''''
*** The fact that Phoebus uses the term "our people" to refer to the Romani, whom Frollo is specifically persecuting and the city has been bigoted towards the whole film. There's a cry of agreement when he says it, with the gathered crowed immediately agreeing they ''are'' Parisians just like they are, and Frollo has gone too far. Doubles as heartwarming.
* Frollo [[ImprobableWeaponUser weaponizing]] his [[BadassCape cape]] to drag Quasimodo off of Notre Dame? Awesome. Swinging around on his cape to climb back up the cathedral? Also awesome.
* Frollo gets another one of his own awesome moments when instead of fleeing from the cascade of molten lead Quasi is pouring down on the besiegers, he [[VillainousValor pushes onward]] under the archway and ''hacks a hole through the rest of the double doors'' with his broadsword after his troops have only partially breached it with the battering ram they made of the timber cross-beam the Hunchback threw at them.
* When Frollo tells Esmeralda how she can get out of being burned by having sex with him, her response is to [[SpitefulSpit spit in his face]] and give him a DeathGlare, as if to tell him (without actually saying so) "I would rather die for my people than be the object of your lust."
** Esmeralda stops the crowd from tormenting Quasimodo and tells Frollo where to shove it when he orders her to stop.
--->'''Esmeralda:''' You mistreat this poor boy the same way you mistreat my people. You speak of justice, yet you are cruel to those most in need of your help.\\
'''Frollo:''' [[BigShutUp Silence!]]\\
'''Esmerelda:''' ''[[ShutUpHannibal Justice!]]''
** For added awesomeness, the scene where she escapes with gusto, doubling as a SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment|s}}. Anybody who thinks all Disney women are weaklings shall henceforth be directed to that scene.
--->'''Esmeralda:''' Let's see... ''[Counts the guards.]'' Onetwothreefourfivesixseveneightnine... so there's ten of you and one of me. ''[Pulls a handkerchief out of her blouse.]'' What's a poor girl to do? ''[Affected sobbing.]''
*** It was especially awesome to see [[BadassBystander a few of the costumed partygoers]] assist her in taking out the {{Mooks}}. And to top it all off, a tightrope walker tosses his balancing pole to two guards on horseback, causing them to unwillingly crash into Frollo himself. Considering that he had refused to protect Quasimodo from the cruel crowd just moments earlier, it was a ''very'' satisfying sight.
* It [[TemptingFate immediately bites him in the ass]], but Frollo standing atop a gargoyle, sword raised above his head, and [[BlasphemousBoast shouting]] "''And He shall smite the wicked and plunge them into the fiery pit!''" is quite an unforgettable and terrifying way to go out.
** ''Deliciously'' ironic, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of way- [[ChekhovsGun this is the very same gargoyle he damaged while rampaging at Esmeralda and Quasimodo only moments before.]] Just after that, another Moment of Awesome at Frollo's final expense when after taking a tumble off the battlements, the "4th gargoyle" he's desperately hanging on to comes to life, roars in his face, and plunges ''him'' into said pit.
** Even more ironic when you consider that in these biblical words 'He' references God. Frollo ''knows'' that. He now thinks of himself as a god, with the power over life and death.
** After Frollo's last words, the face the Gargoyle makes just before the plunge seems to say "Hey, ''there's'' an idea!" [[ThisCannotBe The look of sheer terror on Frollo's face]] as the demonic visage snarls at him is a beautiful thing to behold too.
** By this point, Frollo had grown to be so evil, that some Website/YouTube comments have interpreted that scene as God descending into Hell and '''''granting the Devil himself permission to enter His highest cathedral''''' '''''to personally collect Frollo's soul.'''''
*** The [=YouTube=] comments are backed up by the fact that when Frollo loses his balance and is holding onto the gargoyle, as it springs to life, the [[OminousLatinChanting choir sings "Kyrie Eleison" (Lord have Mercy)]]. God probably would show Frollo as much mercy as Frollo has shown others.
** Or here's another idea. What were Gargoyles originally meant to do? Exactly, [[Main/FridgeBrilliance ward off evil]].
** When you consider the Archdeacon saying Frollo learned to respect the sanctity of the church, and he spent the entire scene attacking it and violating sanctuary... well, ''that'' ladies and gentleman is what happens to those who don't respect the sanctity of the church.
** They remade this scene in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'', not once, but twice. The first time is once you beat the boss as Sora, which shows the movie version, the second time is before you fight the boss as Riku, where the force of the Nightmare flying just causes Frollo to fall, all while he happily claims "Judgment is mine!!"
** Esmeralda deserves a mention for that scene as well. Despite being weakened from smoke inhalation (and probably rough handling too), she still does her best to hold Quasimodo up on the ledge. Even Frollo standing above her with his sword raised doesn't make her let go.
*** This moment is also a true Climactic cross between a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome and SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment|s}} as it is testament to the PowerOfFriendship: she, who is safe behind the parapets, chooses what appears to be immediate death alongside her friend rather than save herself.
* Phoebus refuses Frollo's order to burn down the miller's house, saves the miller's family after Frollo sets fire to the house anyway, and runs away by ''stealing Frollo's horse!''
** The method by which he saves the family is worth mentioning. Highlights include rolling out of the way of a falling beam, ''diving headfirst through a glass window'', then emerging from the burning house by Sparta-punting open the door, while holding the miller's two young children. Definitely elevated Phoebus from generic Disney male love interest to a much more developed and compelling (not to mention badass) character.
*** This exchange, just before Esmeralda saves him from being executed, simply seals the moment:
---->'''Frollo:''' Such a pity. You threw away a promising career.\\
'''Phoebus:''' [[IronicEcho Consider it my highest honor, sir.]]
* Anything Clopin did; opening the Feast of Fools, the ambush, the Court of Miracles song...
** Triples as a SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment|s}} and SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic! "The Court of Miracles" deserves a mention, though.
--->'''Clopin:''' Any last words?\\
'''Quasi and Phoebus:''' ''[Gagged and about to be hanged]'' Mmmmphhff!\\
'''Clopin:''' ''[Rolling his eyes and giving an AsideGlance]'' That's what they ''all'' say.
* Esmeralda vs. the soldiers after the Feast of Fools incident. One lone unarmed woman managed to make complete fools of the soldiers by evading capture and getting help from her performer allies. Aladdin would be proud.
* Quasimodo's KubrickStare as he decides that he's had enough of Frollo's crap when he's chained up in the cathedral.
* Seriously, the fact that in a ''Disney movie'' we have the villain attempting to shiv his adopted son in the back with ''a foot-long mercy dagger'' only for our hero to spin round and physically confront his foster father by grabbing his wrist at the last second. The pair struggle, Frollo pushing the stiletto inch by inch closer to Quasi's face; who is too traumatized at the assault to fight back against his guardian until he hurls that bastard bodily away and disarms him. Quasimodo then raises said weapon over his attacker's now trembling form and gives him the mother of all CallingTheOldManOut speeches. Frollo has treated him like garbage for twenty years, to the point where Quasimodo just weakly obeys his will. This is essentially when Quasimodo is saying "screw you, I'm not listening to you anymore" and finally stands up for himself (although breaking out of the cathedral and saving Esmeralda was definitely the first massive step in the right direction).
-->'''Frollo:''' Now... now, listen to me, Quasimodo--\\
'''Quasimodo:''' NO, ''YOU'' LISTEN! All my life you've told me the world is a dark, cruel place! But now I see that the only thing dark and cruel about it is people like '''YOU!'''
** The [[OhCrap look on Frollo's face]] as he realizes that a) he no longer has any influence over Quasimodo, who is b) less than half his age, c) strong enough to break his spine like kindling and most of all, d) ''really pissed off'' right now makes it even more satisfying. Frollo really was a coward and now [[TheDogBitesBack all the abuse Frollo perpetrated on this poor deformed boy has come back to bite him in the ass]].
** On top of that is something most people are going to miss. Right as Quasimodo calls the old man out on being dark and cruel, Quasi throws down the knife that he just wrestled away from the psycho. One of the many signs of just how different the two of them are; Frollo would have not hesitated to shank his ''adopted son'' if their positions were reversed.
* "Out There". The whole song just makes you so grateful to be alive. Not to mention Tom Hulce's singing voice is totally cool.
** "[[IWantSong God Help The Outcasts]]". To understand how Awesome this song is, first, understand that Sanctuary only applies for forty days, at which point, the offender must surrender peacefully, and may be sentenced after such period (at the best, she would have been deported, which we have to believe is a worse fate than staying in Paris under Frollo's rule, and at worst a death sentence). Further more, she is admittedly not Christian ("I don't know if you can hear me, or if you are even there.") so Sanctuary doesn't really apply to her. Compound to the fact that the Archdeacon is not legally obligated to feed her - even though, let's face it, in this case he almost certainly would - and armed guards are waiting at every point to catch her if she leaves the church, Esmeralda is in a desperate state and deserves her IWantSong to be answered. So, what does she want in her IWantSong? She asks God to not worry about her, cause she can take care of herself, and instead says she wants him to look out for people in much more desperate situations. Keep in mind, this non-Christian is schooling devout Catholics who ask for money, love, glory, etc. in the art of prayer and approaches the Virgin Mary's figure with humility. In a meta way, this is a beautiful way of balancing the topic- she might not be baptized or even a believer, but she adheres to the spirit of the faith as much as the Archdeacon does, in contrast to Frollo and some of the other people who are praying in the Cathedral.
*** Nevermind that it is possibly [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic one of the most beautiful songs Disney has ever put to film]]:
---->''Yes, I know I'm just an outcast,''\\
''I shouldn't speak to you.''\\
''Still, I see your face and wonder:''\\
''Were you once an outcast, too?''
* Phobeus and Esmeralda [[BelligerentSexualTension in hand-to-hand combat]] in the cathedral. Better considering their back and forth [[SnarkToSnarkCombat snarking]] and ''flirting.'' Then when Frollo comes barging in, Phoebus thinks on his feet and quietly encourages Esmeralda to claim sanctuary; when she doesn't play along he bluffs and does it for her, quite possibly saving her life.
* Frollo gets one when he suddenly shows up at the Court of Miracles.
-->'''Esmeralda:''' You took a terrible risk coming here. It may not exactly show, but we're grateful.\\
'''Phoebus:''' Don't thank me, thank Quasimodo. Without his help, I'd never have found my way here.\\
'''Frollo:''' ''[From off-screen]'' '''[[TrickAndFollowPloy Nor would I]].'''
* Despite ''everything'' Frollo put Quasi through, including just trying to kill him and revealing the ''truth'' about how Quasi's mother died, Quasimodo is trying desperately to hang on to Frollo; he doesn't want to kill him, even though if he did let Frollo fall to his death it would be justified.
** It's beautiful how subtly it is represented. Most other films place emphasis on how the hero refuses to kill the villain, but here it's simply the refusal to let go, without any acknowledgement in dialogue.
* "No soldiers! Sanctuary! GetOut!" When Quasimodo lifts Phoebus off the ground, his strength is a CMOA of itself. To elaborate: He lifts a relatively tall and muscular man, who's wearing plate armor ''with one hand, '''without noticing he'd done so'''.''
* Quasimodo's mother deserves a mention; she managed to stay ahead of a galloping horse in the middle of winter - with plenty of snow and ice on the ground that she could have slipped on - leap a railing to try to escape Frollo, and have enough presence of mind to get to the cathedral and claim sanctuary. ''All while carrying baby Quasimodo.''
* A more subtle one can be given to the Roma that Frollo interrogates while searching for Esmeralda. Given that the Romani community in Paris is pretty tight-knit, it's likely they knew where Esmeralda was hiding and facing the likelihood of imprisonment and torture, it would have been very tempting to sell her out in the hope that Frollo would spare them. They ''refuse'' to do so, even when Frollo outright tortures them (at one point he shoves a cart full of Roma into a river) and offers them a small fortune (consider that the Roma were flat broke most of the time--twenty pieces of silver was likely more money than any of them had ever seen).
** Building on the above, there's the poor miller who is accused of harboring Roma in his home. Despite Frollo's reputation as a hanging judge (along with news of his increasing instability), the miller manages to stand up to him, saying that he's welcomed weary travelers before (which is a clever bit of ExactWords--by not specifying ''who'' those "weary travelers" are, he technically tells the truth). Even as Frollo places his family under house arrest, the miller gets up and declares his innocence. To stand up to one of the most powerful people in all of Paris takes major courage.
* The fact that Disney had the balls to release this, a movie with themes of lust and fanaticism, is awesome enough. Sure, certain elements had to be toned down because it's a film intended for kids, but it's still darker than the average Disney film, to the point some people are surprised it wasn't intended for an older audience. Disney went to the absolute limits they could while still keeping that G/PG rating.

*** The fact that Phoebus uses the term "our people" to refer to the Romani, who are the ones Frollo is specifically persecuting and whom the city has been distrustful and bigoted towards the whole film. The crowd immediately agrees that they ''are'' Parisians with righteous indignation, and riot against Frollo's authoritarian rule.